Library Book Review > Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

By:  Benjamin Alire Saenz
Published By: Simon & Schuster
Published Date: Feb. 21st 2012
Pages:  359 hardcover
Tags: Young Adult, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Stand Alone, GLBT 

Source:  Community Library (Save A Tree)

Honestly, the Mad Scientist was even more clueless as to what to read when I went to library after being out of the US of A for nearly 6 months. (Explored Thailand, Malaysia & Laos.) What is a Mad Scientist to do?  With having so many literary awards on such a beautiful cover MS just felt like she could not go wrong.  Besides I think everyone of us could us a few secrets of the universe.  Walking out of the library with book in gloved hands MS just did not know what she was getting into with Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.  

"My mother and father held hands. I wondered what that was like, to hold someone's hand. I bet you could sometimes find all the mysteries of the universe in someone's hand." - page 140

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is told through a very young angry loner, Aristotle aka Ari. Ari & Dante met when the were 15 during one of those boring summers where you wait for something amazing to happen. It was a friendship they both seemed to bumble and stumble through with such little grace you could not help but wonder and smile at them.  It was a friendship were they spent days & nights laughing at each other, looking at the stars, experiencing sexual struggles & trying to navigate through cultural identity.  Of course, we also had bits and pieces of questioning the universe. 

Now the Mad Scientist is not one to cry over a book.  We wouldn't want to get rusty, now would we?  However, once I finished this particular book... I did.  The romance that I did not see or expect at all just jarred me which in turn made MS cry.  A few perfect tears, the roll down the cheeks kind. The jealous & strong emotions of Ari wanting to protect Dante at any cost had my heart. Dear boy!


Here is how I picture Ari & Dante: 

Source

Truly one of the best GLBT books MS has had the pleasure to read! Even if it was unexpected!

Benjamin Alire Saenz wrote the book in such a way that it is hard for MS to describe it in any other way then being beautiful.  The heavy handed issues about self identity and coming to age were managed with class & great writing that made it beautiful to read.  The writing, the characters, the story, the relationship was just too beautiful. 

"You could smell the rain in the desert even before a drop fell. I closed my eyes. I held my head out and felt the first drops. It was like a kiss. The sky was kissing me." - page 293

The awards were greatly deserved and MS is so happy to have spied this beauty on the shelf. Congratulations Benjamin! It was a great welcome back to the US of A & regular reading.

** Thanks to the Oneida Community Library and Inter-Library Loan! All Mad thoughts are presented in the right mind of a twisted brain of the Mad Scientist!

It was so amazing I kissed & licked every inch of the book!

Originally Posted at Steampunkery & Book Reviews.

Book Review - Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

Boyfriends with Girlfriends

By:  Alex Sanchez

Published By:   Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Published Date:  April 19th 2011

Pages:   Hardcover 224
Tags:  Young Adult, Contemporary Fiction, GLBT

First Line - eARC:  Lance tapped the beat of A Chorus Line's "What I Did for Love" on Allie's bedroom door.

Why the Mad Scientist read this book:  Mad Scientist requested this read from Simon & Schuster's eGalley grab for something that I never heard a thing about.  I was completely clueless about this read when I started it!  Boy was I surprised!

Concoction of a review:
Alex Sanchez is the author.  Suburbia is the place.  Lance, Allie, Sergio and Kimiko are the teens.  Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender is the genre.  Mad Scientist is the reader.


This small group are maneuvering through high school while trying to figure out their sexual identities.  The story starts to move along with best friend duos.  Lance is on the swim team and very proud of being gay.  Yes, he is way out of the closet.  His best friend, Allie, has been in a long term relationship with her boyfriend and is starting to question their bond. Bisexual Sergio, just got out of a relationship with a girl and Kimiko is our part Japanese lesbian who hasn't had a real relationship.  Oh la la... 

e-Book Love!

Our first odd couple is Lance and Sergio.  The relationship is on the edge of a rocky cliff from the start due to odd relationship baggage and different sexuality views.  Lance believes that bisexuality is a cop out, yet he finds himself attracted to Sergio and learns more of the this type of sexuality.


Allie is a working out a way to talk to her intended on how she feels their relationship is lacking.  Meanwhile, she meets Kimiko when she goes with Lance to meet Sergio on a mall date.  The girls become friends immediately.  However, Allie gets that weird feeling that maybe there is something deeper going on with her.  


I don't want to go too much deeper since this book comes out tomorrow. (April 19th 2011)


Alex Sanchez is not a writer for all.  He hits a very hard subject which some will have a hard time digesting.  His style of writing is unlike anything else.  He has a rotating POV that changes within chapters and sometimes even within a conversation.  If you do not pay attention reading this book I do believe you will look up and say "who just said that" to yourself.  However, the Mad Scientist found herself liking this style.  It proved to keep my wandering mind engaged on a heavy topic in a light way.

There was a great multi cultural cast of characters who were exploring their sexuality in a cute awkward believable way.

eArc Quote: 

Allie lifted her fingertips and brushed them lightly across Kimiko's eyebrow.  -- pg 133

Other Reviews of Boyfriends with Girlfriends for Your Enjoyment:

The Epic Rat  

Find Alex Sanchez’s Novel at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository  | Indie Bound

Book Review: Keeping You a Secret

Title: Keeping You a Secret 
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publisher: Little, Brown 2005
First read: February 3rd, 2011
Page total: 250 pages
Genre(s): Serious Issues; Young Adult; Realistic Fiction

Synopsis: When the hard-working, council-running, stressed-out-because-she-doesn't-know-what-to-do senior Holland Jaeger meets the transfer student Cecilia "Cece", she is instantly intrigued by her and is puzzled about her sexual preference. What about her year-long relationship with Seth? What is she now? Gay? Bi? Questioning?

It is palpable from the very first page that Cece is an out-of-closet lesbian. And Holland seems to be straight on the outside. I mean, she's been dating this Seth guy for a year - they even have had sex. So why does Cece have this impact on her?
I was, admittedly, intrigued. I thought people know when they are gay. I even considered Holland being bi. She did, too. The readers accompany Holland as she struggles to find out who she is, what she wants and how she should act on it - it was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.

To be totally honest -which I'm intending to do nowadays- I had trouble reading this book. Not because it was boring. Not because I feel uneasy with the topic GLBTQ. But because it felt so real. I felt the pain Holland must be suffering from and I felt like I had this lump in my throat. As if I was chocking. I felt the hope Holland felt when she was Cece, the joy. It was as if I were inside her head, experiencing everything with her. And she's so brave. Stubborn, brave, and kind-hearted. She loves childeren. My heart broke when she thought about not being able to have children and about wanting to raise children with somebody she loves.

I don't know anyone in my circle who's gay - or maybe they haven't come out yet, because of the same reason as Holland's: They haven't met someone who sets off this sparkle yet. Who knows? Maybe Holland would have stayed with Seth forever if not for Cece.
I know some people believe being gay is something wrong and dirty - just like Holland's mother does. But it's not. I'm not gay so I can't tell you how it feels to be in love with a girl but does it matter? Why should it matter if you are in love with a girl or a boy? Why should someone else care? Why shouldn't you be allowed to love someone you loves? Now that's twisted. Nobody can force people who are gay to "become straight". It'd be like as if all straight people were forced to become gay.

Love is something beautiful. Something glorious. I could totally understand Holland's best friend Leah when she said: "I hate [Cece]. (looking at Holland's expression) I don't mean that. I'm insanely jealous. I can't even imagine how it would feel for someone to love me that much."