Francisco StorkRecensioni

{My thoughts} – I just picked a random book out of my review pile for Scholastic and started reading it. Most of the books I have an idea of what they are about, but a majority of the time it’s a nice little mystery until I start reading. This book was definitely a nice little mystery.

Vicky lost her mother at a young age and her father remarried not long after. Her older sister Becca moved on in much the same way as their father. This left Vicky in the dark alone, sad and missing her mother, no one seemed to share or display the sane feelings she had which was causing a kind of rift between the members of the family without them actually realizing it was happening.

Vicky decided that since she felt so empty and alone that she’d take her own life. She attempted but her cat and her Nana saved her life. It’s a lucky thing that she was able to live through what she’d done and that she’d been given a second chance.

The book covers suicide awareness as well as depression awareness. Vicky’s main issue is a depression that had been ignored and not treated. When that happens it has the potential to escalate into suicide tendencies.

I know about both topics all to well. They have both effected my life in one way or another. Making people aware that they aren’t alone and that there is real hope at the end of the long dark tunnel is the only thing that can be honestly done. Hope is essential and important to assist with the desire to move forward.

Once Vicky started to hope and understand that there was a real future for her is when she started to accept her illness as just that an illness. It’s not something that defines an individual it just has the potential to make life a little more complicated for those suffering from it.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that’s ever felt depressed or suicidal. It’s incredibly well written and helps to show that no matter how alone you may feel in the terrible dark times, that your never truly alone.

{My thoughts} – I just picked a random book out of my review pile for Scholastic and started reading it. Most of the books I have an idea of what they are about, but a majority of the time it’s a nice little mystery until I start reading. This book was definitely a nice little mystery.

Vicky lost her mother at a young age and her father remarried not long after. Her older sister Becca moved on in much the same way as their father. This left Vicky in the dark alone, sad and missing her mother, no one seemed to share or display the sane feelings she had which was causing a kind of rift between the members of the family without them actually realizing it was happening.

Vicky decided that since she felt so empty and alone that she’d take her own life. She attempted but her cat and her Nana saved her life. It’s a lucky thing that she was able to live through what she’d done and that she’d been given a second chance.

The book covers suicide awareness as well as depression awareness. Vicky’s main issue is a depression that had been ignored and not treated. When that happens it has the potential to escalate into suicide tendencies.

I know about both topics all to well. They have both effected my life in one way or another. Making people aware that they aren’t alone and that there is real hope at the end of the long dark tunnel is the only thing that can be honestly done. Hope is essential and important to assist with the desire to move forward.

Once Vicky started to hope and understand that there was a real future for her is when she started to accept her illness as just that an illness. It’s not something that defines an individual it just has the potential to make life a little more complicated for those suffering from it.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that’s ever felt depressed or suicidal. It’s incredibly well written and helps to show that no matter how alone you may feel in the terrible dark times, that your never truly alone.

Excellent novel from the point of view of an autistic individual as he struggles to understand the world around him. Great balance of internal reflection and action that engages the reader. The author truly pulls you into Marcelo's world in a unique and powerful way.

This book was very sweet, written in a style closer to classic children's literature than YA. I don't mean that it's more appropriate for a middle-grade audience, but that larger than life characters and the sense of an authorial voice behind Marcelo's remind me more of, say, Louis Sachar than John Green.

Marcelo's voice is very likable and engaging, and his journey into the world of corporate law makes for a story with more genuine moral ambiguity than a lot of young adult literature. Most of the other characters are not as complex and their dialogue is frankly unbelievable, but Stork is so masterful a writer that I was able to read past the lack of realism (which is rare for me!)

As for depicting a person on the autism spectrum, I thought Stork did a good job making Marcelo identifiable as a person with Asperger's but more than the sum of his symptoms. He does sort of fit into the "morally outstanding person with a disability" cliche, but I think Stork did a good job showing that this is just Marcelo's personality and not an inevitable result of his disability. However, I'll leave it to other readers to decide if this book had issues that I'm overlooking.

Not bad though it’s very slow-paced. The characters talk so formally/awkwardly outside of Chavo and Joey. At one point, Hector’s sister tells her mom she uses “regular young-people talk.” *Scooby-doo noise* The plot reigns supreme here because the characters feel a bit bland.

Despite a few Spanish and English curse words, the tone felt like a very young YA or Middle Grade, due to a lot of telling, at times. I wonder if a first pov would’ve been more enjoyable? Now, this wasn’t Christian fiction, but faith and scriptures are certainly present.

Overall, I liked Hector’s family and his journey to becoming brave. Hector’s back and forth struggle with revenge was really good and his dynamic with Joey. Joey’s trash, but, as readers, as we learn more about him, we get as conflicted and muddled as Hector. While I understand the ending, the open-endedness felt a bit unsatisfying or unfinished. I wanted to see a reunion with Azi and his family again. Also, it felt like Gloria fell off the face of the Earth. We don’t find out what happened to her.

