#Book: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Dante can swim. Ari can't. Dante is articulate and self-assured. Ari has a hard time with words and suffers from self-doubt. Dante gets lost in poetry and art. Ari gets lost in thoughts of his older brother who is in prison. Dante is fair skinned. Ari's features are much darker. It seems that a boy like Dante, with his open and unique perspective on life, would be the last person to break down the walls that Ari has built around himself. But against all odds, when Ari and Dante meet, they develop a special bond that will teach them the most important truths of their lives, and help define the people they want to be. But there are big hurdles in their way, and only by believing in each other―and the power of their friendship―can Ari and Dante emerge stronger on the other side.

[maslimanny]

Sometimes, you do things and you do them not because you're thinking but because you're feeling. Because you're feeling too much. And you can't always control the things you do when you're feeling too much.

[lunamonchtuna]

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz, from Aristotle And Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (via lunamonchtuna)

[firelise]

We laughed and we talked and looked up at the stars. "I wished it was raining," he said. "I don't need the rain," I said. "I need you." Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2023)

[sincerelylochness]

You can never read a book for the first time again, but you can pick it up a million times after and fully reread it, or just your favorite scenes, and find home and comfort in its pages. Maybe you'll notice new things and maybe you won't, but those characters will always be there for you if you need them. And that's kind of beautiful.

[void-star]

Idk how to say this well but reading Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World is like changing my brain chemistry.

It's the sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and I need you to know that both books are not fantasy, they're just about two gay mexican-american teenage boys in the 80s. The titles are poetic descriptions of the main character's journey through discovering, accepting, and walking in his sexuality.

And I'm begging you to read them for a couple of really beautiful points:

1. The cultural aspects of it all; the poetic descriptions of love and intimacy that you don't commonly see from monolingual english writers, the involvement and importance of family and community in these journeys (less individualistic), and the dialogue these characters have about ethnic identity.

2. The historical aspects of it; the backdrop of the AIDS pandemic and how it affects the characters, their families, and the other connections they end up making from the loving families of other people who have died... and how it plays into them supporting the main characters, even in short term interactions.

Like I'm gonna be real with you, it's a lovely piece of queer literature and a really sweet YA story. It also has the main character trying to figure out how to connect to other people in general, as he learns how to connect to himself.

And maybe it's because that's particularly relevant to me now, but I think if I'd read these books earlier in life they would have saved me a lot of pain.

[fxnfiction]

presenting: my 2023 year of reading queer literature (part 1).

next few months focus will be on sapphic books, so swing over some recommendations!

enjoy my funky commentary, im in a weird mood. all my opinions!

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Characters, book, and author names under the cut

Jack Alston/Alan Ross - A Power Unbound by Freya Marske

Aristotle (“Ari”) Mendoza/Dante Quintana - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (sorry hit the character limit, so it got cut off in the poll)

Robin Blyth/Edwin Courcey - A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Alistair Lowe/Gavin Grieves - All of Us Villains by Amanda Foody & Christine Lynn Herman

[do-you-ship-it-polls]

Mini ship tournament 3

Feel free to vote even if you don't know the characters

Previously featured propaganda:

Gideon/Harrowhark Gideon and Harrow have one of the most fascinating, deliciously complicated, unbelievably fucked-up relationships in any piece of media I have ever encountered. Their obsession with each other stands out as uniquely weird even by the standards of a story that the author herself has described as being about "the horrors of love."

They have tried to kill each other, and each has tried (and mostly succeeded) to destroy herself for the sake of the other. They know each other more intimately than anyone else could ever come to know either of them if they tried, but also each have so many Problems that they fundamentally do not understand how the other thinks, let alone how mutual their feelings are; they are both desperately ravenous for someone to love them, and do not realize the degree to which they have that in each other.

They are inextricably tied together down to their very souls, and though the final book has not yet come out, every indication is that their bond will be the key factor to fundamentally changing the entire universe.

Nina/Matthias 1. They both looked at the term "Enemies to Lovers" and went "aight, bet"

2. Just so well written.

3. Himbo x Badass

4. They're just so squishy i cant siofjsofjsdiojfao

Leafpool/Mothwing cute lesbian doctors and also kitties

[lunamonchtuna]

— Benjamin Alire Sáenz, from Aristotle And Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (via lunamonchtuna)

[firelise]

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (2023) He was fifteen years old. Who was this guy? He looked a little fragile but he wasn't. He was disciplined and tough and knowledgeable and he didn't pretend to be stupid and ordinary. He was neither of those things. He was funny and focused and fierce. I mean the guy could be fierce. And there wasn't anything mean about him. I didn't understand how you could live in a mean world and not have any of that meanness rub off on you. How could a guy live without some meanness? Dante became one more mystery in a universe full of mysteries.

[losingmyselfinsleep]

Dante laughed. “I wasn’t really kissing Daniel. In my head, I was kissing you.”

“Ari, the problem isn’t just that Dante’s in love with you. The real problem—for you, anyway—is that you’re in love with him.”

“I think you love him more than you can bear.”

“I can’t do this, Ari,” he said.

“Can’t do what?”

“This whole friend thing. I can’t do it.”

I took him by the shoulders. I looked at him. And he looked at me. “You said I wasn’t scared of anything. That’s not true. You. That’s what I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of you, Dante.” I took a deep breath. “Try it again,” I said. “Kiss me.”

“No,” he said.

“Kiss me.”

“No.” And then he smiled. “You kiss me.”

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

[imafuckinggrimreaper]

-Benjamin Alire Sáenz [Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe]

[eldiariodetiara]

Sometimes, you do things and you do them not because you're thinking but because you're feeling. Because you're feeling too much. And you can't always control the things you do when you're feeling too much.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

[k3ithsk0gane]

RWRB (both book and movie) deserve all the love and hype but I’m begging y’all to PLEASE show the same hype for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe when it comes out on September 9th!!

If you haven’t read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s a BEAUTIFUL young adult queer coming of age book that focus a lot of the struggles of finding yourself, understanding your sexuality and becoming comfortable with it. It’s probably my favorite book and it helped me better understand myself and my own identity.

[emechurros]

"I bet you could sometimes find all of the mysteries of the universe in someone’s hand."

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe | Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2012)