If you are looking for a good book that explores the theme of Mexican-Americans, homosexuals, tom-girls, book nerds, and loners, “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is a book that will speak to you. Published in 2012, “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is a young adult fiction novel written by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book is told from the first-person point of view of the protagonist Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza. As a Latino boy growing up in El Paso, Texas, Ari is a teenage boy desperate for guidance as he navigates through the rough water of his adolescence. For example, he tries to discover why his older brother Bernardo is in prison and how Vietnam changed his dad. 

Ari’s life turned when he met a skinny and squeaky boy at the pool. His name was Dante Quintana. Dante offers to teach Ari how to swim, and they soon become friends. Unlike anyone Ari has ever met, Dante likes to read poetry, cries over a dead bird, and shows his emotions readily. As their friendship elevates to becoming a prominent existence for each other, obstacles they will have to overcome first impede their relationship. Dante moves to Chicago, and the distance strains their friendship. When Dante and Ari experiment with the relationship with girls, it induces Dante to have the epiphany that he likes boys. In the historical background of the late 1980s, gay rights and AIDS activism were on the rise. However, the general masses still obtained a critical view and stigmatized those who publicly came out as having a different sexual orientation. Dante was beaten up badly by a group of boys who see him kissing another boy, and Ari comes to Dante’s defense only to realize that he loves Dante. Through their friendship and relationship, Ari and Dante support each other in discovering the answers that are sometimes difficult to accept surrounding their identities. They weather the alteration of their first love and finally help Ari embrace his true self.

In this coming-of-age story, Saenz explores the theme of identity, ethnicity, and family. “And my feet keep getting bigger and bigger. What’s with the big feet? When I was ten, I was kinda small and I wasn’t worried about hair. The only thing I was worried about was trying to speak perfect English. I made up my mind that year—when I was ten—that I wasn’t going to sound like another Mexican. I was going to be an American. And when I talked I was going to sound like one.” —Ari. Ari and Dante have struggled immensely with what it means to be Mexican, especially when neither speaks proper Spanish or has been to Mexico. Their families also clarified that not all aspects of the Mexican identity are worthy of aspiration. For example, Dante’s parents deem their son worthy of receiving an education more intellectual than manual labor. Ari’s mom also experiences grief as Ari constantly suggests he can get a job mowing lawns. However, Ari and Dante begin developing a sense of defiance toward their Mexican identities as they determine their sexuality. As the only or oldest son in their families, they bear the responsibilities to grow up, get married and have children in the future. This situation heavily burdens them—Dante in particular, knowing he won’t be able to fulfill his family’s expectations and will surely disappoint them. In the homophobic world they are living in, traumatic events such as the horrific beating Dante suffered speak to the real danger of not living up to these expectations. While these dangers didn’t disappear at the novel’s end, Ari’s acceptance of his real sexuality and his love for Dante suggests that coming to terms with one’s identity can nevertheless be a transformative experience.