Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2013) by Benjamin Alire S&aac

Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2013) by Benjamin Alire Sáen

Aristotle is a Mexican-American teenager living in El Paso. He has never had a friend. His father has closed off emotionally after coming back from the war in Vietnam. His brother is in prison. His mother won’t talk about it. And then he meets Dante.

Aristotle and Dante is all about communication: every single character we meet is fighting inner demons and struggling to say what they really mean. Aristotle is full of anger and confusion: on the one hand he is a loner who does not feel comfortable talking about his feelings, but on the other hand he is desperate to connect to his parents and to Dante. It is like there is a forcefield following him around wherever he goes, preventing him from truly getting close to someone. Meeting Dante is the first crack that slowly spreads as Aristotle frantically tries to figure out whether he wants to tear down that wall or keep it up at all cost.

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