"Marcelo in the Real World" is a novel by Francisco X. Stork that follows the story of a 17-year-old boy named Marcelo Sandoval, who has a form of autism. Marcelo is deeply connected to his own world, where he finds comfort in his job at a therapeutic horse barn. His life changes when his father insists he work at a law firm for the summer, pushing him into the complexities of the "real world." As Marcelo navigates this new environment, he faces challenges that test his understanding of relationships, ethics, and personal identity. The story explores themes of acceptance, self-discovery, and the struggle between societal expectations and personal truth.