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Feb 18, 2018TEENREVIEWCREW rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This novel is about two teenage boys growing up in El Paso, Texas in 1987. It's an emotional coming of age story. We go through the story from the perspective of Aristotle Mendoza, a reclusive and shy boy whose built up walls around himself only Dante can help break down. The book properly addresses many sensitive topics, like dealing with a close family member in prison, sexuality, self assurance, and a seemingly unloving parent with war PTSD. Overall, I liked this book. You can see how Aristotle and Dante mature and change into better people throughout the story with each other's help. Their bond is strong and heartwarming. These two very different individuals needed one another in their lives. This book reads somewhat like a free verse poem. It isn't very descriptive and doesn't provide lots of detail on things such as the characters and settings. It has a good message, but at times this novel got a little boring and uneventful. My rating is 4 out of 5. @Jacques of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board SPOILERS AHEAD. Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe is written in a way that was simple but powerful. It follows Aristotle (Ari) as he meets his soon to be best friend at the pool. After a car comes rushing down the street and Ari rushes to shove Dante out of the way, they both end up in the hospital. Ari suffered the worst of it though, he wouldn’t be able to walk for weeks. Not long after, Dante and his family head to Chicago for his fathers work. While there, Dante tries drinking and smoking. When Dante returns, he gets himself a boyfriend and they get jumped. This book may be fiction, but it showcases real world problems. I absolutely loved it. @IVYBooks of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library Aristotle and Dante Discover, the Secrets of the Universe, is the most beautiful story I've ever read. Though it's simplistic dialogues and wording, the emotions going through reading this book is enough to fill those missing gaps that other books desperately need to make their storyline enjoyable. A book hasn't made me laugh, cry or feel anger on so many different parts in such a short amount of time. It's relatable for many as they can handle or understand the main character; Ari's, pain and loneliness growing up in his teenage years. Though the story takes place in the 1980s, many topics such as sexuality, identity, racial identity and culture are navigated in this novel. As we're going through the motions of adulthood, these things are what makes the base of it. And teenagehood is all about these subjects. It's not glamorized or made out to look quirky and cute like so many other books try to make their protagonists act in coming of age novels. It's also nice to see it in the perspective of a young Mexican-American boy, who openly touches upon emotion, something that many young boys at the age try and hold down. It isn't a surprise that this book has gotten so many awards, well deserved. 5/5. @moonlightbae As soon as I finished this book, I had to lay down and process everything I had just read because it affected me so much. I picked up it up because I heard good things about it and I knew there was Gay/Bisexual representation who were also Mexican. (I love reading representation, especially in the LGBT community!) The first person POV originally turned me off this book, but it actually works very well with this story. This book may as well be one giant poem. Every page has so many beautiful sentences that I want to stare at forever. As soon as I finished, I wanted to forget everything so I could re-read and experience it all again for the first time. I would recommend this book to every teen struggling with their identity or looking for a good cry in a book. (Or both) 5/5 stars - @mae of the Hamilton Public Library Teen Review Board