I just finished reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. I loved this book. The book is about how friendship can evolve and change over time. The novel focuses on two main characters, Aristotle and Dante, and is written from the perspective of Aristotle. The novel takes place in the El Paso, Texas, and the two boys spend a lot of time outdoors in the stifling west Texas heat. Ari and Dante meet at the pool, and immediately bond over the fact that they’re both Mexican-American, and they both feel like misfits in their town. Their friendship grows and grows, and the two friends face many obstacles together as they grow into young men. Loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness, and honesty are major themes of this book.
I connect deeply with this book, as it perfectly describes how confusing and complex adolescence, and adolescent relationships, can be. Reading about Aristotle and Dante helped me reflect on my own friendships from that time in my life. I also related to Aristotle's relationship with his parents. When I was a teenager, my relationship to my parents was similar to Aristotle's relationship with his folks. Now that I'm an adult, that frustrating relationship we had feels like it was a long time ago. That said, this book brought me right back to those times, and made me smile as I remembered those days. I recommend this book to anyone who likes reading about complex characters, or who might want to read about life in a different part of the country. I'd also recommend this book for students who are interested in reading about how frustrating, but also how amazing, friendship can be for a teenager.
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