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El Paso author Benjamin Alire S\u00e1enz\u2019s 2014 hit novel Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe<\/i>, received a sequel this past October and is getting a film adaptation as well. The novels, written for young adults, are set in El Paso and details \u201ctwo youths struggling with their sexual and national identities.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Dallas Morning News<\/i><\/a> reports, \u201cthe first Aristotle and Dante novel, published in 2014, has won numerous accolades, including the Stonewall Book Award. This year, Time<\/i> magazine called it one of the best Young Adult books of all time. The film adaptation is underway; its cast includes Eugenio Derbez, Eva Longoria and newcomers Max Pelayo as Aristotle and Reese Gonzales as Dante. The team of producers includes Derbez, Kyra Sedgwick and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also voiced the audiobook versions, including the sequel.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n S\u00e1enz continues about the movie saying, \u201cIt\u2019s a project that\u2019s been in the works for almost six years now. I\u2019m excited because when the director, Aitch Alberto, decided to make this movie about Latinos, we talked about how they always cast anybody but Mexican Americans. So what does she do? She casts all Mexican Americans and one Mexican. Aristotle and Dante are played by newcomers. Eva Longoria, who plays Dante\u2019s mother, is Mexican American. And then we have the one Mexican, Eugenio Derbez, who plays Ari\u2019s father. Kevin Alejandro plays Dante\u2019s father, and Veronica Falc\u00f3n plays Ari\u2019s mother. I love her because I wanted a Latina Anne Bancroft, and Veronica is perfect. Her voice is wonderful. Really rich. It\u2019s all true to the book, and that\u2019s important. That just doesn\u2019t happen very often.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s no wonder that the author\u2019s novel was selected for an adaptation, given the high acclaim it received. S\u00e1enz spoke on dealing with the critical reception of the first Aristotle and Dante novel for Texas Observer<\/i><\/a> saying, \u201cI\u2019m somewhat baffled by the acclaim, somewhat delighted, somewhat embarrassed, and extremely grateful. Many people express to me that all this acclaim is well-deserved. I\u2019m not so sure about that. Maybe it\u2019s like love. I never feel as though I deserve all the love I\u2019ve received throughout my lifetime. Lucky for me, love has nothing to do with the word deserve. Maybe, like love, it\u2019s a gift. When you receive a gift, the only gracious thing to do is say, \u2018Thank you.\u2019 Ari and Dante was that rare book that somehow survived an abysmal sales record and became something of an international sensation. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n How do I handle all the acclaim? By seeing it for what it is. I remind myself that the acclaim is for my book\u2014and not for me. Yes, I\u2019ve worked hard to get to where I am and so have a thousand other writers. And a lot of those writers may well be much better writers than I am. I\u2019ve been writing for 35 years in an industry that can be heartless. And I\u2019m still here. I\u2019ve had some very painful failures and I\u2019ve seen some very dark days. And I\u2019m still here. While it took me a long time to have this kind of success, success and notoriety are not things I am entitled to\u2014it can all be as fleeting as a rainstorm in the desert. At least I have learned who I am. And when all this acclaim fades into memory, I will still be here, reading a poem by a poet I admire and trying to get my little Yorkie, Chuy, to stop chewing on my books.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n