Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Parents need to know that Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is the sequel to Benjamin Alire Sáenz's acclaimed, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, a coming-of-age novel about two teen boys learning to love one another. This sequel picks right up after the end of Secrets of the Universe and follows Ari (Aristotle) as he waxes philosophical about being gay, love, desire, and sex. There are many passages that talk about desire and sex, and Ari and Dante do "have sex," but it's never described. There is a lot of romantic kissing, however. Teen boys often get naked, in bodies of water, in the rain, in the shower, and in bed. Some violent moments happen, mostly having to do with getting into fist fights or punching someone in the face. For coming out, a teen gets beaten up by an abusive father, stories of lynching and burning "homosexuals" are mentioned, and a soldier dies in his friend's arms. Kids beat up another kid for being homophobic. Teens drink (wine, bourbon, champagne), talk about smoking weed, and adults smoke cigarettes. There's also strong language throughout, including: "f--k," and its variants and "s--t," "bitch," "f--got," "f-g," "queer," "a--hole," "ass," "goddamn," "damn," "hell," "God," "dick," "tits," "balls," "vato," "puta," "joto," "maricon," "pinche vieja."