Saturday, August 30, 2014

‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’

Book cover: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Red pick-up truck parked in a field of grass against a backdrop of hills and a twilight sky.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Simon and Schuster, 2012) is a moving story about the close friendship between two young men.

At 15, Ari doesn’t share the interests of other boys his age and, even though he’s tried various activities, he’s never felt a “part of their world.”

At the swimming pool one afternoon, Ari meets a boy named Dante. But while Dante is very different from Ari and the other boys Ari knows, Ari is able to relate to Dante in a way he can with no one else.

As both boys age, they grow and learn what it means to be men in their society.

I recommend this book as a coming-of-age story with a message of personal integrity, especially among readers who may not fit in with their broader society. Sáenz’s novel offers optimism and hope that I think readers very much need, and Ari and Dante held my interest and concern as I joined their voyage of discovery.

Disclosure of material connection: My taxes support my public library’s acquisition of this and other resources. I consider the access I enjoy to be a “priceless” return on my investment.

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