by Kate Davis

Young Adult Materials Mini-Collection Project

Written and Selected by Kate Davis
SJSU INFO 265-10 Materials for Young Adults
Prof. Beth Wrenn-Estes
Fall 2015

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Bibliography: Sáenz, B. A., & Foglia, C. (2012). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR.

ISBN: 978-1442408937

Genre: LGBTQ, Latino

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+/14+

Plot Summary:  Ari and Dante both see themselves as different, as weird, as loners. But when they meet at the local swimming pool, they find similarities that bond them in friendship. Both have happily married parents who adore them. Both are unsure about their roles in the world of boys and men. But they have differences, too. Ari hides his feelings. Dante isn’t afraid to cry. Ari spends most of his time pondering his life. Dante loves to draw. The dynamics of their friendship change one rainy day when Ari pushes Dante out of the way of a car speeding down the road. Dante is grateful and guilty, full of attempts to apologize and make amends. Ari doesn’t agree with his new hero status--he truly believes that his actions were purely instinctual, with no forethought or reasoning behind them. It’s almost a relief to him when Dante’s family moves away since he needs a break from Dante’s constant hovering. But before he leaves, Dante confesses his true feelings for Ari. Ari doesn’t feel the same, but isn’t completely put off by the idea of his best friend having sexual feelings for him. They keep in touch (more Dante than Ari) and when Dante moves back, their friendship picks up as if they’d never been apart. Dante has become more self-actualized, but Ari still struggles with his identity. It takes a moment of instinct and a moment of truth for him to realize exactly what he’s been feeling all along.

Critical Evaluation: Aristotle and Dante is written in first person from the perspective of Aristotle. The first person perspective allows the reader to deeply bond with Ari, to feel his anger and confusion. Since Ari spends a great deal of time considering his life, his family dynamics and how he fits into the world, the reader garners a full understanding of exactly what is going through his mind. Just like his the philosopher for whom he is named, Ari philosophizes about the world around him and these philosophies open doors for the reader to admit and comprehend their own confusion with their place in the world. The writing throughout the book is spare and solid. It relies very little on literary devices to pull the reader into Ari’s world, but instead use raw emotion. To quote Ari, “To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing” (324). The one literary device that author Sáenz uses significantly is symbolism. Dante is fascinated with birds and their ability to fly into freedom. At one point, he attempts to rescue a bird with an injured wing. Given that he is coming to terms with his homosexuality, this seems to be a fitting symbol for his own flight into emotional freedom. Dante, throughout the book, struggles to determine his identity. He feels he has no significant qualities, no determined opinions, no legs to stand on. When he gets his by a car after pushing Dante to safely, he breaks both of his legs, thereby robbing him of their literal use. As he heals and subsequently discovers a love of running, the reader understands that he is discovering the person he truly is. Another incredibly moving part of Dante and Aristotle is that both teens have parents who love them unconditionally, yet they each struggle with the dichotomy of loving and hating their parents simultaneously. Ari iterates his confusion about his parents over and over--he loves them, he sees them as people not just parents, he hates them, he needs them. Not all teens struggle with their sexuality, but they all struggle with their relationship with their parents; they all struggle to determine who they are both in and out of their families.

Reader’s Annotation: Dante and Ari are two 15 year-old, Mexican-American guys trying to figure what life is all about. It takes a car accident, a jump, two relocations, and some dark family revelations to show them who they're meant to be.

Author Information: Benjamin Alire Sáenz was born in 1954. He graduated from high school in 1972, and went on to college and became something of a world traveler. He studied philosophy and theology in Europe for four years and spent a summer in Tanzania. He eventually became a writer and professor and moved back to the border--the only place where he feels he truly belongs. He is an associate professor in the MFA creative writing program at the University of Texas at El Paso. 

Sáenz is also a visual artist and has been involved as a political and cultural activist throughout his life. Benjamin Sáenz­ is a novelist, poet, essayist and writer of children's books. His young adult novel Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood was selected as one of the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults in 2005, and his prize-winning bilingual picture books for children--A Gift from Papá Diego and Grandma Fina and Her Wonderful Umbrellas--have been best-selling titles. A Perfect Season for Dreaming is Ben's newest bilingual children's book which has received two starred reviews, one from Publishers Weekly and one from Kirkus Reviews. He has received the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, the Lannan Fellowship and an American Book Award. His first book of poems, Calendar of Dust, won an American Book Award in 1992. That same year, he published his first collection of short stories, Flowers for the Broken. In 1995, he published his first novel, Carry Me Like Water (Hyperion), and that same year, he published his second book of poems, Dark and Perfect Angels. Both books were awarded a Southwest Book Award by the Border Area Librarians Association. In 1997, HarperCollins published his second novel, The House of Forgetting. Ben is a prolific writer whose more recent titles include In Perfect Light (Rayo/Harper Collins), Names on a Map (Rayo/Harper Collins), He Forgot to Say Goodbye (Simon and Schuster), and two books of poetry Elegies in Blue (Cinco Puntos Press), and Dreaming the End of War (Copper Canyon Press).

Curriculum ties: social diversity, race relations

Booktalks: Have you ever saved someone from getting hurt? What’s the most honest conversation you’ve ever had with your parents?

Challenge issues: homosexuality, underage drinking, drug use

Challenge Issue Resources (for usage in a challenge situation):
  • Library Selection Policy
  • Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
  • Active listening skills
  • Awards
  • Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
  • Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
  • National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
  • Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
  • ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
  • ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom
    • Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
    • Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Reasoning: So many LGBTQ stories focus on protagonists whose parents are either absent or horrified by their child’s sexuality, so the fact that Aristotle and Dante both have parents who love and support them unconditionally gives this title a level of diversity generally unheard of in the LGBTQ sub-genre. It illustrates young adult confusion not only regarding sexuality, but also regarding platonic friendships, parents and exactly how each person fits into the world. Dante and Aristotle promotes the common library mission statement tenets of diversity, education, inspiration and entertainment.

References:
Sáenz, B. A. (n.d.). Benjamin Alire Saenz. Retrieved November 30, 2015, from http://www.amazon.com/Benjamin-Alire-Saenz/e/B000AP7OVS/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

No comments:

Post a Comment