Book Bearings
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
- 368 pages · about 6 hours
- First published 2012
- 16 editions
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1 About this book
In the summer of 1987, in El Paso, Texas, fifteen-year-old Aristotle Mendoza, an angry loner with a brother in prison, meets Dante Quintana at the local swimming pool. The two Mexican-American boys seem to have little in common beyond their classical names, but they become inseparable, sharing books, poetry and long conversations, and through the friendship Ari starts to ask questions about himself and his family that he has never asked before. Benjamin Alire Sáenz's young adult novel was published in 2012, and a sequel followed in 2021.
- Mexican Americans
- Coming of age
- Friendship
- Bildungsromans
- Family life
- Family relationships
- Homosexuality
- Gay teenagers
2 What to expect
A quiet young adult novel about two Mexican-American boys in 1980s El Paso and a friendship that changes them both. It is told by Ari, guarded and angry, in short chapters of spare prose, and it is about identity, family silences, masculinity and sexuality. Little happens by way of plot, the pacing is slow and careful, and the tone is tender and introspective.
Good for readers who want: a tender coming-of-age story, LGBTQ young adult fiction, and a quiet read.
3 About Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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