Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Apr 2013 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda

About this audiobook

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

Dive into the award-winning, internationally renowned book that is a “tender, honest exploration of identity” (Publishers Weekly) and distills lyrical truths about family and friendship—featuring images from the film!

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.

Ratings and reviews

So I actually saw the movie they made first and then wanted to experience the book. I love both. The book is expertly voiced by Lin Manuel Miranda. Aristotle and Dante are beautiful characters. Both complicated and simple. And the parents of both are amazing. We should all be so lucky to have parents like that. I love anything about this and highly recommend it.

The book itself is an absolute wonder with the way Sàenz manages to capture the harsh realities of Ari and Dante's world while also somehow showing the beauty that is stull around whilst they are in pain. The way Lin-Manuel Miranda manages to express that with only his voice will forever be with me. This is, without a doubt, my favorite book.

it's the best young adult book i've ever read. totally relatable and loveable characters. you'll get hooked just from the very 1st page. i'm hoping to see it as a major motion picture soon

About the author

Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. He was the first Hispanic winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and a recipient of the American Book Award for his books for adults. He is the author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award winner, the Pura Belpré Award winner, the Lambda Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, and its sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. His first novel for teens, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His second book for teens, He Forgot to Say Goodbye, won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He lives in El Paso, Texas.