Heartbroken to Hear of Author’s Passing

I was saddened to read of the passing of Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and its sequel, Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World. He died on July 28 after a long illness.

These two books are remarkable. It’s the story of two boys in the 1980s who develop an awkward friendship and eventually fall in love while navigating through a long-distance relationship, family secrets, racial identity and self-acceptance. The second book continues their exploration. They come out to their friends and family. Tragedy strikes; secrets are revealed. They figure out what will become of their relationship. It is a fantastic journey.

In many ways, Aristotle and Dante were inspirations for Riley and Kendall, the two boys in my novel, The Summer of Falling Stars. They, too, deal with secrets, identity and self-acceptance. My book comes out in a month or so. We are working on selecting a cover, getting the text proofed and formatted, and developing a launch plan. I hope you will enjoy it.