writehollydavis
Written on May 31, 2022
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 the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
- ISBN10 1442408944
- ISBN13 9781442408944
- Publish Date 21 February 2012
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Simon & Schuster
- Imprint Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Format eBook (EPUB)
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
winterlily
Written on Feb 13, 2021
i'm just as emotional after finishing it for the second time as the first
"To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing."
moraa
Written on Sep 19, 2020
Maybe everyone loves differently. Maybe that’s all that matters.
I first read this in the November of 2018 and though I’ve been meaning to reread it as part of my annual rereads in November this year, something about having the untouched physical copy on my shelf for months (I first got it in February) didn’t sit right with me.
I’m so glad I decided to reread this, even though it tore me up a little a lot. This is just one of those books I could go on and on about and it wouldn't be enough because I can never put what I felt into mere words.
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2 December 2018: 4 stars
I just finished this book and can I just say... wow.
I'm not usually lost for words but Saenz has knocked all the words out of me.
All the words.
I had a few minor issues with this but the pros outweighed the cons by far. Also, I'm not the biggest fan of slow burn but this was well done.
The banter was on point too, if I only I could talk to my parents that way (lol).
kiracanread
Written on May 7, 2020
alindstadtcorbeax
Written on May 4, 2020
Renee
Written on Feb 13, 2019
It also really frustrated me that Aristotle's parents told him that they know he was gay / in love with Dante because he saved him from a car crash and because he was so angry at the people who attacked him. I am pretty sure that this is not something that is only related to romantic feelings. I would save my best friend if I had the chance. I would be really angry if someone attacked her. The conclusion made me angry because it is not something that is specifically romantic. I think the parents would have been able to give a better reason to Aristotle as to why they knew he was in love with Dante. The writer made it seem as if they did not know their son at all, and I think they did know him, but he only didn't know himself.
Something that also really frustrated me was the lack of communication between every single character in this book and the lack of communication towards the reader about Aristotle clearly having depressive thoughts throughout the whole story. Are we supposed to believe that know he has found peace with himself, that these will be simply gone? That's not how it works.
nannah
Written on Jan 24, 2018
Book content warnings:
in-book homophobia
in-book homophobic violence
Aristotle and Dante (etc.) is a coming-of-age book about Aristotle (Ari), a lost, angry, teen who feels like he'll never figure out who he is, and Dante, a quirky swimmer who wears his emotions on his sleeves. When the two boys meet at a swimming pool, their fates cross and intertwine.
After reading the back flap, I found out Benjamin Alire Saenz writes poetry, and it didn't come as a surprise. The entire book reads like prose poetry, to be honest, especially the way the dialogue is crafted. Though the book is fairly long, it has almost a minimalist effect, the way the words and chapters are actually laid out on paper.
Despite all this, the book (for /me/), was very difficult to read. Mostly, I believe, because the PoV character had a very gloomy and almost depressive inner narrative that can really weight you down. Most of the book definitely carries on that gloomy feeling and doesn't really change until the very end, where things are mostly resolved. That might not bother you, but it really affected me (being depressed myself).
Anyway, a really emotional read with an extremely satisfying ending. :)
Nessa Luna
Written on Jan 21, 2018
I don’t know why it didn’t live up to the hype for me, but yeah I just didn’t love it as much as everyone else seems to do.
Leigha
Written on Sep 9, 2017
I’m interested in expanding my experience with LGBTQIA novels. This novel is an award winning young adult novel featuring Hispanic boys questioning their identity and sexuality in the 1980s. When my library purchased it earlier this year, I happily borrowed it!
Aristotle is the main character, and the novel is told from his perspective. He’s an unreliable narrator, at times morose and brooding. He’s dealing with many issues, including a brother in jail and a distant father. Enter Dante, the complete and total opposite of Ari. He’s charismatic, open, and honest. The two connect in a wonderful way, both providing something the other needs. I enjoyed their evolving friendship as much as I enjoyed Ari’s evolving characterization.
For a character-driven novel focused on serious issues, it’s surprisingly action-packed. A lot happens in the course of a year to both Ari and Dante, and these events resonate with a contemporary audience. The one aspect of the novel I disliked intensely was the writing. Generally I do not enjoy dialog heavy literature. If you enjoy spare and dialect-filled language, then you will enjoy this book.
tl;dr A great Hispanic coming-of-age story focused on friendship, family, and sexuality.
Heather
Written on Dec 16, 2016
Ari is a loner with many questions about his family. He has a much older brother who went to jail when Ari was four. He doesn't know why and his family refuses to talk about it. Ari's father is a Vietnam veteran struggling with PTSD who is having difficulty communicating with his family.
Dante is the extroverted only child of expressive and loving parents. He loves poetry. He offers to teach Ari to swim when they meet at a public pool. Over the summer they become friends and then very gradually start to realize that they may be falling in love.
This is the story of Ari and Dante's lives through one summer, the school year, and the next summer. There are everyday milestones like getting a driver's license and having your first job in addition to larger issues.
- How do you stand up to your parents so they start to see you as an adult?
- How do you deal with unrequited love?
- How do you most effectively face homophobia, including violence?
- How do you learn to let yourself learn to feel and act on your emotions?
- How do you deal with being too American for your Mexican relatives and too Mexican for other Americans?
Lin-Manuel Miranda reads the audiobook and does a very good job. (There is a nice moment when Ari complains about learning about Alexander Hamilton that gets a bit meta when you hear Lin-Manuel Miranda read it.) This book is a bit slow on audio for my tastes. In fact I set it aside for a few months after about the first hour. I'm glad I came back to it because the story picked up but this is one that might be better in print form if you like a lot of action in your audiobooks.
In whatever format you decide this is a great book for everyone to read.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story