CCBC-Net Archives
Re: Schneider Family Book Award
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Robin Gibson <gibsonr_at_denison.edu>
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:30:10 -0500
Here is my ode to Marcelo, which I've finally posted on my blog. Despite its length, there's still more to say about this book (I didn't even cover ethnicity, as Jamie mentioned.)
--------------
/Marcelo in the Real World/ was the simply best book I read last year. It was engaging, thought-provoking, with a likeable protagonist, who is faced with some pretty tough decisions over the course of a summer. Marcelo has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and has attended a special private school, Paterson, all his life. He also “hears” music
that other people don’t hear. Marcelo’s father would like him to try the public school instead. Marcelo doesn’t want to – he is comfortable an d understood at his school and he excels in taking care of the horses used in therapy. His father’s position is understandable to a reader with distance, though it’s frustrating for Marcelo. Though he knows Marcelo is different, he also wants him to be able to get along in “the real world.” So in a compromise that’s not really a compromise, Marcelo agrees to work at his father’s law firm over the summer. If he succeeds , he can choose which school to attend in the fall. If he doesn’t succeed , then he’ll be sent to the public school.
Many autistic children have a particular passion. Marcelo’s is a bit unusual: it’s God. He explores God through different religions: his grandmother has taught him about his Catholic background, a Jewish rabbi serves as a mentor, and his dog is named after a Buddhist prayer. This passion is not incidental to the story; it is interwoven beautifully into the fabric of the story. He wants to say the Rosary on the train into the city, but his father dissuades him, and then shows him a chapel on the way to work where he can stop to pray. And Marcelo’s grounding i n religion provides a foundation that enables him to navigate a very difficult decision near the end of the book.
Marcelo’s intelligence helps him to compensate in areas where he is weaker -- especially social interaction, as is common with autism. He has a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses – probably better than
most people. He is surprised when he discovers his father has described him as having a “cognitive disorder” which “implies there is someth ing wrong with the way I think or the way I perceive reality. I perceive reality just fine. Sometimes I perceive more of reality than others.” (p. 54).
The book stays true to Marcelo’s unique perspective throughout the book . The reader sees everything through Marcelo’s eyes, which gives incredibly personal insight into the eyes of an autistic person. Marcelo tries to figure out the rules, so he can follow them. But as he himself notes, “the reasons as to why something is right and something is not seem arbitrary.” (p. 43) The reader makes discoveries along with Marcelo, though sometimes the reader may infer something that it takes a bit longer for Marcelo himself to catch. The best example of this is which characters to trust, and which are just slimy. To his credit, Marcelo gives everyone a fair shake, not trusting what others tell him, but finding out for himself.
Marcelo’s exploration of religion has given him a strong moral frame of
reference. His mother is a nurse at a children’s hospital and Marcelo greatly admires her strength. His own conscience is tested in this book, and he struggles with doing the right thing or doing what might be best, or easiest, rather, for himself. Marcelo tries to “Be in the world but not of the world” as Jesus taught. But he thinks, “I have not the slightest idea how to accomplish that or even if it’s possible. The world will always poke you in the chest with its index finger.” (p. 201 )
Marcelo meets a girl who has overcome great adversity, who has had every right to feel angry and bitter, but is now able to help others. He discovers a real answer for his question, “How do we live with all the suffering? We see our ugly parts, and then we are able to forgive, love kindness, walk humbly./”We all have ugly parts . . .” (p. 299) This i s a powerful realization for Marcelo, the power of forgiveness. It really resonated with me and I think it will for many teens. We all make mistakes. We all have ugly parts. What is most important is to forgive yourself, forgive others, and move on, which can be much more difficult than it sounds.
Though Marcelo is not successful in his father’s eyes (and we are left to wonder, will he ever know? Will he ever realize what Marcelo has done? How he has grown?), I think he will be perceived as successful to the reader. He has faced some very difficult choices, wrestled with deep ideas of right and wrong, and stayed true to himself, despite what it costs him personally. These ideas (forgiveness, truth, right and wrong) continue to resonate with me months later.
