Aristotle And Dante

Introduction

I was put on to the Aristotle and Dante books by my LGBT+ Book Club at work. I am a slow reader, but I got through the first book very quickly. There were funny bits, sad bits, and maybe it was a bit too close to real life for my taste (I like to get lost in other worlds when I read), but I enjoyed it and wrote about it here:

Then I started the second book ....

The music is "Nightswimming" by REM

Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World

This is almost twice as long as the first one, and many chapters are long and involved (for me). I quickly realised that the first book was the introduction to this, and it seemed a bit harder going at first.

The first book was Dante and Aristotle as boys; this one is them turning into adults, and discovering girls, but still in love with each other and definitely not straight.

Aristotle has changed and become more sociable. Both Dante and Aristotle's families are incredibly supportive, and Dante gets a baby brother called Sophocles, who he hopes is straight and will give his parents grandchildren.

The book tackles the AIDS crisis, religious and racial bigotry, and despite not being "my thing", it is an excellent read.

While I suppose the second book could be read on its own, if you read the first, you have to read the second.

I approached this with a little trepidation, but it is excellent, and I would recommend both books to anyone.

Thank you so much for giving me your time.