“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is a book written by Benjamin Alire Saenz that was published back in February of 2012. The book is set in a small town in Texas during 1987, following two Mexican-American Teenagers, Aristotle (Ari) and Dante.

During the time the book was set, there was a lot of political things about queer kids. Aristotle and Dante are both incoming high school students at the very beginning, and as the story progresses, so does their friendship and identities.

Acie Songbird left their own review on this book. Songbird states, “This book is incredible. It left me feeling touched, spoken to, heard, and with a wonderful sensation. It’s so much more than a love story, but a story about finding your identity.” Songbird pointed out how the book represents not only a love story, but a story about finding their identities. As the book moves forward, it shows a lot about self-discovery, and not only in the queer aspect.

The kids learned a lot about each other, their family, their history, and what they’re interested in, and the best part is learning to get past different types of mental problems. This is one of my favorite aspects of this book; not only did it show two kids finding each other and falling in love, it also showed the struggles they went through together and how they overcame them. You need more than love to get over different types of mental health issues.

Honey-Faye McAulay added, “The ‘Aristotle and Dante’ sequel has really changed my perspective on life and looking at other people’s point of view/ To me, the books show how two young men mature and find out more about themselves while facing lives challenges. It spreads awareness about homophobia, transphobia, and racism.”

An important aspect of this book is the bad sides of life that it shows. It shows how minorities were treated in Texas in the 1980s, it shows how people in general were treated. The author made Ari and Dante go through struggles with homophobia, transphobia, and racist incidents. This really helps push onto the reader how important it is to not treat others differently just because they’re different, which is an extremely important lesson to give to young people.

Overall, the message and everything about this book is incredible. It shows so many different parts of life in so many different ways. It reflects what it’s like to be a teenager not only years ago, but in today’s society. It shows so many lessons to give to people of any age, which is so important. I forever adore “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.”