Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

De: Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Narrado por: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Now a major motion picture starring Max Pelayo, Reese Gonzales, and Eva Longoria!
A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021)

The award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship through the unlikely connection between two teens.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime.

And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Wonderful and we'll written

There's something about this book that, though i read it every year, feels like i am reading it for the first time. this is a beautiful story about discovering oneself.

only one small issue

The only issue i had was with the music that played while the woman at the end said all the credits. it didnt fit with the tone of the book. lin manuel reads the final line and you are in a reflective place then BOOM bam da da da da this loud awful music blairs and ruines the ending.

A Simple Story, but a Powerful One

If you could sum up Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe in three words, what would they be?

Simple, moving, beautiful

Which character – as performed by Lin-Manuel Miranda – was your favorite?

Lin-Manuel Miranda did a wonderful job throughout the entire book, but Ari's father was especially good.

Any additional comments?

This isn't a story with a ton of action, but it really appealed to me. Watching the friendship between Ari and Dante evolve was slow, moving, and wonderful. Ari coming to terms with his family's history was also handled wonderfully. I just sat there listening and felt a lot of emotion for what really is a simple story. It was great.

A&D is a new American Classic you must read

Where does Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I've heard so many great books on Audible this is a difficult question to answer. Certainly this audiobook ranks in the top tier. My 14-year-old son is having a difficult time in the friendship category. For his upcoming birthday I think I'll buy him a hard copy edition of this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe?

Even moments you might think are extraneous later turn out to be relevant, so it would be difficult to choose any single one. The whole story is memorably momentous.

What about Lin-Manuel Miranda’s performance did you like?

His whole performance was phenomenal. I like phenomenal performances.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I was wary of using a credit on "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe". Why? Because of its broad critical acclaim. It has too often been my experience that novels swooned over by professional critics turn out, upon being read by a real person like me, to give off a noxious air of self-interest. I like popular fiction because it is not boring. And NOT BORING is what "Aristotle" is.

As I began listening I began doubting.
Yeah, it was good. But interesting?

And then came Dante.
Boom!
From then on there was no doubt I was reading a great book. What a character! How could anyone not love Dante.
(It took some time for me to warm up to Aristotle).

No spoilers here -- and don't spoil it for yourself by peeking -- I'll conclude this review by telling how, as I got to the end of the book while listening on my phone, the Audible screen prompting a rating/review of the book popped up. Aristotle/Lin-Manuel Miranda was saying the final words and I was thinking, "5 stars on all counts". And then, totally unexpected, the very last sentence of the book caused me to burst out crying. Really. Crying. I don't do that. But I did. And it wasn't because the book had just ended. That final sentence said so much and was just... the perfect ending. The perfect ending to what is a perfect book.

Just ok

Within the first three chapters of the book, you know what’s going to happen. I think another review said it best when it said this book really wants to be deep and powerful but it’s just trying too hard. It’s not a bad story, it’s not badly written or anything. It’s just not as life-changing as I think it’s trying to be. But 100% on narration by Lin-Manuel Miranda. He does as much as he can with the material and made the book very much worth listening to.