justine_manzano
Written on Dec 9, 2016
This Printz Honor Book is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When they meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the two loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special kind of friendship--the kind of friendship that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through their friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves--and about the kind of people they want to be.
- ISBN10 1442408936
- ISBN13 9781442408937
- Publish Date 14 August 2014 (first published 21 February 2012)
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Out of Print 26 April 2021
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Simon & Schuster
- Imprint Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Edition Reprint
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 384
- Language English
Reviews
ross91
Written on Oct 6, 2016
This book was utterly beautiful.
maeyuka
Written on Sep 29, 2016
I recommend this to everyone pretty much. I feel like everyone should read this book at least once in their life. :)
layawaydragon
Written on Jun 16, 2016
I've been meaning to read Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for years now but somehow never got to it. Recently, it was free on RivetedLit for a period of time so I put my schedule on hold to get it done.
I loved this so much. It's not 'just' about being gay or Mexican-American. It's about families, cultures, secrets, and the cost of silence. It's almost everything. Almost.
It's poetic yet unpretentious. It's emotional but not angsty emo.
I loved the conversations, the insights, the exploration, the discovery and the wonder of it all.
I was so sure where it was going and then...and then...It ends beautifully with the outcome I wanted.
It was published 4 years ago, so I'm sure you've heard it all and others have said it better than me. (Of course, if you haven't, you totally should and let me know because I've never met someone more behind than me lol)
I agree with so many other people and plenty of people have gushed and championed this book for so many great reasons. Some of whom brought up this one Minor Thing...
I do wish Ari figured it out himself but...there are times when someone else does force you to face facts. Denial is a powerful thing. I can't actually picture Ari making this realization himself though so I don't have constructive criticism. Vagueness isn't conductive though and it's easy to shrug off. It felt good while reading, how it unfolded felt natural.
I wish I could stop there. But I can't. It's #UnpopularOpinion time.
Intersectionality & Transphobia in the Gay Community
You can be oppressed and oppress others on another axis
I don't like the parallels between Ari and his older brother, Bernardo after the latter's crime is revealed. It seems to be saying he was repressed as well and killed someone as a result. That's how I read it. If I'm wrong, it's "just" another trans panic murder.
Why choose this type of person as the victim? If Ari's brother was always looking for fights like Ari, why not just another dude in the neighborhood?
While the Mendozas brush her off and don't care about her, there has to be a reason for this choice. I see it has a lesson for people about gay men using another vulnerable population of people as media always does. In this respect, Ari & Dante is not new and continues the problematic portrayal.
What about the victim? What do we actually know? They're never identified as a person. Just a nameless, faceless feminine prostitute with a penis. Ari and crew only use ignorant and derogatory language like "actually a guy". It's fucking murder caused by trans* panic. The only reason Bernardo didn't use that defense and get away with the murder is because he was ashamed.
Check the rest from Validation Comic
I don't accept that it was set in the 80s as an excuse or defense, because I wouldn't have accepted that shit then either. There have always been and always will be trans* people. Trans* women were key leaders of Stonewall, the foundation of the Pride movement in 1969, FFS. It's not impossible for Ari and Dante (especially fucking Dante) to know better. And if transphobia slides by but being accepting breaks your suspension of disbelief, the problem is you.
While I grieve for her, it's also an entire community erased. Another fatality to toxic masculinity homophobia propagating the idea that self-hate drives hate crimes against the QUILTBAG community. While Ari's, his brother's, and his victim's intersection is similar and related, they way the differ cannot be ignored. Or, more realistically, shouldn't be.
I'm sitting here pondering a lot of why questions. Ari & Dante wouldn't have lost a thing if the language was changed or the victim was, it would've gained more.
My heart lurched when I read this reveal and sunk when I realized they were used as tool for a lesson. But it cracked when I couldn't find another reviewer who brought up this issue before me, hence the #unpopularopinion tag. If you saw this, if you wrote about it, I'm sorry. It was missed in multitude of reviews. Please let me know and/or link it, I'll happily read it. It'd be nice to know I'm not alone in this. Update: I found ONE!
Aristotle & Dante is wonderful important story for so many reasons. Even if you don't care about that aspect, it's a fantastic well-written coming of age novel. But I don't want Bernardo's victim forgotten. Being intersectional is so important, no one is exempt. Especially when there's a history of the trans* individuals being discriminated against within the rainbow community.
It leaves a terrible black mark on my thoughts and feelings for this book. I want to love it unequivocally but I cannot passively accept the transphobia. It's not just a few passing remarks. It doesn't exist in a vacuum. I can't help but include this as another problematic fav and think you should too.
