Benjamin Alire Sáenz is an author of poetry and prose for adults and teens. He was the first Hispanic winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award and a recipient of the American Book Award for his books for adults. He is the author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which was a Printz Honor Book, the Stonewall Award winner, the Pura Belpré Award winner, the Lambda Literary Award winner, and a finalist for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, and its sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. His first novel for teens, Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood, was an ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His second book for teens, He Forgot to Say Goodbye, won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, the Southwest Book Award, and was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. He lives in El Paso, Texas.
* "A tender, honest exploration of identity and sexuality, and a
passionate reminder that love—whether romantic or familial—should
be open, free, and without shame."
*Publishers Weekly, starred review*
* "Authentic teen and Latino dialogue should make it a popular
choice."
*School Library Journal, starred review*
* "Meticulous pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the
author's gift for affecting prose that illuminates the struggles
within relationships."
*Kirkus Reviews, starred review*
"Sáenez writes toward the end of the novel that “to be careful with
people and words was a rare and beautiful thing.” And that’s
exactly what Sáenez does—he treats his characters carefully, giving
them space and time to find their place in the world, and to find
each other...those struggling with their own sexuality may find it
to be a thought-provoking read."
*Booklist*
"Sáenz has written the greater love story, for his is the story of
loving one’s self, of love between parents and children, and of the
love that builds communities, in addition to the deepening love
between two friends."
*VOYA*
"Ari’s first-person narrative—poetic, philosophical,
honest—skillfully develops the relationship between the two boys
from friendship to romance."
*The Horn Book*
"Primarily a character- and relationship-driven novel, written with
patient and lyrical prose that explores the boys’ emotional lives
with butterfly-wing delicacy."--Bulletin of the Center for
Children's Books
"Sáenz is a master at capturing the conversation of teens with each
other and with the adults in their lives."
*Library Media Connection, Recommended*
"This book took my breath away. What gorgeous writing, and what a
story! I loved both these boys. And their parents! Don't we all
wish we had parents like theirs? The ending - and the way it
unfolded - was so satisfying. I could go on and on...suffice it to
say I will be highly recommending it to one and all. I'm sure I'll
reread it myself at some point. I hated having it end."
*James Howe, Author of Addie on the Inside*
"I’m absolutely blown away. This is Saenz's best work by far...It’s
a beautiful story, so beautifully told and so psychologically
acute! Both Ari and Dante are simply great characters who will live
on in my memory. Everything about the book is absolutely pitch
perfect...It’s already my favorite book of the year!"
*Michael Cart, Booklist columnist and YALSA past president*
“Benjamin Alire Saenz is a writer with a sidewinder punch. Spare
sentences connect resonant moments, and then he knocks you down
with emotional truth. The story of Ari and Dante’s friendship
widens and twists like a river, revealing truths about how hard
love is, how family supports us, and how painfully deep you have to
go to uncover an authentic self.”
*Judy Blundell, National Book Award-winning author of What I Saw
and How I Lied*
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