2.5

Trigger warnings: Death of parents, grief and loss depiction

5/10, after I read some science fiction and fantasy books I wanted to take a break from them and decide to read a realistic novel instead but I was so underwhelmed by this and where do I even start since there are so many problems with this. Irises by Francisco X. Stork starts with sisters Kate and Mary who just lost their father and their mother is in a coma for quite a while, they're hoping that she will recover from that but I will see her fate later on. To pass the time one of the sisters decides to make some more art and they both go to school and live the best life they can though they have harder lives than others due to that devastating loss however I felt that all of the characters were quite flat and I ended up not caring for them at all since they weren't fleshed out nor developed and I especially didn't like Kate and Mary as much since they were cold and spoke unrealistically since they forced themselves not to use slang and sometimes that works but in this case, it didn't. Towards the end of the book, the sisters ponder on whether to take off life support from their mother and they eventually let her die, now they are orphans but it doesn't matter anyways since one sister is 18 and can take care of the other sister who is 16. If you like books about grief skip this one and try Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul or Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley.

I really liked this story. A liked it a great deal. The characters were interesting and inspirational. Excellent ending as well. Bravo! Marcelo!

3 1/2 stars rounded up to four.

The Memory of Light is a about a depressed girl named Vicky Cruz who attempts suicide at the beginning of the book and spends the remainder of the book recovering. I recognized and related to her story, having struggled with depression my whole life, however it didn't resonate with me as deeply as [b:We Are the Ants|23677341|We Are the Ants|Shaun David Hutchinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1425574151s/23677341.jpg|43285034].

I felt like Vicky's narrative could have been deeper than it was, but I was pulled along emotionally by her story, as well as the other patients she befriends, Gabriel, Mona and E.M. I found E.M. a particularly likable and interesting character.

Overall, I think that The Memory of Light is an important book and one that could really help struggling teenagers but it didn't quite connect to me in the way I wanted.

CW: Sex Slaves

CW: Recovering from suicide attempts

Incredibly brisk read, and it was quite enjoyable.
I think I have a thing for characters with Asperger's. (I liked The Curious Incident of The Dog, and the film: Adam). After knowing that much about them, maybe my rating isn't fair. Maybe it deserves more, who knows? It was a fluff read, nonetheless. Nothing serious, which was exactly what I needed. I believe it is an EXCELLENT book for young adults, and they all should read it. There are lessons there.
I didn't like the excessive referencing from holy books though. Okay, it is not excessive. But I wished that the part was omitted. Just to make it more universal.

This is a story of revenge. How to exact that revenge and live with the consequences. How do you move forward after your life is shattered and you take that extra step that cements the poor choice you have made as a result. This book was a glimpse into the author’s life growing up in the projects of El Paso. Harsh, gripping, and devastating are what comes to mind after reading this book. Read in one sitting and it blew me away.

Reread this book and loved it as much the second time through.

The term "cognitive disorder" implies there is something 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. 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.

Marcelo Sandoval is a high-functioning, extremely self-aware teenager with Asperger's syndrome. He has an empathetic mother and a father, Arturo, who appears to be less empathetic as he pushes Marcelo to live in the "real world." The form the real world takes is a summer job in the mailroom at Arturo's law office. The teen is forced to think on his feet, multitask, and deal with duplicitous people who try to take advantage of him. Over the course of a summer, Marcelo learns that he can function in society; he is especially surprised to find that he can learn to read people's expressions, even to the point of knowing whom he can and cannot trust. Writing in a first-person narrative, Stork does an amazing job of entering Marcelo's consciousness and presenting him as a dynamic, sympathetic, and wholly believable character.½

Two sisters discover what's truly worth living for in the new novel by the author of Marcelo in the Real World.

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. - if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.

THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.

ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darkness in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good - the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for.½

SYNC: Depression is a real problem for many today, especially since 2020 shut the world down. I loved this book, the characters were so real and their battles with varied mental health issues so compelling, they way this group became a "family" was wonderful. I was totally into it, then the author told his own story with depression - it only raised by recommendation - I'd give it a 10 if that was possible. I have read and loved several books by Mr. Stork, he is a wonderful author. Highly recommended.

Frankie Corzo's delivery is beautifully suited to Stork's spirited narrator and strong characters in this story of loss, hope, and fighting for yourself in trying times. After Vicky Cruz attempts to end her life, she finds herself in the Mental Disorders Ward of Lakeview Hospital. Electing to stay and seek treatment, Vicky soon meets people who accept her as she is, and finds a strength and determination she hadn't thought possible. Through Corzo's characterizations, listeners will meet bubbly Mona, gruff E.M., kind Gabriel, and steadfast Doctor Desai, all of whom have wisdom to share. Varied pacing expertly captures the contrast between time spent in and out of treatment.

