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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
367 reviews
fiifarts's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Racism, Homophobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
yasidiaz's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ari and Dante are another pair that has made a permanent home in my heart, and I can't be mad about it.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe will forever be my favorite one between both books, but this sequel is so much more than I could have asked for. I cried so much with this book, perhaps more than the first one. Seeing the internal struggles of Ari, especially while being a gay teen at the height of the AIDS pandemic, broke me but felt necessary.
I love the way we see Ari grow, how he matures as a person, and how he learns to love himself and be loved. I love the emphasis that just because he and Dante love each other, doesn't mean they are or have to be perfect, that they will always be learning and growing as men. And as much as I love romance, I love a story that puts as much emphasis on the friendships and familial relationships, as much or more than the romantic ones.
Most importantly, the love their parents had for Ari and Dante will always be dear to me. I am glad this never turned into a story where the gay kids had to deal with homophobic parents. Those things happen and we have many stories touching those lived experiences. But the reminder that not every parent, even in the 80's, is going to turn their back on their children is revolutionary. And as a Latine person, who had to grow up with media portraying Latine parents as unsupportive and downright abusive, representation like this is even more needed.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe will forever be my favorite one between both books, but this sequel is so much more than I could have asked for. I cried so much with this book, perhaps more than the first one. Seeing the internal struggles of Ari, especially while being a gay teen at the height of the AIDS pandemic, broke me but felt necessary.
I love the way we see Ari grow, how he matures as a person, and how he learns to love himself and be loved. I love the emphasis that just because he and Dante love each other, doesn't mean they are or have to be perfect, that they will always be learning and growing as men. And as much as I love romance, I love a story that puts as much emphasis on the friendships and familial relationships, as much or more than the romantic ones.
Most importantly, the love their parents had for Ari and Dante will always be dear to me. I am glad this never turned into a story where the gay kids had to deal with homophobic parents. Those things happen and we have many stories touching those lived experiences. But the reminder that not every parent, even in the 80's, is going to turn their back on their children is revolutionary. And as a Latine person, who had to grow up with media portraying Latine parents as unsupportive and downright abusive, representation like this is even more needed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Death of parent
Moderate: Transphobia
sophie8's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This series feels like a very exaggerated depiction of the world, everyone being a bit more sensitive, open and questioning than real life. It's very existential and emotional. This book is like the first one but more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Homophobia, and Grief
Warning- I think I cried at least once every couple of chaptersdelisouseyelids's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Violence, War, Alcohol, Car accident, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Child death, Homophobia, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Transphobia, and Cursing
kristin_kk05's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Homophobia
mcfeinics's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
There are very few books that on the first read I know it will be a book I read again and again, this is one of those. Ari's thoughts and letters hold so much in them, so much that could be meditated on even. This may be labeled as a YA but this book holds depth far beyond justa YA audience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use and Murder
esm_359's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
emiliarosep's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Racism
Moderate: Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, and War
wiktoria_bojda's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Transphobia
hello_lovely13's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was somehow hopeful and melancholy at the same time, and the result is just beautiful. While reading this, I really wanted to reread the first book. To say that this was a love story (in the sense that this is a romance book) would severely diminish the impact and honesty this book has. It has a simple, yet poetic writing style that makes every topic addressed in this book (self-love, grief, belonging, hate, etc.) so accessible and resonate within the reader. There were a couple of times that I thought the writing style was too simplistic for the situation it was discussing, but for a majority of the time I thought it was perfect. There are many everyday, meaningful conversations, and that is right up my alley. This is a beautiful exploration of what it is like to love in a world so filled with hate, both in general and specifically for your identity. Ari struggled a lot with self-hatred in the first book (so the first one is much more melancholy than this one), and he really deals with that in this book. The character progression is heart-warming to see as he grows and learns. Even if things can't last forever, it's impact will linger and become a part of who you are; it is just up to you to determine how it will change and influence you. It is just wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Homophobia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual content, Deadnaming, and War
Internalized homophobia, AIDs crisis