-----------------------------------------
Robin L. Gibson http://bookmuse.wordpress.com
Received on Tue 23 Feb 2010 10:30:10 AM CST
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:30:10 -0500
Here is my ode to Marcelo, which I've finally posted on my blog. Despite its length, there's still more to say about this book (I didn't even cover ethnicity, as Jamie mentioned.)
--------------
/Marcelo in the Real World/ was the simply best book I read last year. It was engaging, thought-provoking, with a likeable protagonist, who is faced with some pretty tough decisions over the course of a summer. Marcelo has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and has attended a special private school, Paterson, all his life. He also “hears” music
that other people don’t hear. Marcelo’s father would like him to try the public school instead. Marcelo doesn’t want to – he is comfortable an d understood at his school and he excels in taking care of the horses used in therapy. His father’s position is understandable to a reader with distance, though it’s frustrating for Marcelo. Though he knows Marcelo is different, he also wants him to be able to get along in “the real world.” So in a compromise that’s not really a compromise, Marcelo agrees to work at his father’s law firm over the summer. If he succeeds , he can choose which school to attend in the fall. If he doesn’t succeed , then he’ll be sent to the public school.
Many autistic children have a particular passion. Marcelo’s is a bit unusual: it’s God. He explores God through different religions: his grandmother has taught him about his Catholic background, a Jewish rabbi serves as a mentor, and his dog is named after a Buddhist prayer. This passion is not incidental to the story; it is interwoven beautifully into the fabric of the story. He wants to say the Rosary on the train into the city, but his father dissuades him, and then shows him a chapel on the way to work where he can stop to pray. And Marcelo’s grounding i n religion provides a foundation that enables him to navigate a very difficult decision near the end of the book.
Marcelo’s intelligence helps him to compensate in areas where he is weaker -- especially social interaction, as is common with autism. He has a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses – probably better than
most people. He is surprised when he discovers his father has described him as having a “cognitive disorder” which “implies there is someth ing wrong with the way I think or the way I perceive reality. I perceive reality just fine. Sometimes I perceive more of reality than others.” (p. 54).
The book stays true to Marcelo’s unique perspective throughout the book . The reader sees everything through Marcelo’s eyes, which gives incredibly personal insight into the eyes of an autistic person. Marcelo tries to figure out the rules, so he can follow them. But as he himself notes, “the reasons as to why something is right and something is not seem arbitrary.” (p. 43) The reader makes discoveries along with Marcelo, though sometimes the reader may infer something that it takes a bit longer for Marcelo himself to catch. The best example of this is which characters to trust, and which are just slimy. To his credit, Marcelo gives everyone a fair shake, not trusting what others tell him, but finding out for himself.
Marcelo’s exploration of religion has given him a strong moral frame of
reference. His mother is a nurse at a children’s hospital and Marcelo greatly admires her strength. His own conscience is tested in this book, and he struggles with doing the right thing or doing what might be best, or easiest, rather, for himself. Marcelo tries to “Be in the world but not of the world” as Jesus taught. But he thinks, “I have not the slightest idea how to accomplish that or even if it’s possible. The world will always poke you in the chest with its index finger.” (p. 201 )
Marcelo meets a girl who has overcome great adversity, who has had every right to feel angry and bitter, but is now able to help others. He discovers a real answer for his question, “How do we live with all the suffering? We see our ugly parts, and then we are able to forgive, love kindness, walk humbly./”We all have ugly parts . . .” (p. 299) This i s a powerful realization for Marcelo, the power of forgiveness. It really resonated with me and I think it will for many teens. We all make mistakes. We all have ugly parts. What is most important is to forgive yourself, forgive others, and move on, which can be much more difficult than it sounds.
Though Marcelo is not successful in his father’s eyes (and we are left to wonder, will he ever know? Will he ever realize what Marcelo has done? How he has grown?), I think he will be perceived as successful to the reader. He has faced some very difficult choices, wrestled with deep ideas of right and wrong, and stayed true to himself, despite what it costs him personally. These ideas (forgiveness, truth, right and wrong) continue to resonate with me months later.
-----------------------------------------
Robin L. Gibson http://bookmuse.wordpress.com
Received on Tue 23 Feb 2010 10:30:10 AM CST
