Hey readers!
It’s almost Thanksgiving, which means free time and family –
and though you may have a great time during the holidays, it can often get
pretty stressful. Why not grab a book for when you need a little down time –
especially a warm, wonderful book like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets
of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz?
Summer 1987. Aristotle Mendoza is bored and friendless. He
lives with his mother and father, and though they are incredibly loving to him,
they don’t talk about the hard things – his father’s experiences in Vietnam
during the war, or the fact that Ari’s older brother is in prison. Ari spends
most of his time at the town pool, even though he can’t swim, and it’s there
that he befriends Dante, another Mexican-American boy who’s in just as much
need of a friend as Ari is. As the weeks go on, Ari and Dante become inseparable,
true kindred souls. Over the course of the next year, they must weather the
many hardships put in their paths – distance, familial conflict, and, most
importantly, self-discovery. Only through relying on each other and the strength
of their relationship will Ari and Dante come through the other side better
than before.
Aristotle and Dante has been one of my favourite books for
years. I first read it back in 2013; I don’t think I was entirely sure of what
to expect, but I knew that it sounded interesting and had won awards. (A lot of
awards – the Printz Honor Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Lambda Literary
award, just to name a few.) Sometimes when YA books win a lot of awards they
end up being pretentious or high-brow, but Aristotle and Dante remains approachable
and relatable throughout. Narrated by Ari, the novel is in many ways a coming
of age novel; but in most other ways, it’s a story about relationships, with friendships,
family, and romance all playing important parts throughout the book. Aristotle
and Dante gives the reader a glimpse into Ari’s life during the hardest times
he’s yet had to deal with, and we get to see him grow and become stronger
throughout.
Those aren’t the only reasons this novel is so amazing
though. Unlike many other YA novels, this one paints a detailed portrait of a
teen’s position in and relationship with his family, with Sáenz creating
complex adult characters right alongside his equally complex teen characters.
Also, the book features primarily – if not completely – minority characters,
especially Mexican-American and queer characters. This is not only refreshing
on a larger scale – since there are overwhelmingly few YA novels featuring main
Latinx characters – but it is especially wonderful to find Latinx characters in
a YA historical novel too.
For years Aristotle and Dante has been the book I turn to
for comfort in the hardest of times. Ari and Dante’s story has stuck with me
every time I re-read it, and I hope that Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s words will
affect you just as deeply as they’ve affected me. I can’t wait to meet him this
year at TBF!
Happy Reading!
Elizabeth
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