- Hardcover: 312 pages
- Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books (Mar 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0545054745
- ISBN-13: 978-0545054744
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.2 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 955,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Marcelo in the Real World
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Product Description
Product Description
Marcelo Sandoval has autism and has always attended a special school, an idyllic, protected place. But the summer before high school, his father demands that Marcelo works in his law firm's mailroom in order to experience "the real world". There Marcelo meets Jasmine, beautiful and surprising, and Wendell, the self-satisfied son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture that he finds in a file - a picture of a girl with a terrible injury - that truly connects him to the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and his place in it.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover
Marcelo is seventeen and has an Asperger's-like condition. He goes to a special school and has a summer job lined up caring for the therapy horses at his school. But Marcelo's father has other plans - he wants Marcelo to experience the real world.
He gets Marcelo a job working in the mail room of his law firm. Marcelo isn't interested in working at the law firm, but his father makes him a deal - survive in the real world and he won't have to go to the public high school his father would like him to attend for his senior year.
While working at the firm, Marcelo uncovers secrets, experiences friendship, fights a battle for justice, and learns about the real world.
I was first drawn to this book because of Marcelo - I was interested in reading a book written from the perspective of a character with Asperger's. I thought it would be a story about Marcelo navigating the real world, but there was so much more. Marcelo finds himself faced with tough decisions, and fighting a battle between what's right and wrong, and I think anyone can relate to his struggles. There's some mystery, some romance, and even some religious searching all packed in these pages.
Marcelo hears internal music and music is a connection for Marcelo and Jasmine, his co-worker in the mail room. This novel is beautifully written and there were times I could hear the music in Marcelo's words. I also enjoyed the fact that the book is written in first person from Marcelo's point of view. It was interesting to get inside Marcelo's head and understand how he processed things.
Jasmine is an inspiration. She's patient, she's kind, and she's smart. We could all hope to be like Jasmine, especially when dealing with people who are "different."
If you want to see the real world through new eyes, be sure to pick up a copy of MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.
Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen
He gets Marcelo a job working in the mail room of his law firm. Marcelo isn't interested in working at the law firm, but his father makes him a deal - survive in the real world and he won't have to go to the public high school his father would like him to attend for his senior year.
While working at the firm, Marcelo uncovers secrets, experiences friendship, fights a battle for justice, and learns about the real world.
I was first drawn to this book because of Marcelo - I was interested in reading a book written from the perspective of a character with Asperger's. I thought it would be a story about Marcelo navigating the real world, but there was so much more. Marcelo finds himself faced with tough decisions, and fighting a battle between what's right and wrong, and I think anyone can relate to his struggles. There's some mystery, some romance, and even some religious searching all packed in these pages.
Marcelo hears internal music and music is a connection for Marcelo and Jasmine, his co-worker in the mail room. This novel is beautifully written and there were times I could hear the music in Marcelo's words. I also enjoyed the fact that the book is written in first person from Marcelo's point of view. It was interesting to get inside Marcelo's head and understand how he processed things.
Jasmine is an inspiration. She's patient, she's kind, and she's smart. We could all hope to be like Jasmine, especially when dealing with people who are "different."
If you want to see the real world through new eyes, be sure to pick up a copy of MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.
Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Marcelo in the Real World is about a seventeen-year-old boy called Marcelo who has an Asperger's-like condition. Marcelo has spent his life in a special school surrounded by people who understand his problems. His Dad decides that it is time for Marcelo to enter the `real world', to break out of his protective shell and deal with every day life; so he gets him a summer job in the mail room of his law firm. We see how Marcelo copes with his difficult new surroundings and learns to make real desicions for the first time in his life.
Marcelo in the Real World is a really sweet book. It is light, easy to read and heart warming. I don't know much about teenagers with Asperger's, but it appeared that the book had been very well researched. It gave a detailed insight into his thought processes and it helped me to see the world from the eyes of someone with the condition.
Marcelo has a special interest in God and so there were a number of religious discussions, mainly relating to sin, relationships and sex. I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of religious discussions, but they did help to illustrate Marcelo's innocence and so I could tolerate them in small doses!
