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A review by amazing_emily_anderson
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
2.0
REQUIRED TEXT
Marcelo has Aspbergers, or something like it. Up until now, he has been going to a school for kids with special needs, and he looks forward to his summer job working with the therapy ponies at the school. However, his father has other plans for him. He believes that it would be more beneficial for Marcelo to work in the "real world" with him at his law firm. What his father doesn't expect, however, is how Marcelo will begin to unravel the mysteries and secrets that lie just under the surface at the firm.
I admit, I really struggled to work my way through this book. I get that the author was trying to give a voice to people with mental disorders, but Marcelo felt more like a caricature of someone with Aspbergers rather than a real person; emotionless, obsessed with logic, overly literal, etc. One of the characters actually refers to him as Spock, which I thought was an accurate description. This book reminded me a lot of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," with almost the exact same plot. I just don't think the format of the book speaks in favor of people with similar disabilities. Why should we be surprised or proud when Marcelo is actually able to succeed in the "real world?" This book just felt pandering, and while the writing itself was not bad and there were a few highlights, overall this book did not succeed at its purpose, in my opinion.
Marcelo has Aspbergers, or something like it. Up until now, he has been going to a school for kids with special needs, and he looks forward to his summer job working with the therapy ponies at the school. However, his father has other plans for him. He believes that it would be more beneficial for Marcelo to work in the "real world" with him at his law firm. What his father doesn't expect, however, is how Marcelo will begin to unravel the mysteries and secrets that lie just under the surface at the firm.
I admit, I really struggled to work my way through this book. I get that the author was trying to give a voice to people with mental disorders, but Marcelo felt more like a caricature of someone with Aspbergers rather than a real person; emotionless, obsessed with logic, overly literal, etc. One of the characters actually refers to him as Spock, which I thought was an accurate description. This book reminded me a lot of "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," with almost the exact same plot. I just don't think the format of the book speaks in favor of people with similar disabilities. Why should we be surprised or proud when Marcelo is actually able to succeed in the "real world?" This book just felt pandering, and while the writing itself was not bad and there were a few highlights, overall this book did not succeed at its purpose, in my opinion.