Aristotle lives in El Paso, Texas, in Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s young-adult novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.
Aristotle Mendoza is a Mexican-American teenager growing up in El Paso when he meets Dante Quintana at a swimming pool. Their friendship develops through long conversations, shared discoveries, and periods of separation. The border-city setting is central to Aristotle’s family life and to the novel’s exploration of identity, masculinity, culture, and belonging.
The novel was published in 2012 and is set in the 1980s. Sáenz uses Aristotle’s first-person narration to show his uncertainty about his parents, his imprisoned older brother, and his own emotions. Dante’s family provides a contrasting home environment that helps Aristotle reconsider what he believes about himself.
A common mistake is to place the story in Mexico because the characters are Mexican American and the border is important. Aristotle’s home, however, is El Paso, Texas. The sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World, was published in 2021 and continues their story.