This weekend I finished reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (published 2012 by Simon and Schuster) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Perhaps, I should be more truthful, I half listened and half read this book. Sometimes I like that method. It has a dual purpose. Listening gives me something to entertain myself with while I clean up the kitchen or take a walk plus it gets me hooked on a book particularly if I am feeling a little hesitant about starting something new. I am not always the best a starting new things.
You should know that the audiobook is read by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He is very good. I didn’t realize that when I started listening and then I thought to myself that his voice was expressive and pleasant and I looked up who was reading and I was surprised that I didn’t realize it sooner.
I was curious as to when he recorded the this audiobook so I looked it up. The audiobook was published in April of 2013, which was two year before Hamilton premiered on Broadway but after In the Heights premiered.
I decided to read tackle this book right now because I kept seeing people on Goodreads putting it on their Want To Read lists. I remembered reading book reviews for Aristotle and Dante . . . when it first came out in 2012. I definetly ordered it for the library that I was working for at the time because it was well reviewed. Since finishing the book, I learned that Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe has been made into a movie that will be released in theatres on September 8, 2008 and that Lin-Manuel Miranda is one of the producers of the movie.
The book begins in the summer 1987 and takes place in El Paso, Texas. The book takes place over the course of a little over a year and the main character is a Mexican-American teenager named Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza. He is a teen who is a bit of lone wolf until he meets Dante Quintana, another Mexican-American teen who feels that he does not fit into his teenage life either. This is the story of how a friendship helps the main characters more connected the world around themselves. The book is told though narration and letters as the characters grapple with issues like: cultural identity, substance usage, family identity, sexuality, and other teenage issues. Additionally, one of the characters has family member who is serving a life sentence in prison for murder. This book falls into the category of realistic young adult fiction. At 384 pages, it is a longer length teenage read. Due to the substance usage and more mature themes in the book, I would recommend it to readers ages 14 and up.
What did I think of Aristotle and Dante . . .I liked this book very much. However, it was very angst-y. The experience of being young can feel very tumultuous. I cried several times while reading it. Reading this book really stirred up a lot of feelings for me. In truth, I probably won’t watch the movie because I was a bit uncomfortable with how many feelings I felt while reading the book. I do feel like it gave me insight into what it is like to be a young man. Ari, the main character, has so much anger towards the people and situations in his life at times. As a woman, I feel that it can be hard to contemplate with it is like to be a young man. I appreciate that this book was written by a man. In my opinion, It seems like much realistic fiction is written by female authors and this novel is probably more realistic because the author is a male than it might have been if it were written by a female.
I liked the setting which was El Paso in the late 1980’s. To me, a person in her 40’s, in some ways, the world seemed like simplier place in the 1980’s. I also enjoyed the desert setting and the descriptions of the stars and the landscape.
I would give his book 4 out of 5 stars.
I would not give it 5 stars because I found the ending to be slightly too sweet and inconsistent. I like a happy ending but considering how emotionally fraught some of the book was at times, I did not think it was realistic that everything should be tired up so neatly. Ultimately, though I liked Ari and Dante having a happy ending.
This book has LGBLT+ themes. I liked it and I recommend it thought it was not always an easy book because of all the feelings and emotions that the main character experiences. It definitely has value in a library collection and I would recommend it to interested readers of realistic fiction. Also Lin-Manuel Miranda knocks one out of the park as a exceptional audiobook reader.
A sequel to this book was released in October of 2021 called Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World.
