Marcelo
in the Real World ,
by Francisco X. Stork (Read by Lincoln Hoppe)
Marcelo Sandoval, a 17-year-old boy with
a condition similar to Asperger syndrome, is looking
forward to summer vacation when he can start his summer
job caring for the horses at the special school he attends.
His plans change when his father, a prominent attorney,
insists that Marcelo needs to see what life is like
in the "real world" and bribes him to accept
a job at his Boston law firm for the summer. The payoff
will be that Marcelo can return to his special school
in the fall if he works at the law firm for the summer.
If he refuses, he will be forced to go to public school
in the fall.
His boss at the law firm is a young girl,
Jasmine, who teaches him how to recognize and handle
emotions and how to deal with people. In the course
of the summer, Marcelo learns about love, jealousy,
anger, desire, compassion and a range of emotions he
never knew existed. While he'd always been comfortable
with animals, he now learns how to have feelings for
and be friends with the people he meets.
Marcelo hears internal music, or what he
calls "IM" when he's not interacting with
others. He spends a great deal of his time in solitary
activities, even to the point of choosing to live in
a tree house rather than in his comfortable home. He's
also deeply religious, calling his incessant praying
"remembering" because it reminds him of his
devout grandmother.
Told in the first person, this novel is
uncanny in its ability to allow the listener to get
into the head of the young man. Because the use of pronouns
is not natural to him, he uses "Marcelo" instead
of "I" when talking to others, unless he consciously
chooses the correct word. This simulates a speech and
perception disorder for the listener, making it easy
to identify with Marcelo's. The narrator delivers Marcelo's
lines in a very flat and deliberate manor, while animating
the other characters appropriately. This contrast in
reading is very effective in distinguishing the differences
between Marcelo's and the "real world".
This is a very tender and heartwarming
story with thought-provoking situations and characters.
Marcelo battles evil in the form of trying to right
the injustice he feels has been done by his father's
firm. Although desperate for acceptance and friendship,
he learns to stand up to those who would take advantage
of him because of his innocence.
It's a summer of many lessons -- for Marcelo,
his family, co-workers and ultimately, the listeners
fortunate enough to find this beautiful audio book.
Although suggested for young adult audiences, this book
would appeal to readers of all ages who've ever wondered
about living in an autism-like world.
Ruth
Mormon
5/4/09
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