Benjamin Alire Sáenz Books

Both the critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and its highly anticipated sequel Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World in one collectible hardcover boxed set.When Aristotle and Dante met that one summer at their local swimming pool, they had no way of knowing they would change each other’s lives forever. Together, they discover that they share a special bond—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime—and tackle the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.After opening themselves up to love, they must learn what it means to stay in love—and to build their relationship against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s America, in a world that doesn’t seem to want them to exist. To Ari, tragedy feels like his destiny, but can he forge his own path and create a life where he can not only survive, but thrive?This achingly honest boxed set Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the UniverseAristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World

From award-winning poet Benjamin Alire Sáenz comes a haunting novel that explores the cruelties of cultural displacement and the resilience of those affected. The story revolves around two strong-willed individuals forever changed by a single tragedy. After Andés Segovia's parents are killed in a car accident during his childhood, his older brother decides to take the family to Juárez, Mexico, a choice that unravels their American family. Years later, with his family shattered, Andés struggles to make sense of his chaotic life. His journey leads him toward self-destruction, as he grapples with a burden too heavy to bear alone. This frustration manifests as a singular rage, which finds an outlet in a seedy El Paso bar, ultimately leading him to Grace Delgado. Recently faced with her own isolation and mortality, Grace, an unlikely therapist, agrees to help Andés after his arrest. Though initially suspicious of each other, they gradually form a tentative working relationship, allowing them to confront their own fragile pasts. As Andés faces the roots of his violence, Grace begins to understand her role in her own self-exile. What starts as a favor becomes Grace's lifeline, even as secrets surrounding Andés' parents' death threaten their connection. Through precise language and an urgent narrative, Sáenz's work bears witness to the cruelty of circumstance while offering the possibility of salvation.

Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.

Zach is eighteen. He is bright and articulate. He's also an alcoholic and in rehab instead of high school, but he doesn't remember how he got there. He's not sure he wants to remember. Something bad must have happened. Something really, really bad. Remembering sucks and being alive - well, what's up with that? I have it in my head that when we're born, God writes things down on our hearts. See, on some people's hearts he writes Happy and on some people's hearts he writes Sad and on some people's hearts he writes Crazy on some people's hearts he writes Genius and on some people's hearts he writes Angry and on some people's hearts he writes Winner and on some people's hearts he writes Loser. It's all like a game to him. Him. God. And it's all pretty much random. He takes out his pen and starts writing on our blank hearts. When it came to my turn, he wrote Sad. I don't like God very much. Apparently he doesn't like me very much either.

Set against the backdrop of 1970s Hollywood, this vibrant coming-of-age story follows the lives of Sammy and Juliana, two Chicano teenagers navigating friendship, identity, and cultural challenges. The narrative captures the essence of their experiences, blending humor and poignancy as they confront societal expectations and personal dreams. With rich character development and a nostalgic tone, it explores themes of youth, love, and the quest for belonging in a rapidly changing world.

The highly anticipated sequel to the beloved cult classic about family, friendship and first love, from award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

This immensely moving novel confronts divisions of race, gender, and class, fusing together the stories of people who come to recognize one another from former lives they didn't know existed -- or that they tried to forget. Diego, a deaf-mute, is barely surviving on the border in El Paso, Texas. Diego's sister, Helen, who lives with her husband in the posh suburbs of San Francisco, long ago abandoned both her brother and her El Paso roots. Helen's best friend, Lizzie, a nurse in an AIDS ward, begins to uncover her own buried past after a mystical encounter with a patient. With Carry Me Like Water, Benjamin Alire Sáenz unfolds a beautiful story about hope and forgiveness, unexpected reunions, an expanded definition of family, and, ultimately, what happens when the disparate worlds of pain and privilege collide.

Multi-award winning author and poet Benjamin Alire Sáenz's gorgeous teen novel, set on the American border with Mexico, about family and friendship, life and death, and one teen struggling to understand what his adoption does and doesn't mean about who he is.

On the surface, Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove couldn’t live more different lives. Ram is Mexican-American, lives in the poor section of town, and is doing his best to keep his mother sane while his brother fights off a drug-induced coma. Jake is a WASP who drives a nice car, lives in a mansion, and has a mother who drinks a bit too much and a step-father who cheats on her. But there is one point, one issue, where their lives are exactly the same; their fathers walked out on them when they were just young boys. And at this convergence, Ram and Jake see how everything in their lives is just a little bit similar, because they both blame everything that goes wrong on the one thing they actually have in common. A heartfelt novel from an award-winning author.

Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War in 1967, the story follows Gustavo Espejo, the eldest son of a Mexican-American family in El Paso. Faced with a draft notice, he escapes to Mexico, seeking refuge in his grandfather's homeland, despite feeling disconnected from his cultural roots. His decision triggers a chain of events that threatens to unravel the family's already fragile relationships, highlighting themes of identity, belonging, and the impact of war on personal lives.