Marcelo in the Real World by Franciso X. Stork
Marcelo Sandoval is seventeen years old and he is about to enter his senior year of high school at Paterson, a school for special needs students. Marcelo has a form of high-functioning autism. He has always led a structured and sheltered existence until now. His father, who does not believe that Marcelo needs to attend a special school, strikes a bargain with Marcelo. He must work for one summer in his father's law office, make a sincere effort to exist in "the real world," and, if he succeeds, Marcelo can return to Paterson for his senior year. If he fails, Marcelo will be sent to the local public high school where he will have to learn to live in "the real world."
The story is told from Marcelo's perspective and his voice did draw me in. Some secondary characters were stereotypical, including Wendel, the son of a lawyer in the firm, an adversary of Marcelo's father, the gorgeous coworker with whom Marcelo becomes involved, the wise rabbi he turns to for guidance, the altruistic lawyer he helps to fight a big, bad corporate company that covers up evidence of producing a faulty and dangerous product. Overall, however, I came to care about Marcelo and root for him to succeed. Parts of this story stayed with me long after I finished reading the book.
Recommended reading: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- time by Mark Haddon
