Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

[Maria]

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Alire Saenz
Reviewed by Maria Torres

Ari (Aristotle) and Dante are both young Mexican- American teenage boys, raised in Texas during the 1980s. Ari is a reserved boy who has a difficult time with his words and emotions. He’s constantly suffering from his distant father and his older brother that’s in jail. Ari has a lot of questions, but they’ve never been answered. He’s not fond of the idea of confronting his parents about his questions, which just increases his anger and sadness. He often wonders what it would be like to be a regular boy his age since he feels as if he can’t relate to them. Dante is an intelligent, artistic and affectionate boy. One day at the town’s local swimming pool, Ari and Dante meet. That same day Dante offers to give Ari swimming lessons, and soon the two begin to form an extraordinary friendship. They’re absolute opposites of each other but as the saying goes, opposites attract.

At first, I was kind of skeptical about reading the book. I though it was going to be one of those typical cliché romance books not that I have anything against them, but most seem to revolve around the same plot. After reading a couple of pages I was immediately hooked. It’s such a well put together story and the characters are just amazing. The story is a page turner and a book I couldn’t put down because I literally couldn’t wait to know what would happen next. The characters were amazing because as a Mexican American teenager myself I could really relate to them in various ways. My favorite character would probably be Dante because he’s just such a loveable boy. He would always be there for Ari when he needed him the most and that just warmed my heart.

[Wendy]

This book sounds very interesting! I am glad that you liked this book! It is a fiction or non-fiction? Also is there romance between the characters or they are just friends?

[Brittanni]

This book sounds intense, in a good way, I agree it sounds like a book that would be finished in a few sittings. I feel like page turning books are always fun and an enjoyable read. Their unlikely friendship is what interests me, I wonder what they will unravel together, and how their friendship will flourish throughout the book. I would also be kind of unsure if I were to pick up this book off a shelf but, you obviously made the right decision to keep it; sounds like an amazing read.

[Taryn]

The book seems interesting. What made you want to read this book?

[Maria]

Taryn wrote: "The book seems interesting. What made you want to read this book?"

I'd like to start off by thanking you for replying to my review! This book had been recommended to me many times before I just didn't have the time to sit down and read it. I found it to be one of my favorite books, once I started it I couldn't put it down. I just needed to find out what would happen next.

[Maria]

Wendy wrote: "This book sounds very interesting! I am glad that you liked this book! It is a fiction or non-fiction? Also is there romance between the characters or they are just friends?"

You should definitely give this book a chance especially if you're into young adult fiction! The whole book revolves around the idea of the two main characters getting to discover themselves and their sexuality. Though I will say that there is definitely a spark between them.