Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Aristotle and Dante, #1) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jan 03, 2014 Jane rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, recentfiction

I was reading this book at the same time that I was reading David Foster Wallace's essay "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never do Again," so the straightforward tenderness of Aristotle and Dante's story seemed thin to me. Wallace's essay is the essay on speed. It was so textured and meta and hilarious and wince inducing. Made me remember meeting French students when my friend Marianne and I were hitchhiking through the Alps. No lie, how insane is that? They gave us a ride and told us the English th ...more

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Jan 03, 2014 Judy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookgroup, fiction

I absolutely loved this book! If I could write a review that was one-tenth as eloquent as the book itself, I would.

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Jun 04, 2017 Debbie rated it it was amazing

I would give the story a 4-star review, but it's upped to a 5-star review because it is such an important book in expanding the diversity of YA reading material.

I teach in a mostly immigrant community in East San Jose, and my high school students are pretty enthusiastic readers, thanks to an SSR period built into the daily schedule. Many students don't have the patience for fantasy or science fiction, although that's what I prefer for myself, so they're constantly asking for realistic writing - I would give the story a 4-star review, but it's upped to a 5-star review because it is such an important book in expanding the diversity of YA reading material.

I teach in a mostly immigrant community in East San Jose, and my high school students are pretty enthusiastic readers, thanks to an SSR period built into the daily schedule. Many students don't have the patience for fantasy or science fiction, although that's what I prefer for myself, so they're constantly asking for realistic writing - romances, dramas, sports, gritty urban stories. The gritty stories are typically for the reluctant readers, mostly Mexican-American students, but the majority of books set in urban areas star African-American kids. (Case in point: my students devour Bluford High series book like they're the only "cool" books.) When Mexican-American kids do show up, I feel like they connect with my students real issues, but aren't the role models I'd like them to have: the kids are dealing with friends and back-stabbing, falling out of and into love, thinking about teen pregnancy, absent parents, drug and alcohol abuse, gang involvement, and crime. I don't want to deny that's what my students are dealing with them - their journals say they are - but I also want them to see that there are other ways to live and other goals to shoot for.

Aristotle and Dante are two of those characters I want to put in front of my students more often. They are Mexican-Americans in a community where they are not the exception or the token Mexican kid - they live in El Paso, TX. Both of them have parents that are still married to each other, and both parents are present, both physically and emotionally. Both sets of parents have steady jobs; Dante's parents are a professor and a therapist, while Aristotle's parents are a teacher and a...? I forget, but he studied art in college before going away to war. Neither of the boys are dealing with physical or sexual abuse in the home, and none of their parents have drug or alcohol problems. Neither of the boys deal with gang pressure, gang violence, or gang ancestry.

And yet, both boys are struggling with the same identity searching that all teenagers go through - are they really Mexican? What does it mean to be Mexican? Do their parents love them? What does it mean to be a friend? What does falling in love feel like? How do parties, drugs, alcohol, and sexuality fit into their self-image? How do you make friends while still being true to who you are? And... their parents are there, supporting them at every turn and - in one case - pushing them to see what the parents understand before the boy does.

Don't get me wrong - there's talk of drugs, underage drinking, heterosexual and homosexual kissing, masturbation, and some fighting and violence, but I think it's minor, as the boys confront each situation and try to decide what each topic means when held against their values.

I loved this book from the second or third chapter. I absorbed it in less than 36 hours. It was only after I was about 15% in and had already established Aristotle's voice in my head that I learned that Lin-Manuel Miranda reads the audiobook. I thought about going back and returning the book with the audiobook instead, but decided against it. I may do that another time, but that doesn't have to prevent you from listening to it. :) ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Celeste rated it liked it

Shelves: audio-book, read-harder-challenge-2017

3.5 stars I enjoyed listening to this audio book, the reader was really good. I read this for a reading challenge that was suppose to be romantic and this wasn't very romantic, but it was about a boy figuring out that he likes other boys. The author does a great job developing his characters and story line. I loved the coming of age parts of the book but felt like the ending was abrupt. I don't usually read from this genre, so this story helped me to be more open minded. (Read Harder Reading Cha ...more

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Apr 04, 2020 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really good YA coming of age story. Was a bit slow to start but Lin Manuel Miranda’s fantastic narration kept me hanging in there for the strong finish. I highly recommend it on audio, it has taken my mind off the scary world outside.

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Dec 30, 2014 Anastasia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: racial-ethnic-experiences, fiction, 2015, lgbt-issues, teen

This is such a great book! The characters are so full, so vibrant, and real, and their story, set in the 80s, is so compelling. I highly recommend this novel.

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