Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World is an example of the growing body of LGBTQ Representation in YA literature. As a novel firmly situated in the genre of YA literature, Aristotle and Dante is written with teenage audiences in mind. The novel utilizes common themes in the genre, such as young love, familial relationships, identity, friendship, and coming-of-age. Within this broader genre exists subgenres—in this case, LGBTQ YA—that build upon common themes to depict underrepresented identities; for example, Ari’s coming-of-age focuses on his journey as a Latino teenager who is gay. As YA literature is largely concerned with portraying the challenges that are inherent to being an adolescent in the process of growing up, Aristotle and Dante depicts the challenges specific to growing up in a world that does not value marginalized identities.

The novel follows in the footsteps of its contemporaries in LGBTQ YA literature in several ways. Perhaps most notably, the novel features several “coming out” plotlines. Though Ari first comes to grips with his orientation in the first novel of the series, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, the sequel is indicative of the fact that coming out is an ongoing process.