Berago Anjelica M

Book Review:
Aristotle and Dante

Discover the Secrets of
the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Submitted by:
Berago, Anjelica M.
BSA 1 -2
Submitted to:
Prof. Felicitas C. Trinidad
Summary:
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Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza, a fifteen-year-old boy, has no plans for his summer during
1987. During that time, he is bored, miserable and friendless. He lives with his parents in El
Paso, Texas; his two older sisters have their own family and moved while his older brother is in
prison. All of the members of his family are not telling a story about his brother as if he was
dead. His father was a soldier and served in the Vietnam War, but also declines to talk about his
experiences in battle. In order for him to escape the oppressing silence in their house, he goes
swimming even though he does not know how to swim.
Dante Quintana offers to mentor Ari how to swim when they meet at the pool. They
eventually become inseparable and they usually have fun in their classical names. Ari is
captivated by Dante’s swimming skills as well as his genuineness. Dante teaches Ari about
literature and poetry. Dante hates to wear his shoes and having difficulty regularly with his
Mexican identity. Ari is surprised by the tenderness shows by Dante’s family because he feels so
separated from his own parents. Ari comes along with Dante and his parents to the desert so that
they will be able to look at the stars, where Dante announces, “Someday, I’m going to discover
all the secrets of the universe.”
The morning after, Ari got a terrible case of flu he has frantic dreams where he is in the
rain and looking for Dante and his own father. He has also dreams where his imprisoned brother,
Bernardo, is across a large river while Ari calls for him to come back. Ari’s father and mother
treat their son back to health, but his bad dreams remain. When Ari got better, Dante tells Ari that
they are moving to Chicago for the next school year because his father was offered a new job.
The same day, the two boys see a bird lying injured in the road. A car speeds around a corner
while Dante goes into the road to check on the bird. Ari dashes into the road, pushes Dante out of
the way, and he is the one hit by the car. Dante leaves almost without having injury, Ari is
harmed very badly.
Three weeks after the accident, Ari’s father suggests buying him a car for his upcoming
birthday. Ari requests for an old pick-up truck. Gently, Ari recovers and is able to shower himself
and write again. The improvement makes him happier, but he still feels oppressed in his own
home and he fears the start of the school year without the presence of Dante. Before Dante leaves
for Chicago, he discloses the two things he loves most in the world are swimming and Ari.
Nevertheless, Ari says that he should not tell him those things, even if they are true. They
promised to each other that they will be still being friends when Dante returns in the summer.
When the school year starts again, Ari is unwilling to tell his schoolmates about the
accident. Meanwhile, his father gave him a 1957 Chevy pick-up truck. The first place he will
drive is to the desert where he can look at the stars. He also becomes infatuated with Illeana, a
girl from his school. He becomes determined to kiss her. While Dante is away, Dante sends
several letters to Ari. In those letters, it speaks about how he goes to parties, tries marijuana,
drinks alcohol, and kisses girls. In his later letters, Dante confesses that he would rather be
kissing boys than girls.
The day Ari gets his casts off, he takes a walk by Dante’s house where he finds a stray
dog, which he takes home and he names id “Legs”. Ari’s life with Dante’s absence revolves
around learning to drive, lifting weights, running with legs, trying to find out about his brother at
the library, arguing with his girl friends – Gina and Susie, trying to run into Illeana at school,
reading Dante’s letters, havind nightmares, and working a part-time job at a burger joint called
The Charcoaler.
On New Year's Eve, Susie and Gina invite Ari to a party where Ileana gives him his first
kiss. In the weeks after, though, Ileana tells Ari that she doesn't want to go out with him because
she already has a boyfriend who is in a gang. The next Monday, Ari finds out that Ileana dropped
out of school because she got married after getting pregnant. In his next letter, Dante reveals that
he is scared his parents will be disappointed in him if they find out that he wants to kiss boys.
The summer begins again and Ari begins to work full-time at the Charcoaler. Dante
returns from Chicago and the two boys take Ari's truck to the desert. Dante reveals that his
mother is pregnant. He hopes that the new baby will be a boy so that he can marry a woman and
have children. While Ari has no problem with Dante's sexuality and will stand by him, he makes
it clear he doesn't want Dante trying to kiss him either. One night, Dante convinces Ari to kiss
him, saying it is an experiment as he has never kissed another boy and wants to know if he feels
anything from kissing Ari. While reluctant, Ari agrees and Dante kisses him with Ari briefly
kissing him back. Afterwards, Ari claims to have felt nothing while Dante is upset as he felt
something with the kiss, seeming to confirm Dante has feelings for Ari. Following this event, it
becomes increasingly clear that Dante is in love with Ari who appears not to reciprocate Dante's
feelings for him.
Ari's mother explains that Bernardo was arrested for murder. When he was fifteen years
old, he hired a prostitute off of the street. The prostitute was transgender, whom an infuriated
Bernardo killed with his bare fists. He is in prison for life.
When Ari returns home, Mr. Quintana tells him that Dante is in the hospital. He was
