Marcelo in the Real World - Fransisco X. Stork

Title: Marcelo in the Real World
Author: Francisco X. Stork
Genre: YA
Rating: 9/10
# pages: 306
Date read: January, 2009

Summary: Marcelo Sandoval hears music that nobody else can hear – part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in the music or Marcelo's differences, and he challenges Marcelo to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer…to join "the real world."

There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it's a picture he finds in a file – a picture of a girl with half a face – that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.

Review: Very beautiful story. Marcelo is the epitome of naivety and innocence that I almost hated that he had to be brought into the real world, and learn about the suffering man can bring upon man. I spent most of the book marvelling at his integrity and hoping he wouldn't sacrifice it in order to complete in "the real world."

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