It would've been 5 stars before the transphobic snag but it derailed the discovery and last part of the book for me. I cheered for Ari and Dante, but a portion of my mind couldn't leave the victim and participate in the celebration.
Stephanie
Written on Jun 5, 2016
Steph L
Written on Mar 14, 2016
I really liked this book from the start, I have not heard of this book before and it was for allbookedupclub in March. I would not have picked up this book, if I saw it I might have but I would not have sought out to find this book. I really loved how the two boys met, and how it seemed like it was kind of an accident, but it was more like fate that the two of them met. They both got along so well, and it seemed like they were each other’s first real friends that they could trust. I think that the boys met at a time in their lives when they really needed each other the most, and when they just needed someone that they could talk to about things. I think that the two boys bring out the bets qualifies in each other, and this wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t met the one day at the pool. They talk to each other in a way that they feel like they couldn’t talk to other people, and they open up to each other. When Dante is going to leave to a year, I think that Ari feels sad he will not voice this because I feel that he does not talk about his emotions. Ari saves Dante’s life, and I think that he might not have done that if someone else was in the same situation. I feel that after the accident Ari is happy, and he is starting to open up to other people. I think that Ari is not sure if he is going to write to Dante because he is not the best with emotions or feelings. I feel that the book had a happy ending when Dante and Ari were reunited, and I feel that this was the best way to end the story them continuing on life’s journey together.
KitsuneBae
Written on Jan 20, 2016
sarahjay
Written on Oct 9, 2015
Mercy
Written on Aug 11, 2015
girlinthepages
Written on Jun 8, 2014
“The problem with my life is that it was someone else’s idea.”
The opening quote of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe immediately grabbed me, and set the tone for most of the novel: profound in simple ways. Aristotle serves as the narrator of this coming-of-age novel, and his observations are so honest and at times earnest, and carry the profound weight of understanding a simple truth or fact about one’s life.
I really liked Aristotle (or Ari, as he likes to be called) as a narrator, although there were times when I couldn’t identify with him, having never been a fifteen year old boy myself. Yet his narration combines an intricate undercurrent of the subjects of race, class, and sexuality that run throughout the novel to craft his experience as a lower-middle class Mexican-American in Texas, struggling with problems unique to his demographic as well as struggles universal to all teenagers, such as puberty, popularity, and just plain finding out who he is.
Dante wasn’t my favorite character, although his story (as told by Ari) was important and relevant as much now as it was in the time of the book’s setting (1987). What I liked about this book, though, is that it didn’t solely focus on Ari and Dante in a vacuum, rather deeper layers of each of their families were explored. This book did not have the “absent YA parents,” rather their parents were integral part of each boy’s experience with growing up and with how their outlook on life and of themselves is shaped. I loved the family secrets and layers that impacted the younger generations, and the exploration of the relationships between parents and children, and how some children struggle to tell their parents about themselves, but also how parents find it hard to display themselves as real people to their children.
It’s hard to give a coherent “I liked this and this and this but didn’t like this” review of this novel, because there wasn’t a defined action-driven plot, rather it covered the passage of time and various events as Ari develops emotionally. This novel was lyrical in its simple prose and Ari’s observations (perhaps those were his true discoveries of “the secrets of the universe”) resonated with me after putting my book back on the shelf. However, I feel as though this book fell victim to the hype-monster for me. I went into it with really high expectations based on what I had been seeing around the blogging world, and while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t a five star read for me. It seemed like a lighter version of other multicultural American literature that I read while in college, and the narrative reminded me of Junot Díaz’s work, albeit much less vulgar and more appropriate for its target audience.
What I Liked:
Ari was a fantastic narrator.
Great quotes.
The relationships between parents and children, and how adults and children grow and learn from each other.
How each boy related to his ethnicity and either embraced or rejected it based on his personal experiences, despite both being Mexican-American (fascinating!)
What I Didn’t:
The book dragged in some spots since there wasn’t always a clear plot to follow.
I would’ve liked to learn more about some of the peripheral characters based on how they impacted Ari and Dante.
This book was over-hyped for me, so going into it I think my expectations were a little over inflated.
Overall: I’m really glad I read this book and that I was able to experience Ari’s honest and simply profound narration, as well as to join him and Dante on their coming of age journey. However, there are other books I’ve read that focus on the multicultural experience of growing up in the US that I prefer, although none of those are within the YA genre. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe therefore adds a unique perspective in the YA world and covers a lot of important topics by both major and marginalized identities, and I hope to read more books like this in the YA genre in the future.
Read more of my reviews at Girl in the Pages