jumped by several young men who had seen him kissing Daniel in an alley. When Dante comes
home from the hospital, Daniel starts visiting him in his house. This angers Ari because Daniel
ran away while Dante was being beaten up. Dante admits to Ari that when he kisses Daniel, he
imagines he's Ari, but Ari just tells Dante he needs to get a new head. Dante is left upset by Ari's
reaction to Dante all but admitting his love for him.
Ari's mother eventually calls a family meeting where she gets Ari's father to finally tell
him about an incident in the Vietnam War that has haunted him. Ari's father tells him it's time
they both stopped running, saying that Dante loves Ari. Ari is aware of this but thinks Dante has
gotten over it. Ari's father explains that what Ari's running from, what will kill him if he keeps
running, is that Ari loves Dante too. When Ari denies it, his father tells Ari that his instincts in
saving Dante's life while risking his own and taking revenge on Julian point to Ari loving Dante
more than he can bear. After his father's explanation, Ari finally accepts this, and breaks down,
ashamed of loving another boy.
That night, Ari, Dante and their parents go bowling together. Having accepted that he
loves Dante, Ari is now a lot happier, especially when Dante reveals he realized Ari was right
about Daniel. After bowling, Dante and Ari go out into the desert, where Dante tells Ari he can't
be friends with Ari anymore because it's too hard for him to be friends with Ari when Dante
loves him and Ari doesn't love him back. Rather than running from his feelings, Ari reminds
Dante of their kiss and how he said it didn't work for him before finally admitting he lied about
it. Ari asks Dante to kiss him again but Dante refuses, challenging Ari to kiss him instead.
Without hesitation, Ari kisses Dante, fully accepting his love for him.
Following the kiss, Dante and Ari relax in the back of Ari's truck. Ari contemplates that
he'd been searching for the secrets of the universe and his own body and heart when the answers
were with him the whole time in the form of his love for Dante. Ari now knows that he'd been in
love with Dante from the moment they met, but didn't let himself know, think or feel it. Now free
of his fears, Ari is left wondering why he was ever ashamed of loving Dante Quintana.
I. What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away
from the story?
- The setting of the book is at El Paso, Texas, United States. El Paso stands on the Rio
Grande across the Mexico–United States border from Ciudad Juárez, the most populous
city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua with 1.4 million people. The unique thing about it
is that it made the story realistic because the setting is the actual place where the author
came from, not exactly in El Paso but at someplace in Texas. It added important things
that made the whole book awesome because of the culture and traditions and values of
the place that was included in the book.
II. What Specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you
think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
- The themes that the author emphasized throughout the novel were mainly "Mexican-
American identity, gender and sexuality, particular masculine gender roles and
homosexuality, intellectualism and artistic expression, as well as family relationships."
According to Publishers Weekly, "a tender, honest exploration of identity and sexuality,
and a passionate reminder that love—whether romantic or familial—should be open, free,
and without shame." Also, the author's subject is all about Hispanic and Latino American
Culture and LGBT. It clearly talks about friendship, and struggles with racial and ethnic
identity, sexuality, and family relationships.
III. What are the major conflicts in the story?
- The major conflict in the story is the problem within the self of the main character. All
throughout the story, you will see that Ari was struggling to cope up with almost about
everything because he did not know who he really is. He was thinking that his life is just
an idea of someone else and questions everything even his true identity. He was having a
hard time in making decisions for his own life and for other people as well.
IV. Who are the prominent characters in the book? Do the characters seem real and
believable? Can you relate yourself to their predicaments? To what extent do they
remind you of yourself or someone you know?
- The prominent characters are Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana. The story
was narrated by Ari and it was his point of view throughout the story. As a fifteen year
old boy, he was bored, miserable and friendless before he met this guy at the pool nearby
whose name is Dante. Dante is opposite of Ari. But as the days go by, they became best
friends and inseparable. The characters were believable and even the whole story even
though you have not yet read that it was a realistic fiction. When it comes to their
predicaments, I think I can relate myself to their problems about coping up with the
things that bother my inner self and social self. I feel like I am Ari because I am having a
hard time to accept the things that is really happening in my life right now. But I know
that later on, I will be able to accept it wholeheartedly no matter what. Like Ari, it feels
like I am always using a defense mechanism which is denial.
V. How do characters change, grow or evolve throughout the course of the story? What
events trigger such changes?
- The characters changed when they met each other. It is true that someone can change
your life even in a short period of time. The way you see and realize things has changed
because there is someone who taught you to open your eyes to see nothing but the truth
