Scan barcode
A review by dianareadsalot
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
4.0
I was a little late coming to the Aristotle and Dante party. However, lucky for me I didn't have to wait a decade for the sequel the author didn't know he was going to write.
There are some books that make you think about things, things you never would have thought about had it not been brought to your attention in such a way. That is what happened with me and this book.
Like Aristotle and Dante, I finished high school in the late 80's. One of the main issues Aristotle and Dante struggle with in this book is the hatred for gay men. Please note, I do not want to discount the other issues with LGBTQ in this book, but my takeaway was it was directed towards gay men specifically. ( aside from Bernardo's crime). I remember the Aids epidemic and how that affected everyone. I remember how paranoid people were to catch Aids and I remember the times where fear drove peoples actions. We see those fears throughout this book.
Initially, I thought the pacing of this book was slower than the first, but I was wrong. The pacing was perfect, and the development of their relationship was really quite beautiful.
I love Aristotle and Dante, their love for each other is so tender and raw. While Dante is more assured in himself, Aristotle struggles with accepting he is gay in a way that makes it hard for him to connect with others. This book was more about Aristotle finding himself, releasing demons and learning to love, not only love others, but himself.
This was a perfect unplanned sequel. I highly recommend!
There are some books that make you think about things, things you never would have thought about had it not been brought to your attention in such a way. That is what happened with me and this book.
Like Aristotle and Dante, I finished high school in the late 80's. One of the main issues Aristotle and Dante struggle with in this book is the hatred for gay men. Please note, I do not want to discount the other issues with LGBTQ in this book, but my takeaway was it was directed towards gay men specifically. ( aside from Bernardo's crime). I remember the Aids epidemic and how that affected everyone. I remember how paranoid people were to catch Aids and I remember the times where fear drove peoples actions. We see those fears throughout this book.
Initially, I thought the pacing of this book was slower than the first, but I was wrong. The pacing was perfect, and the development of their relationship was really quite beautiful.
I love Aristotle and Dante, their love for each other is so tender and raw. While Dante is more assured in himself, Aristotle struggles with accepting he is gay in a way that makes it hard for him to connect with others. This book was more about Aristotle finding himself, releasing demons and learning to love, not only love others, but himself.
This was a perfect unplanned sequel. I highly recommend!