Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - by Benjamin Salire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is an important addition to our YA collection as an LGBTQ title. Though there are some problematic elements, the most glaring of which is that Ari does not come out, but was told he was gay by his parents. This strange, almost forced, ending notwithstanding, there is a lot in the novel to make it worthy of inclusion on our YA shelf.

Filgate's (2015) interview with David Levithan addressed the need for a wide spectrum of LGBTQ titles:

With some very notable exceptions, the LGBTQ YA spectrum was a very dark and miserable spectrum. Most of the stories being told about gay teens were ones about suicide, depression, and violence and outsider status and being an outcast. I was so sick of that because that did not reflect reality, or all reality. So I fueled my fire and wrote “Boy Meets Boy”(Response to Q9). 

I think Saenz accomplishes this with Aristotle and Dante to some extent. There is depression and violence and feeling like an outsider, but there is also the absolute joy of a new relationship with someone who feels right, which is, as the title suggests, one of the great secrets of the universe. Both Ari and Dante have very supportive parents, which  is a little surprising since Ari's mom is introduced as "preparing lunch for a meeting with her Catholic-Church-lady friends"(p. 8), which is a good example of the book moving away from stereotypes. Perhaps it is a little unrealistic that both Ari's and Dante's families are so supportive, but the book doesn't paint an overly rosy picture either given that Dante was brutally assaulted.

While this is a coming of age and a coming out novel, Ari never has an aha! moment when he admits to himself that he is gay. It's like he's maintaining radio silence on the subject, even in his own head, which is usually full to the brim of thoughts about everything, from his father's PTSD, to wanting to know about his brother in jail, to wanting to have a dog. Even in the end, Ari, doesn't come out; it's all about falling in love with Dante. He doesn't say "how could I have ever been ashamed of being gay"; instead he says "How could I have ever been ashamed of loving Date Quitana"(p. 359).

Problems this book may encounter
 This book will obviously encounter challenges for LGBTQ content as well as violence.

References
Filgate, M. (2015, August 28). How “Another Day” author David Levithan found his voice. Salon. Retrieved from: http://www.salon.com/2015/08/28/how_another_day_author_david_levithan_found_his_voice_most_of_the_stories_being_told_about_gay_teens_were_ones_about_suicide_depression_and_violence/

Saenz, B. A. (2012). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. Simon & Schuster: New York.