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novabird's review against another edition
3.0
All of us are uniquely wired. My interest in autism stems from a philosophical bent towards how the mind perceives and filters our experiences. For me this underlines the inherent worth and dignity of each individual. There is a ‘one within the all,’ tone to this book that I find very interesting, that at once would uplift some people and repress others.
Stork presents Marcello as a verbally challenged person within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who has an interior emotional capacity that he works very hard at continuing to develop, through a lot of go-between with analysis and this makes him capable of understanding motivations.
One of the things that I would like to avoid is imposing a neurotypical judgment on Stork’s characterization of Marcello. What I am left wondering, is the question of the link between understanding motivation and empathy.
For Stork this linkage is one with a grounding in Christianity where one listens with faith and hope for the right Stork openly acknowledges his work with people with developmental disabilities in a home that is centred around a faith-based community. However, Stork handles his faith-based bias very adeptly and does not overshadow the book with it.
The strengths of the writing I found were Marcello’s insights were particularly fresh and I also truly valued how Stork represented Marcello’s sexuality.
The ending has a ‘realness,’ to it that I wish some other books had. Not in the sense of a happy ending but rather that Beautiful and powerful ending – music to my ears! I read this just before, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and it is a far better read. 4
Stork presents Marcello as a verbally challenged person within the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who has an interior emotional capacity that he works very hard at continuing to develop, through a lot of go-between with analysis and this makes him capable of understanding motivations.
One of the things that I would like to avoid is imposing a neurotypical judgment on Stork’s characterization of Marcello. What I am left wondering, is the question of the link between understanding motivation and empathy.
For Stork this linkage is one with a grounding in Christianity where one listens with faith and hope for the right
Spoiler
‘note.’The strengths of the writing I found were Marcello’s insights were particularly fresh and I also truly valued how Stork represented Marcello’s sexuality.
The ending has a ‘realness,’ to it that I wish some other books had. Not in the sense of a happy ending but rather that
Spoiler
Stork leaves us with the message that Marcello constructs his world and creates his own reality and there we have it, “Marcello in the Real World,” is still a world of his own making and not one imposed on him by society.siriface's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, and Ableism
goodem9199's review against another edition
2.0
I really, really wanted to like this, but I was bored stiff...maybe it's the audio narrator
abaugher's review against another edition
5.0
mildly autistic Marcelo has to deal with the "real world", as his dad calls it, by working in his dad's law firm, which is a real viper's nest of lying, cheating, malicious, self-serving, angry people. Not exactly the kind of place Marcelo would like to be. But he learns a lot about this so-called real world, and how to deal straight with under-handed, deceptive people. great narrator, too.
emasvingerova's review against another edition
5.0
Hrozně krásná knížka, jednoduše napsaná, ale nese hrozně hezkou zprávu.
shareen17's review against another edition
4.0
Nicely written book about a naive boy who is on the asperger's spectrum. He's spent all his previous time at a sheltered private school. Now his dad wants him to get a summer job that forces him to learn about the "real world". Marcelo is a strong, interesting character facing new challenges and moral dilemmas. There's a small amount of swearing in this book.
elnaann1313's review against another edition
5.0
Fabulous! Very well written. Pair with Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight. Particulary like the Rabbi's explaination of Adam and Eve's shame at their nakedness. p. 119
boluvsmikayla's review against another edition
4.0
Marcelo is quite the thought provoking character. I felt myself experiencing a lot of emotions as I read this book. I wanted to stand up for Marcelo in every conversation he had with Wendell. I enjoyed the book a lot. It was also extremely frustrating. I feel like Marcelo only had two and a half people who truly loved him and has his best interest at heart.
stephxsu's review against another edition
5.0
MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is an unassuming winner that’s deserving of all the praise it’s received. Sensitive, touching, and hopeful, this remarkable book will make you rethink your position in life, and the influences you can have on it.
Marcelo is an incredibly genuine protagonist. Reading his narration feels in a way like a novelization of the character of Forrest Gump: that charming, yet heartbreaking, guilelessness, the literal way with which he looks at the world, the difficult lessons he can only learn through experience. The completeness with which Francisco Stork seems to know his protagonist is astonishing, and convincingly touching as a result.
In a sense, MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is a celebration of characters, both good and bad. A law firm is an interesting but quite genius place to set such a story, as it allows Marcelo—and readers—to come in contact with people who lie and manipulate, and yet have people they love, and dreams they aspire to. Marcelo’s changing relationship with his father is particularly well done, as it shows us the all-too-real complexities of loving people with good and bad parts.
Sometimes the plot feels slow (it took a few chapters before I got into the story), and sometimes the scenes are disjointed, but overall MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is an amazing accomplishment. I highly recommend that everyone read this book: it might encourage you to approach the world around you differently, with a more open mind and heart.
Marcelo is an incredibly genuine protagonist. Reading his narration feels in a way like a novelization of the character of Forrest Gump: that charming, yet heartbreaking, guilelessness, the literal way with which he looks at the world, the difficult lessons he can only learn through experience. The completeness with which Francisco Stork seems to know his protagonist is astonishing, and convincingly touching as a result.
In a sense, MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is a celebration of characters, both good and bad. A law firm is an interesting but quite genius place to set such a story, as it allows Marcelo—and readers—to come in contact with people who lie and manipulate, and yet have people they love, and dreams they aspire to. Marcelo’s changing relationship with his father is particularly well done, as it shows us the all-too-real complexities of loving people with good and bad parts.
Sometimes the plot feels slow (it took a few chapters before I got into the story), and sometimes the scenes are disjointed, but overall MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD is an amazing accomplishment. I highly recommend that everyone read this book: it might encourage you to approach the world around you differently, with a more open mind and heart.