Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Amazing amazing book.  Aristotle and Dante are initially drawn to each other because of their names, however, they are the opposite of each other. Aristotle (Ari) is quiet, reserved, keeps everything inside himself- but he has come by that honestly as his parents do the same. They don’t talk about Ari’s older brother who is in prison, and they don’t talk about his father’s experiences in Viet Nam, despite the fact that both of these events have had an impact on their lives. 

Dante on the other hand is an only child whose parents are quite demonstrative and talk about everything. Each time they greet each other it is with a kiss on the cheek, a touch, some physical connection. Because of this openness, Dante of course has no filter most of the time and shares what he is feeling when he feels it.

Despite these differences, their friendship blossoms and they definitely balance each other out. Each respects the other’s ways. Each of the boys is in their final years of high school and are really living typical teen age lives, attending the occasional party, experimenting with alcohol and an occasional joint, but they are both ‘good boys’ not getting into trouble and are genuinely loved and supported by their parents.

Dante is generally happy and open, Aristotle is generally angry and quiet, causing some interesting discussions between the boys, particularly slightly complicated by the fact that Dante is in love with Ari, yet Ari denies having the same feelings for Dante. 

There are a few pivotal incidents that bring some of these feelings to the forefront, a car accident, a beating, a cross country move and a family death all work as catalysts to aid Ari, in particular, to acknowledge his buried feelings and to root out the source of his anger, and the beginning of family ghosts being put to rest.

What if it's us

By:  Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

Meet Arthur, Broadway enthusiast, glass half full optimism, and favourite person of everyone he meets. He’s in New York for the summer interning at his mom’s law firm and couldn’t be happier. 

Meet Ben, closet writer, glass half empty pessimist, and cool guy who seems not to try too hard at anything. He’s recently broken up with his boyfriend, stuck in summer school, and not all that happy with the universe right now.

After a chance encounter at the post office, Ben and Arthur think maybe the universe wants them to be together. The perfection of their meeting was just too good to be true. But then they get separated and they didn’t get any way to contact each other. Using creative social media searches, missed connections, and some good old fashioned amateur detective work, Ben and Arthur manage to be reunited! It’s clearly a sign that they are definitely meant to be.

But. Their first date is a disaster. Their second date is not nearly what they had hoped. And… their third date is not great either. Were they really meant to be or is the universe playing some kind of weird joke on them? But then again, What if it’s us?

As Arthur and Ben navigate young love, they have a relatively realistic attitude towards their relationship and don’t make nearly as many hair-tearing decisions that many Rom Com characters tend to make. Other than a moderately forced drama scene in the middle, Ben and Arthur are rational, lovable heroes of their own story with awesome best friends supporting them through a memorable summer break.

This book is full of pop culture references with a special love for Harry Potter and Hamilton. It’s got  meet cute moments, and fully realized, dynamic characters. I worry that the pop culture references will sour the book with time, but for now it’s a lot of fun and well worth a read!

Other books by Becky Albertalli include Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat.

Other books by Adam Silvera include They Both Die at the End and History is all you Left Me.

The Poet X

The Poet X

                                                

 By Elizabeth Acevedo 

This book is the debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo. If you’ve ever been to a poetry slam, you’ll find yourself reading this book in the slam method, slamming your hands down in punctuation, sharing the feelings. 

I listened to the audio book which is read by the author herself. It is great as it has such feeling and rhythm, you really get inside the characters. 

Xiomara Batista is a young girl in Harlem who discovers slam poetry as a way to express herself in a world where she is dominated by her  mother’s religion with little voice of her own. She is a fierce, strong girl who lets her fists talk for her. 

One birthday her twin brother gives her a notebook as a place for her to write down things she has to say. Into it she pours her heart and soul, filling it with her passion. Xiomara quickly learns to keep these thoughts to herself, sure her Mami won't understand, especially as she develops new feelings she hasn't experienced before (read: maybe a boy!)

A teacher invites Xiomara to join the poetry slam club at school and although tempted, Xiomara is sure her Mami would never let her join. Finally, overcome by the desire to have a place to share her thoughts, Xiomara skips confirmation classes to get to the club, but when Mami finds out only trouble can follow. 

Finding a balance between her Mami's rules and her need to be heard is a difficult path for Xiomara, one she struggles with throughout this emotionally charged book. It is a quick read written in verse, one that moves fast, and moves you to rant and slam along with Xiomara.

After The Shot Drops

   

by Randy Ribay

After the Shot Drops is a powerful novel about friendship, basketball, and one teen's mission to create a better life for his family. 

This is an amazing story that is told in alternating chapters in the voices of Bunny and Nasir, who have been best friends forever, but are at odds with each other since Bunny transferred to a private school on a basketball scholarship, and Nasir feels betrayed.  

Bunny, so called because he has ‘hops’ and is an excellent basketball player tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers and finds it hard to connect to his new surroundings outside of basketball. 

Meanwhile, with the absence of Bunny, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is not necessarily the best influence for Nasir. Wallace lives with his grandma and facing eviction, he makes some choices that put him in danger and put Nasir in jeopardy too. 

As Nasir and Bunny begin to rekindle their friendship, Wallace sees it as an opportunity to improve his situation and plays on Nasir's loyalty to help him discredit Bunny.

As the final game nears, Wallace asks Nasir the impossible asking him to risk everything to help Wallace out of a jam. Can Nasir come through, what will it cost him, Bunny, Wallace and their future? 

Throughout this book, I found myself yelling at the characters as they continually put themselves into difficult situations and made decisions that were not necessarily going to help. Just like at the basketball games, we are spectators in the lives of these characters and can only hope things turn out well in the end.