The Inexplicable Logic of My Life
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Description
Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?
'Friendships, family, grief, joy, rage, faith, doubt, poetry, and love – this complex and sensitive book has room for every aspect of growing up!' Margarita Engle, author of The Surrender Tree
‘… another stellar, gentle look into the emotional lives of teens on the cusp of adulthood’ Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe:
‘… a smart, intelligent, engaging coming-of-age story and a deep, thoughtful exploration of identity and sexuality’ The Book Smugglers
‘Meticulous pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the author's gift for affecting prose that illuminates the struggles within relationships’ Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Book Information
Posts
Had high hopes for this and was a bit disappointed because it really didn’t resonate with me at all. I think my main problem with this is the fact that I didn’t really like any of the characters so it was hard for me to care when things were happening to them. Especially Salvador and Sam, I feel like I was supposed to love them and their relationship but I low key felt like they didn’t like each other even though they said they did?? I don’t know. Also that cover SUCKS
Highways are nice and paved, and they have signs telling you which way to go. Life isn’t like that at all. Actual rating: 1,5 stars. However, 2 seem too high. Sally’s grandmother is dying of cancer and he starts punching people. That’s it. That’s the entire book in one sentence. There’s no real plot and it’s completely character driven. Adding to that, I found it to be quite a bit homophobic. Examples: - He leaned on my shoulder and after a while stopped crying. “Hey, people are gonna think I’m gay.” - Fito chooses a dress for Sam: “Hey, you ARE gay!” Yes, because showing emotions and having a sense of fashion is only for gay people. But that wasn’t the only stereotype. Girls are crazy for shoes and Sam thinks all the other girls are bitches, his dad is gay but seems really straight because he plays sports… The writing is boring, repetitive and chopped. Chapter titles are “Me. Dad. Trouble.” Or “Fight. Fists. Shoes.” The dialogues were completely pointless. I think he tried to make their texting sound like real teenagers and it would have worked if the book would take place in the early 00’s. The deaths happened randomly and coincidentally at the same time. Absolutely unrealistic! The book was way too long and I'm glad I finally finished it. I wouldn't re-read it nor would I recommend it.
„I know you sometimes think that people are like books. But our lives don´t have neat logical plots, and we don´t always say beautiful, intelligent things like the characters in a novel. That´s not the way life is.“ (p.116) Funnily enough, this quote sums up the major problem I had with this book because, yes, YOU do. But let me start from the beginning. Don´t get me wrong, this isn´t a bad book. It´s just that, for me, it felt too pretentious. There´s so friggin much babbling going on, which wouldn´t be a problem if it weren´t meant to be a YA novel. Never in my life have I met a teenage boy who talks about life and emotions like that. Then again, Sal is like the first teen ever that has an aversion to the word „fuck“. Like, you´re going around hitting people in the face, but when your best friend who is known and loved for cussing drops the f-bomb, that´s a problem? Gurl… There is a whole lot of this „Bla bla bla poetic metaphor. But life isn´t like this.“ By the 37th time, it was pissing me off. Another thing that bothered me was the writing. There. Are. Too. Many. Sentences. Like. This. Especially the chapter headings were really getting on my nerves. About the things I did like: Diversity: Pretty much all of the characters are of Mexican heritage, there are a couple of gay characters and a good representation of people in different living conditions. I enjoyed the family dynamics. Maybe slightly unrealistic, but they gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Also, the cover is really beautiful. So..I don´t know if I recommend reading this book. If you were a fan of Aristoteles and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe you might enjoy this, but it isn´t nearly as good or touching imo.
》I felt like a bird whose wings were broken but who was still struggling to fly. 《 Salvador Silva's mother died when he was only 3 years old and ever since that day he lives with his loving adoptive gay father and his dog Maggie. He thinks he knows exactly who he is and what he wants until some really unfortunate events force him and his best friends Sam and Fito to question everything they have been so sure of before. Are we ever fully in control of our actions? Is there a logic about life? Why does it hurt to love someone? Does growing up surrounded by bad people make you a bad person? This beautiful, poetic book is all about friendship, family, belonging, grief and hope. It's about the challenges of growing up and the decisions we make in life. I don't think I will ever be able to rate a Sáenz book less than 5 stars ... I shed tears more than once and I am so grateful I got to read this story :)
4.5 Stars... I decided that I want to be more critical when it comes to which books I give 5 stars to but omg.... this book was amazing! Sanez did it again! I'm usually not into character-based books, or at least I thought so because " a little life " is one of my favorite books.. lol... anyways this book was just beautifully done. Would recommend.
