Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz Narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

This long-awaited sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is just as heart-wrenchingly beautiful as we hoped. Now in love, Aristotle and Dante must figure out how to navigate their relationship and the world around them as they continue to grow and change. This tender story is perfect for fans of They Both Die at the End.

GRAMMY AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST AUDIOBOOK, NARRATION, AND STORYTELLING RECORDING
2022 BEST MALE NARRATOR AUDIE AWARD WINNER!

A #1 New York Times bestseller
Four starred reviews!
“Messily human and sincerely insightful.” -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The highly anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is an “emotional roller coaster” (School Library Journal, starred review) sure to captivate fans of Adam Silvera and Mary H.K. Choi.

In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, two boys in a border town fell in love. Now, they must discover what it means to stay in love and build a relationship in a world that seems to challenge their very existence.

Ari has spent all of high school burying who he really is, staying silent and invisible. He expected his senior year to be the same. But something in him cracked open when he fell in love with Dante, and he can't go back. Suddenly he finds himself reaching out to new friends, standing up to bullies of all kinds, and making his voice heard. And, always, there is Dante, dreamy, witty Dante, who can get on Ari's nerves and fill him with desire all at once.

The boys are determined to forge a path for themselves in a world that doesn't understand them. But when Ari is faced with a shocking loss, he'll have to fight like never before to create a life that is truthfully, joyfully his own.

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile

Lin-Manuel Miranda captures every intense emotion in this gorgeously lyrical and intensely hopeful sequel to ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE. Ari Mendoza and Dante Quintana, two gay Mexican American teens in El Paso, spend a magical summer together before their last year of high school, being in love with each other and being supported by their loving parents, all set against the backdrop of the 1980s AIDS crisis. Once senior year starts, Ari opens himself up to making friends at school for the first time. Miranda offers subtle vocal differentiations for the characters—Dante sounds by turns playful, smug, and sensitive—but the core of the story belongs to Ari and his unlocked feelings as he navigates both joy and grief, all beautifully communicated through Miranda’s empathetic narration. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

"Messily human and sincerely insightful."

Publishers Weekly

"In Sáenz’s careful, poetic hands and Ari’s stubborn, searching voice, the narrative follows the Mexican American couple as they “map out a new world” together, navigating desire, homophobia, racism, sexism, how to be a man without succumbing to toxic masculinity, how to cope with loss without giving in to grief, what it means to have—and be—a good teacher, and, fundamentally, how to love and be loved."

AudioFile Magazine Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award

"Miranda offers subtle vocal differentiations for the characters — Dante sounds by turns playful, smug, and sensitive — but the core of the story belongs to Ari and his unlocked feelings as he navigates both joy and grief, all beautifully communicated through Miranda's empathetic narration."

starred review Booklist

"Sáenz himself is something of a cartographer, drawing an intricate map of the human heart. The result is a brilliant, character-driven novel that challenges its readers themselves to think about life while falling in love with those two unforgettable characters, Aristotle and Dante."

Shelf Awareness Pro

"Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is a joyous and heartrending exploration of grief, love and queer belonging."

Horn Book Magazine

"Sáenz once again applies wisdom and humor to familiar themes such as forgiveness and redemption, the value of teachers and mentors, and the definitions of valor and manhood."

Entertainment Weekly

The epic queer love story that’s been nine years in the making is worth the wait.

School Library Journal

"This emotional rollercoaster is buoyed by hope, swoonworthy kisses, and exquisite characterization."

OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile

Lin-Manuel Miranda captures every intense emotion in this gorgeously lyrical and intensely hopeful sequel to ARISTOTLE AND DANTE DISCOVER THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE. Ari Mendoza and Dante Quintana, two gay Mexican American teens in El Paso, spend a magical summer together before their last year of high school, being in love with each other and being supported by their loving parents, all set against the backdrop of the 1980s AIDS crisis. Once senior year starts, Ari opens himself up to making friends at school for the first time. Miranda offers subtle vocal differentiations for the characters—Dante sounds by turns playful, smug, and sensitive—but the core of the story belongs to Ari and his unlocked feelings as he navigates both joy and grief, all beautifully communicated through Miranda’s empathetic narration. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2021-07-13
As the final year of high school approaches, Ari and Dante explore their love for each other—and their love for others—in Sáenz’s long-awaited sequel to 2012’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

For Ari, his world’s beginning to open up. After years of silence, his father begins to share more about his experiences in Vietnam and the ensuing trauma, rebuilding their relationship. Once a nuisance in Ari’s life, Gina and Susie now seem like the allies he needs to flourish, leading to even more potential friendships in surprising ways. And then there’s Dante, the boy who “found me in a swimming pool one day and changed my life.” Embarking on a relationship, Ari and Dante navigate the joys (a camping trip that takes their journey to a new level) and pains (uncertainties about life after high school) of young love. Throughout, the harsh truths of life circle the two young men: the specter of Ari’s imprisoned brother, who makes a memorable appearance; questions of what constitutes one’s sexual and cultural identities (“We’ll never be Mexican enough. We’ll never be American enough”); and the AIDS pandemic, whose tremors fill the airwaves and affect their community. Sáenz packs a whole lot into these pages, but it’s a testament to the characters that he’s created that it never feels like too much. There’s an unhurried quality to the author’s wistful, tender prose that feels utterly intimate.

Messily human and sincerely insightful. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173369512
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Series:	Aristotle and Dante , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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