when you were unable to do so. But most importantly, you cannot depend on that
someone because all you have in the end is yourself. What you need to do is cherish and
appreciate every moment that you are with them and treasure all the things that you
learned from them either good or bad. It is part of growing up and making the best
version of who you really are.
VI. In what ways do the events in the books reveal evidence of the author's world view?
- There are six events wherein it revealed evidence of the author's world view which are:
1. The Different Rules of Summer - "The problem with my life was that it was
someone else's idea."
2. Sparrows Falling from the Sky - "When I was a boy, I used to wake up thinking
that the world was ending."
3. The End of Summer - "Do you remember the summer of the rain.....You must let
everything fall that wants to fall."— Karen Fiser
4. Letters on a Page - "There are some words I'll never learn to spell."
5. Remember the Rain - "turning the pages patiently in search of meanings" — W.S.
Merwin
6. All the Secrets of the Universe - "Through all of youth I was looking for youwithout
knowing what I was looking for." — W.S. Merwin
VII. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that
way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life
you might not have thought about before?
- Nothing in the book made me feel uncomfortable because the book is comforting and
heart melting. I realized that every one of us has its own secrets that add up to the secret
of the universe. It is like another secret after discovering a secret, searching for the true
meaning of life and finding what you really love.
VIII. Have any of the events in this book ever happened to you? How did you resolve the
situations?
- Yes, some events in the book happened to me. Particularly when Ari was denying that he
has fallen in love with his best friend. They broke apart physically because Dante went to
Chicago with his family; his dad was a professor teaching English subject and has an
opportunity to work abroad. But in the end, Ari finally accepted and admitted to himself
that he really love his best friend, in a romantic way. And told Dante about it right away
when he returned in the next summer before he fucked things up again. Like Ari, I have
this friend that I met in our beloved school and became that someone who is always by
my side. At first, I knew in myself that I like my friend just as a friend. Little did I know,
I like everything about this person and I was thinking the possibilities if we ever broke
apart. I can't stand it and so I realized that it was not just a friendly thing. I'm in love and I
can't help it. What important is that we are now together and happily loving each other. I
think I found the love of my life and discover the secrets of the universe.
IX. Did the storyline change your opinion of an event, place or time period? How?
- The storyline changed the way I see things especially when it talks about self. Not all of
us really know our own self, in order to find who we really are, I think we need to search
for it. If we can't find it within us, then maybe we can find it on someone because their
eyes are gates to the soul. Every part of our self is engraved in the mind, heart and soul of
every person we met along the way. And I believe that even if we die, we are still alive in
some parts of the universe because every person we met has those little pieces that
constitute our self.
X. Identify which among the topic of “Self” is the novel connected? And how can you
relate it to your personal life?
- Among the topics of the self; physical self and sexual self are connected to the novel. I
think that this book made me realize that:
1. That the physical self includes physical development, attractiveness and characteristics
which are the defining features about a person which are indicators of fertility and health.
The society in which I live shapes me in so many ways and shaping which may result to
inevitable views that may range from positive to negative. Nevertheless, among all of
this, there is one thing that must always be and I kept in my mind is the thought that my
body is the best work of art there is. The social, mental and emotional self is almost part
of the physical self because if I do something in my body, it is either I do it because of the
society, on how I think of myself because of the things that surrounds me or on how I feel
about myself.
2. That the sexual self is one of the most important concepts that we should all know. All
of us have different sexual orientation, sexual self-esteem, sexual self-exploration, and
sexual anxiety. But is does not indicate that we have the right to bully someone because
of that. We should always respect one another no matter how complicated the situation is.
I think that it is not hard to bring a little kindness in our hearts.
- So here is a short but meaningful poem that is also connected to the novel.
Body
by: Kyra Tharp, May 2015
I was told I was beautiful

I didn’t believe them I was told I was ugly
I believed them for every second the word came out of their mouth
Then one day everything changed

I met someone who makes me very happy with who I am and my weight I didn’t like the way I
saw myself
I noticed that my body true so hard to keep me healthy and alive
I realized I’m not the girls I see in magazines or in the tv show or anything like that
I am finally happy with who I am and learning to accept me for who I am and my body
I love the feeling I get when you are finally accepting who you are and is proud because of
everything you have put it through
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Book Review:

Aristotle and Dante

III. What are the major conflicts in the story?

I was told I was beautiful

Then one day everything changed

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