The story was quite simple and to be honest I don't think I'd have enjoyed it if I hadn't had a special interest in the subject matter. I prefer my books to be a bit darker and not so sentimental.
This book gives a fantastic insight into the problems faced by people who suffer from Asperger's. My son has the condition and so I am encouraging all my friends and family to read it, but I suspect that many people will find it too sweet and cheesy for their liking.
Marcelo in the Real World is a really sweet book. It is light, easy to read and heart warming. I don't know much about teenagers with Asperger's, but it appeared that the book had been very well researched. It gave a detailed insight into his thought processes and it helped me to see the world from the eyes of someone with the condition.
Marcelo has a special interest in God and so there were a number of religious discussions, mainly relating to sin, relationships and sex. I'm afraid I'm not a big fan of religious discussions, but they did help to illustrate Marcelo's innocence and so I could tolerate them in small doses!
The story was quite simple and to be honest I don't think I'd have enjoyed it if I hadn't had a special interest in the subject matter. I prefer my books to be a bit darker and not so sentimental.
This book gives a fantastic insight into the problems faced by people who suffer from Asperger's. My son has the condition and so I am encouraging all my friends and family to read it, but I suspect that many people will find it too sweet and cheesy for their liking.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I don't know how to talk about this book without babbling incoherently for several paragraphs. I read it many weeks, and many books, ago and still it plays on my mind.
It is told from Marcelo's point of view, with first person narrative. Marcelo himself is a bit innocent and naive and, as such, the story can feel like that. Telling the story like this worked for me though. I felt disjointed and confused when Marcelo did because he can't distinguish the subtleties of facial expressions and tone of voice like other people can and so, as a reader, I couldn't either. Obviously, unlike Marcelo, I could work out the true intention of people and what was going on from the limited information given. I found it cranked up the tension and frustration, particularly later on in the story when Marcelo is trying to decide what is the right thing to do and the consequences thereafter.
What I also liked was how different people react to and interact with Marcelo. We have his mother, Aurora, who is very easy going and gives Marcelo the time he needs to process information before reacting or answering and usually allowing him to make his own choices as much as possible. His father, Arturo, however, is rather more uptight and unsure of how to deal with Marcelo and even more unsure of how to describe his condition. He goes as far to call it a 'cognitive disorder' to his colleagues which both confuses and annoys Marcelo as this is not what is wrong with him. Arturo is keen to push Marcelo into the "real world", be it the law firm or mainstream school for his final year, fearing he is leading a too sheltered life at Paterson, the school for the disabled that he currently goes to. I can understand both Arturo's and Marcelo's points here. For Arturo, he wants the best for his son and for him to fit in better with "normal" people whereas Marcelo wants to finish school at the place, with the people, he has always known. And it's not like Marcelo is drifting through life, unsure of what to do. He has a very clear plan: become a nurse specialising in physical therapy, breed horses and set up a therapy centre for the disabled which utilises hippotherapy. I often got the impression Arturo wasn't aware of this plan of Marcelo's. He never once asked 'what next?' after Marcelo finishes school, unlike Aurora.
Then there is the law firm and the characters there. Jasmine is the young woman Marcelo is first assigned to work with. She runs the mailroom and is initially standoffish towards him, not particularly wanting him there. Eventually, though, she warms to him and is attracted to him, although our Marcelo doesn't quite realise this! I liked that she treated him like a regular person unlike the vast majority of the other employees, who regarded him as 'slow' or 'retarded'. Wendell is the other partner's son and he is a sleaze ball if ever I met one. He may be a law student bit he is content to coast through life with as little effort as possible, tricking Marcelo into doing the grunt work, while playing on yachts and generally being a bit of a playboy. It's fun to watch Wendell try to manipulate Marcelo into persuading Jasmine to visit his boat, while knowing full well that Marcelo won't.
Neither Arturo nor Wendell gave Marcelo enough credit regarding his understanding of the world and that was, essentially, their downfall.
