Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe--"I Love them SO MUCH"

Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer):  This is such a character-driven book, it's difficult to explain what it is about.  It's about Dante and Aristotle and their wonderful friendship.  It's about being Mexican-American and relating to your extended family, siblings, and parents.  It's about love, prison, art, PTSD, literature, homophobia, poetry, and feeling confused. It's about the power of close friendships and coming-of-age.  It's about finding yourself and discovering the secrets of the universe.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  My favorite romance novel review site has a category called Desert Isle Keeper (DIK), reserved for books that the reviewers think are so good, that they would save them from a shipwreck to read forever while stranded on a desert isle. 

My equivalent review to DIK is Warm Cuddly Teddy Bear (WCTB)--the books that you keep forever just to reread over and over again, the ones that you are so familiar with that you can literally open to any page and just start reading without any confusion, your favorites that you pick up and read when you are stressed and need to relax. The warm, cuddly teddy bears of books.

Dante and Aristotle is the very definition of WCTB book.  I love them SO MUCH--I wish they were real people (I probably wouldn’t stalk them. Well, only their Instagram. That’s all.). I love everything about this book; it makes me laugh; it makes me cry; it makes me goofily smile like a big dope.

I love the well-rounded characters who are NOT perfect; they often act like annoying teenagers.  I love that the book is set in the 1980s. I love that the author is writing a sequel.  I love that Lin-Manuel Miranda narrates the audio book!

If you like action-packed plot-driven books, you may not love this book.  But for a nice book that makes you feel ALL THE FEELS, you can't do any better than Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

This book is on the 2013 Rainbow List.


My rating: 5 out of 5 stars and Warm Cuddly Teddy Bear (WCTB) book.


My favorite quotes: 

• "The problem with my life was that it was someone else's idea" (p. 3, 2012 hardback edition)."
• "Our parents turned us into nice boys.  I hate that" (p. 104).
• "Summer was a book of hope.  That's why I loved and hated summers.  Because they made me want to believe" (p. 235).
• "I'm an educated woman.  That doesn't un-Mexicanize me, Ari" (p. 237).

 Other reviews: Book Smugglers and The Narratologist.


This book is available in the Greensboro Public Library.