Description
Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it’s senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal’s not who he thought he was, who is he?
'Friendships, family, grief, joy, rage, faith, doubt, poetry, and love – this complex and sensitive book has room for every aspect of growing up!' Margarita Engle, author of The Surrender Tree
‘… another stellar, gentle look into the emotional lives of teens on the cusp of adulthood’ Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe:
‘… a smart, intelligent, engaging coming-of-age story and a deep, thoughtful exploration of identity and sexuality’ The Book Smugglers
‘Meticulous pacing and finely nuanced characters underpin the author's gift for affecting prose that illuminates the struggles within relationships’ Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Book Information
Posts
Had high hopes for this and was a bit disappointed because it really didn’t resonate with me at all. I think my main problem with this is the fact that I didn’t really like any of the characters so it was hard for me to care when things were happening to them. Especially Salvador and Sam, I feel like I was supposed to love them and their relationship but I low key felt like they didn’t like each other even though they said they did?? I don’t know. Also that cover SUCKS
Highways are nice and paved, and they have signs telling you which way to go. Life isn’t like that at all. Actual rating: 1,5 stars. However, 2 seem too high. Sally’s grandmother is dying of cancer and he starts punching people. That’s it. That’s the entire book in one sentence. There’s no real plot and it’s completely character driven. Adding to that, I found it to be quite a bit homophobic. Examples: - He leaned on my shoulder and after a while stopped crying. “Hey, people are gonna think I’m gay.” - Fito chooses a dress for Sam: “Hey, you ARE gay!” Yes, because showing emotions and having a sense of fashion is only for gay people. But that wasn’t the only stereotype. Girls are crazy for shoes and Sam thinks all the other girls are bitches, his dad is gay but seems really straight because he plays sports… The writing is boring, repetitive and chopped. Chapter titles are “Me. Dad. Trouble.” Or “Fight. Fists. Shoes.” The dialogues were completely pointless. I think he tried to make their texting sound like real teenagers and it would have worked if the book would take place in the early 00’s. The deaths happened randomly and coincidentally at the same time. Absolutely unrealistic! The book was way too long and I'm glad I finally finished it. I wouldn't re-read it nor would I recommend it.
„I know you sometimes think that people are like books. But our lives don´t have neat logical plots, and we don´t always say beautiful, intelligent things like the characters in a novel. That´s not the way life is.“ (p.116) Funnily enough, this quote sums up the major problem I had with this book because, yes, YOU do. But let me start from the beginning. Don´t get me wrong, this isn´t a bad book. It´s just that, for me, it felt too pretentious. There´s so friggin much babbling going on, which wouldn´t be a problem if it weren´t meant to be a YA novel. Never in my life have I met a teenage boy who talks about life and emotions like that. Then again, Sal is like the first teen ever that has an aversion to the word „fuck“. Like, you´re going around hitting people in the face, but when your best friend who is known and loved for cussing drops the f-bomb, that´s a problem? Gurl… There is a whole lot of this „Bla bla bla poetic metaphor. But life isn´t like this.“ By the 37th time, it was pissing me off. Another thing that bothered me was the writing. There. Are. Too. Many. Sentences. Like. This. Especially the chapter headings were really getting on my nerves. About the things I did like: Diversity: Pretty much all of the characters are of Mexican heritage, there are a couple of gay characters and a good representation of people in different living conditions. I enjoyed the family dynamics. Maybe slightly unrealistic, but they gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Also, the cover is really beautiful. So..I don´t know if I recommend reading this book. If you were a fan of Aristoteles and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe you might enjoy this, but it isn´t nearly as good or touching imo.
》I felt like a bird whose wings were broken but who was still struggling to fly. 《 Salvador Silva's mother died when he was only 3 years old and ever since that day he lives with his loving adoptive gay father and his dog Maggie. He thinks he knows exactly who he is and what he wants until some really unfortunate events force him and his best friends Sam and Fito to question everything they have been so sure of before. Are we ever fully in control of our actions? Is there a logic about life? Why does it hurt to love someone? Does growing up surrounded by bad people make you a bad person? This beautiful, poetic book is all about friendship, family, belonging, grief and hope. It's about the challenges of growing up and the decisions we make in life. I don't think I will ever be able to rate a Sáenz book less than 5 stars ... I shed tears more than once and I am so grateful I got to read this story :)
4.5 Stars... I decided that I want to be more critical when it comes to which books I give 5 stars to but omg.... this book was amazing! Sanez did it again! I'm usually not into character-based books, or at least I thought so because " a little life " is one of my favorite books.. lol... anyways this book was just beautifully done. Would recommend.