Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1442408937 (2014 reprint edition)

PLOT SUMMARY
In the summer of 1987, two Mexican-American teenage boys named after philosophers, Aristotle and Dante, form a deep friendship. It begins with Dante teaching Aristotle, who goes by Ari, how to swim that summer. Ari is a loner, who despairs over his relationship with his parents; his father is distant due to his post-traumatic stress after serving in the Vietnam War, and both parents do not talk about Ari's imprisoned older brother. The relationship between Ari and Dante grows into a lifelong friendship with their families when Ari pushes Dante out of the path of a swerving car, breaking both of his legs and an arm. Before the end of the summer, Dante confesses his love to Ari, who does not return it. Dante and his family move to Chicago for his father's short-term position at a university. Both boys experience life in their own ways, keeping in touch through writing letters. Ari's relationship with his father grows as his father slowly opens up to him., and Ari learns more about his family, including an aunt who had been ostracized from their relatives because she lived with a woman. When Dante returns, despite their new experiences and their developing personalities, the friendship returns where it left off. After Dante is hospitalized after a gay-bashing incident, Ari seeks out one of his attackers and breaks his nose. This violent outburst prompts his parents to finally open up about his brother, who is in prison for beating two people to death. This outburst also brings about the revelation that Ari does have romantic feelings for Dante, ending with him requiting that love.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The plot of the book is relatively mundane, aside from the car accident and Ari's violent outburst. This is because Ari's emotional growth is more significant to the plot, portraying the swirling emotions of love, hate, despair, and confusion that he experiences. The mundaneness of this plot is believable, though—it is rare for anything truly dramatic or exciting to happen in everyday life, and those two moments in the plot serve to keep the reader turning the pages to find out what happens next. The conclusion of the book was expected and inevitable, but how it was going to happen was not obvious. Ari does not confess his love to Dante until page 352 out of 359, which is realized after his parents help him discover this.

The dialogue between the parents and their children are believable, with the parents often remarking on their children that they are smart alecks. This dialogue was also refreshing, as it truly portrayed the boys as humans having conversations with their parents. It often seems that parents in young adult books serve as rule-setters only. The dialogue between Ari and Dante is a quick back-and-forth, pinging off each other like best friends do.

Despite the fact that this book takes place in 1987, the book itself is contemporary and could easily take place in 2020. The only difference would be the use of cell phones as opposed to landline phones and letters. There are few references to the culture of the time, keeping it feeling contemporary. Even the description and details of the place, El Paso, Texas, are sparse. Other than the description of a nearby desert, it can be easy for readers to imagine the story anywhere.

There are landmarks of growing up into adulthood, or as cleverly titled as "discovering the secrets of the universe." There is no moralizing over the behavior of teens, who date, experiment with their sexuality, drink, and take drugs. Even the parents, while they have rules, do understand that their teenagers will experiment. The story will personally resonate with the complicated emotions of teens, whether or not their own personal experiences are reflected in the book.

The book avoids both Mexican and gay stereotypes, and very little cultural markers are present, with the rare occurrence of Ari using a Spanish word. While the gay-bashing incident may seem stereotypical, it is believable to the time and setting.

AWARDS
2013 Pura Belpé Medal
2013 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book
2013 ALA Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan and Larry Roman's Children's and Young Adult Literature Award
2013 ALSC Notable Children's Books list
2013 YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adult - Top Ten
2013 ALA's Rainbow List

2012 Lambda Literary Award for Children's/Young Adult


REVIEW EXCERPTS
"Meticulous pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the author's gift for affecting prose that illuminates the struggles within relationships." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"It’s a tender, honest exploration of identity and sexuality, and a passionate reminder that love—whether romantic or familial—should be open, free, and without shame." - Publishers Weekly, starred review

"While this novel is a bit too literary at times for some readers, its authentic teen and Latino dialogue should make it a popular choice." - School Library Journal, starred review

"This moves at a slower pace than many YA novels, but patient readers, and those struggling with their own sexuality, may find it to be a thought-provoking read." - Booklist

"Sáenz has written the greater love story, for his is the story of loving one’s self, of love between parents and children, and of the love that builds communities, in addition to the deepening love between two friends." - Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

CONNECTIONS

Enrichment activities: If the librarian has a reading club with teens, they can use a reading group guide from the publisher for discussion questions (Simon & Schuster, n.d.).

Related books:
Sáenz, B. A. (2017). The Inexplicable Logic of My Life. Clarion Books.
ISBN: 978-0544586505

Deaver, M. (2019). I Wish You All the Best. Push.
ISBN: 978-1338306125

Lee, M. (2017). The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue. Katherine Tegen Books.
ISBN: 978-0062382801

Rowell, R. (2015). Carry On (reprint edition). Wednesday Books.
ISBN: 978-1250135025

Silvera, A. (2017). They Both Die at the End. Quill Tree Books.
ISBN: 978-0062457790

REFERENCES
Simon & Schuster. (n.d.). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Aristotle-and-Dante-Discover-the-Secrets-of-the-Universe/Benjamin-Alire-Saenz/9781442408937