While this is mainly a talky, character driven book about the right and wrongs of the world and religion (Marcelo's special interest - don't worry, it's informative rather than preachy), there is also a very interesting mystery included in the story - the girl in the photo with half a face. What happened to her, whose fault is it and why aren't they helping her? For me, this was when the story started coming into its own. This, not the law firm or mainstream school, is the "real world" in this novel. Here we get to see Marcelo grow as a character in leaps and bounds as he tries to determine the right course of action and realises the consequences if he does the right thing for the girl or the right thing for his father.
It is safe to say I loved this book. I wanted to hug it when I had finished it. I came away with the feeling that, despite his difficulty in understanding people, Marcelo had a firmer grasp on the real world and the people in it than his father, or anyone else, anticipated or appreciated. It may be too sickly and saccharine for some readers but for me it was perfect.
It is told from Marcelo's point of view, with first person narrative. Marcelo himself is a bit innocent and naive and, as such, the story can feel like that. Telling the story like this worked for me though. I felt disjointed and confused when Marcelo did because he can't distinguish the subtleties of facial expressions and tone of voice like other people can and so, as a reader, I couldn't either. Obviously, unlike Marcelo, I could work out the true intention of people and what was going on from the limited information given. I found it cranked up the tension and frustration, particularly later on in the story when Marcelo is trying to decide what is the right thing to do and the consequences thereafter.
What I also liked was how different people react to and interact with Marcelo. We have his mother, Aurora, who is very easy going and gives Marcelo the time he needs to process information before reacting or answering and usually allowing him to make his own choices as much as possible. His father, Arturo, however, is rather more uptight and unsure of how to deal with Marcelo and even more unsure of how to describe his condition. He goes as far to call it a 'cognitive disorder' to his colleagues which both confuses and annoys Marcelo as this is not what is wrong with him. Arturo is keen to push Marcelo into the "real world", be it the law firm or mainstream school for his final year, fearing he is leading a too sheltered life at Paterson, the school for the disabled that he currently goes to. I can understand both Arturo's and Marcelo's points here. For Arturo, he wants the best for his son and for him to fit in better with "normal" people whereas Marcelo wants to finish school at the place, with the people, he has always known. And it's not like Marcelo is drifting through life, unsure of what to do. He has a very clear plan: become a nurse specialising in physical therapy, breed horses and set up a therapy centre for the disabled which utilises hippotherapy. I often got the impression Arturo wasn't aware of this plan of Marcelo's. He never once asked 'what next?' after Marcelo finishes school, unlike Aurora.
Then there is the law firm and the characters there. Jasmine is the young woman Marcelo is first assigned to work with. She runs the mailroom and is initially standoffish towards him, not particularly wanting him there. Eventually, though, she warms to him and is attracted to him, although our Marcelo doesn't quite realise this! I liked that she treated him like a regular person unlike the vast majority of the other employees, who regarded him as 'slow' or 'retarded'. Wendell is the other partner's son and he is a sleaze ball if ever I met one. He may be a law student bit he is content to coast through life with as little effort as possible, tricking Marcelo into doing the grunt work, while playing on yachts and generally being a bit of a playboy. It's fun to watch Wendell try to manipulate Marcelo into persuading Jasmine to visit his boat, while knowing full well that Marcelo won't.
Neither Arturo nor Wendell gave Marcelo enough credit regarding his understanding of the world and that was, essentially, their downfall.
While this is mainly a talky, character driven book about the right and wrongs of the world and religion (Marcelo's special interest - don't worry, it's informative rather than preachy), there is also a very interesting mystery included in the story - the girl in the photo with half a face. What happened to her, whose fault is it and why aren't they helping her? For me, this was when the story started coming into its own. This, not the law firm or mainstream school, is the "real world" in this novel. Here we get to see Marcelo grow as a character in leaps and bounds as he tries to determine the right course of action and realises the consequences if he does the right thing for the girl or the right thing for his father.
It is safe to say I loved this book. I wanted to hug it when I had finished it. I came away with the feeling that, despite his difficulty in understanding people, Marcelo had a firmer grasp on the real world and the people in it than his father, or anyone else, anticipated or appreciated. It may be too sickly and saccharine for some readers but for me it was perfect.
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