I think it important to thank those who devoted their lives as teachers and educators who are the heart of this and every nation. Their presence in this book is an acknowledgement of the contributions they have made to our society and the difference they have made in our lives. I would like, in particular like to thank the mentors who made me the writer I am today: Ricardo Aguilar, Arturo Islas, Jose Antonio Burciaga, Diane Middlebrook, W. S. DiPiero, and Denise Levertov. I would particularly like to thank Theresa Melendez, who was my mentor when I first started my career. It was she who first encouraged me to become a writer. It was she who believed I had talent and should develop it. She had the kindest heart and the fiercest mind of all of my mentors—and I am grateful that she is still in this world. I don’t believe I have ever given her the credit she deserves in my formation as a man and as a writer. Thank you, Theresa.
I would like to acknowledge the Catholic Daughters of America and the work they do. My mother was a proud member and in including them in my novel, I feel as if I’m honoring her. I would like to acknowledge all the men who fought in Vietnam. And I honor them with their fictional presence in this novel. I would like to honor all those victims of the AIDS pandemic and all those who suffered the loss of those they loved. Like so many others, I lost people I loved including my brother, Donaciano Sanchez, my mentor, Arturo Islas, and a close friend, Norman Campbell Robertson.
I would also like to thank my little dog, Chuy, who is the most wonderous creature. His boundless affection filled my days with his kind and boundless affection. He saw me through many nights of loneliness. I am every day filled with the hope he has given me.
And lastly, I am grateful for the work of a brilliant editor, Kendra Levin, who has elevated her work into an art. She is not only an admirable editor, but an admirable human being. It is an understatement to say that I loved working with her on this book. Her work on this book is anonymous—and I get all the credit. Thank you, Kendra.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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 the recipient of the American Book Award for his books for adults. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe 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. 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.
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ALSO BY BENJAMIN ALIRE SÁENZ
Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
He Forgot to Say Goodbye
Last Night I Sang to the Monster
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
First published in the USA in 2021 by Simon & Schuster BFYR, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York, 10020
Text copyright © 2021 Benjamin Alire Sáenz
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
All rights reserved.
The right of Benjamin Alire Sáenz to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
PB ISBN 978-1-3985-0527-8
eBook ISBN 978-1-3985-0528-5
eAudio ISBN 978-1-3985-0544-5
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.