The first meeting of the Banned Book Club discussed Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. The book is about two teenage boys, Ari and Dante, who meet at a city swimming pool.  Although they are quite different, they become friends who establish a close bond.  Dante is outgoing, confident, and charming with a large circle of friends.  Ari has always been a loner who feels isolated from others and from life in general. Neither of the boys has had a close friend.  The boys differ in their journey of discovery about themselves.  Dante knows he is gay.  Ari has never questioned his sexuality until he meets Dante.  Ari assumes he is straight and is reluctant to admit to himself that he is gay.
 
Twelve people participated in the book group.  The morning and early evening discussions were held on Zoom.  The discussions were lively, interesting and thought-provoking.  Everyone enjoyed reading the book and felt the story was emotionally compelling.  The discussions focused on the relationship between Ari and Dante and their respective relationships with their parents which were quite different.  
 
Although the book club members were interested in continuing to discuss banned books, the Board recently decided to postpone further meetings until after the elections because of the election-related activities in which our League will be involved.