Marcelo truly goes to the beat of his own drum: he hears music in his head. His father wants Marcelo to join “the real world” by working at his law firm for the summer. This is decidedly not what Marcelo had in mind for his last summer before senior year. He had planned work in the Patterson school stables where he'd be surrounded with people like him and animals whose main therapeutic purpose is to mirror emotions and help people socialize. While working in the mail room, Marcelo meets Jasmine and Wendell who impact his life in unforeseen ways. What follows is a journey of friendship, identity, risk-taking, and acceptance.

Second book in the series follows the brother, Emiliano, and sister, Sara, into the United States after escaping Mexican persecution when Sara discovered the human trafficing system in her small town. The story goes back and forth between a detention center and living in a large city where the siblings are dealing with their new lives while also trying not to be found with the evidence one of them still retains. Nice exploration of values, being brave but would have liked more depth in the fear they must have both felt and there was a quicker-than-expected wrap up. I was anticipating the story not ending with this book about 3/4 of the way through. Would recommend for JH and up.

Fantastic. Thank you for telling a story that is not often told, and for making it realistic. Mental health is so important, but it frightens people so no one talks about it. This is a wonderful way to open the conversation. Please keep writing Mr. Francisco X. Stork!

Disclaimer: Not a Juvenile book, much more a Young Adult book!

This is a wonderful story and insight into the world of a young man who has been classified on the spectrum with high functioning autism, or Aspberger's (spelling, sorry...). But it isn't a fully accurate diagnosis. Marcelo is fantastic and the author created a very believeable character. Marcelo knows what makes him happy and calm and even what he wants to do with his life until his father insists that Marcelo enters the "real world."

I have worked with many young people on the spectrum and their parents. I love them all dearly but almost all parents have had that thought of, "am I doing the right thing for my child? Should the focus of their education be more functional or more academic? Do they go somewhere where they can succeed at their level or do they go some where potentially frustrating because it is challenging on many different levels?" There is no easy answer for this, because there are benefits to both and yet it seems the decision has to be one or the other. Maybe this should change....

Anyway, the story is lovely. I was invested in Marcelo way before I started reading this because of my experiences with other friends. I was distraught for him at his father's suggestion and instantly wished the whole thing would fail. It did not. Marcelo grew and learned. He experienced so many things, good and ugly. He experienced life in all of its disappointments, frustrations and joys.

this book really took a turn that i wasn't expecting about halfway through. i thought i was comfortable with the story and the characters and then out of nowhere everything changed. it was a surprising and bold move, and i think maybe shows the point that grief and the idea of duty can drive us to do things that we wouldn't normally do. i like the questions this book brings up and discusses - what is courage? what does cowardice look like? how do you live with grief and loss and a desire for revenge? does taking revenge take courage or cowardice? is there a difference between duty and love?

hector is a good character to work through these issues. i wish there was more that connected the first part of the book with the second, other than hector. but the author made that transition well, and it never felt like an abrupt loss, just something i wish there had been more continuity with. overall this is well done and surprising in a lot of ways.½

Stork really captured aspects of Asperger's Syndrome in Marcelo. Character development was very strong. But does he and Jasmine get together for real? That was too ambiguous for me.

Stunning, heartfelt characters, beautifully written, humorous. I love Marcelo and Jasmine! Between them, they have more wisdom and practicality than a lot of adults. I laughed aloud at the ribald conversation between Jasmine's father, Amos, and their close neighbors.

What a charming book. I loved Marcelo and his unique view of the world. His coming of age story is so different from many, but also shows how universal growing pains can be.

Illegal follows up on the characters we met in Disappeared, introducing what it's like to live as an illegal immigrant in the United States. Stop if you don't want spoilers from Disappeared!

Sara had to turn herself in at the end of the last novel. She's now in a detention facility in Texas. Considering the information that Sara has (from book one) would ruin a very powerful group of people who are making a lot of money selling people, Sara's life is in danger. People with money and who have the fear of losing that money could be desperate and their reach could be far. Meanwhile, Emiliano decides to stay with their father with his new family. Neither escape the reach of the criminals. Each decision they make could cost them their own lives or the lives of their siblings or parents.

I liked this novel better than the first one. I was much more interested and worried the entire time. Of course, it's a dramatization of what an immigrant goes through, but there's some reality in it as well. Many people seek to escape from danger and come to the United States. People harbor different opinions. This novel gives one view--just to expand one's thoughts. I'm not saying much because it's a book two, but it's really engaging.