Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Darius the Great #1

by Adib Khorram

Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran.

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming—especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understands that sometimes, best friends don't have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he's spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline.

Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab. When it's time to go home to America, he'll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT, Fiction, Mental Health, Queer, Audiobook

316 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2018

About the author

ADIB KHORRAM is the author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, which earned the William C. Morris Debut Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor, as well as a multitude of other honors and accolades. His followup, DARIUS THE GREAT DESERVES BETTER, received three starred reviews, was an Indie Bestseller, and received a Stonewall Honor. His debut picture book, SEVEN SPECIAL SOMETHINGS: A NOWRUZ STORY was released in 2021. When he isn’t writing, you can find him learning to do a Lutz jump, practicing his handstands, or steeping a cup of oolong. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where people don’t usually talk about themselves in the third person. You can find him on Twitter (@adibkhorram), Instagram (@adibkhorram), or on the web at adibkhorram.com.

Reviews

[Kai Spellmeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Suicide isn't the only way you can lose someone to depression."

Darius the Great Is Not Okay and neither am I.

I will rave about this book. A lot. I have so many good things to say about it that I need to gather my thoughts before I can write a coherent review. This book took my heart by storm. It made me sad and happy and also very hungry.
When I started this book, I knew that I would get emotional. With some books, you just know. The tension started building up and I could feel the tears pricking my eyes. They were impatiently waiting to be released, and during the last chapters of the book, the dam broke, and I was a complete and utter mess.
I would not say this is a sad book. At least not in the tragic and heartbreaking way that Adam Silvera is known for. More in the silent and nostalgic way of Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Sometimes life is ugly and beautiful at the same time, and Adib Khorram wonderfully captured this feeling.

Darius has an American father (though I did have a feeling that there might be some German roots) and a Persian mother. He loves Star Trek and The Lord of the Rings but not as much as he loves his 8-year-old sister Laleh. At school, he is the weird, chubby loner, who falls victim to his classmates' jokes. And he has to take his medicine every day, or his depression will get out of hand. For all of his life, his Persian grandparents have only ever been pixels on a computer screen, but now he and his whole family are going to visit them in Yazd, Iran for the first time in his life. The only downside is that his grandfather, his Babou, suffers a brain tumour and does not have much time left.

This is where I fell in love with Yazd, with Persepolis, with Persian food and culture. We need diverse books because they help us discover a world that is more than just our own four walls. We need diverse books because they teach us tolerance, acceptance and love. I needed this book, because I had never before read a story set in Iran. I never knew that I wanted to taste Quottab, a deep-fried, almond-filled pastry, or Faludeh, a sorbet-like dessert served with rose water syrup. I want to go visit Yazd, I want to see Persepolis and learn about the historic Darius the Great. I loved how elegantly the author teaches the reader about Persian culture and life in Iran.

The only thing I could criticise would be Darius himself, but that would be cruel. Some people might say that they got annoyed with his inability to start a sentence without an Uh, but I think it simply transmits his shyness and awkwardness around people, especially around people he loves. You also have to keep in mind that Darius has been struggling with depression for years. He fears that he will disappoint everyone around him, especially his father, and he often feels inadequate and unwanted. I think this is something many teenagers and adults can identify with, which is what makes Darius so relatable.

Another aspect that I enjoyed was that the author did not spell everything out. When authors explain each and every detail of their story, when they reveal every secret and leave no room for my own imagination, it often kills the story for me. Books that leave me to wonder and ponder are the ones that stick with me the longest. Darius life does not start and end with this book. There is room for more. There is actually a lot of potential for a sequel that would maybe explore Darius future, his friendship with Sohrab, and also his sexuality.

One more thing: Darius father has two mum's, and the fact that this is portrayed in a basically off-hand way like it is the most normal thing in the world, makes me want to wave rainbow flags and throw glitter. Which defeats the cause, I know.

What I want to say is, read this book. I hope you will love it as much as I did.

Thank you to Penguin Random House International and NetGalley for providing me with an uncorrected eGalley!

Find more of my books on Instagram

[may ➹ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s okay not to be okay.”

The first thing you should know about Darius the Great is Not Okay is that it actually made me cry (which doesn’t happen frequently). It was hilarious, and heartbreaking, and gorgeous. I saw so much of myself in Darius, and each time I put the book down I just wanted to pick it back up and read more.

This book is about a boy named Darius, who has never really been in touch with his Persian identity until visiting Iran—and his family—for the first time. It’s about family and friendship and mental health and learning to be okay with not being okay. It’s about finding who you are and making connections with other people and it’s just overall a beautiful story about a boy coming to terms with himself.

This book quite character-driven, as it’s focused on Darius’ development, and I REALLY loved it. Darius is such a sweet, lovable character, and you can’t help but get attached to him and root for him throughout the book. What he feels, you feel (and I lowkey almost hate that because I ENDED UP CRYING).

The writing is super easy to read, enjoyable, and engaging. Darius’ voice is really hilarious (and almost reminds me a little of Alice Oseman’s writing style? which is a huge compliment) and I felt compelled to pick the book back up right after I put it down.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the depression representation, which was… absolutely amazing. Granted, I haven’t seen a LOT of depression rep in books, but this is definitely one of the best representations I’ve read.

While it didn’t capture my experience exactly, it did highlight just exactly how depression can turn you against yourself without you realizing it, and how it’s okay to not be okay. One of my favorite things about the rep is that it shows the “subtlety” (if you could call it that) of depression. Sometimes it’s not a huge thing looming over you; sometimes it’s just a collection of moments that build up until you can’t take it anymore.

No one had ever made me feel like it was okay to cry. Or bumped shoulders with me and made me smile.

Also, so many struggles with his Persian identity were struggles I could relate to, though of course with my Thai identity. There are really specific connections to my own family, but there were also more general ones, like not being able to communicate as much with grandparents, or feeling awkward with them, or not knowing things about your culture that you feel you should already know.

Another of my favorite aspects of this book was how it explored the themes of family and friendship. Family was SO important in this book, especially since it’s directly connected to him getting in touch with his Persian identity, and it’s really beautiful to see him bond with these people he’d only ever been able to see on Skype.

And while Darius does get to know his grandparents and aunts and uncles, he ends up also growing closer to his dad, who he hasn’t been on really good terms with. It was honestly so beautiful to see their relationship developing, especially because they also talked about depression (which his dad has as well!).

And finally, about friendship… The friendship that rose between Darius and Sohrab was SO GOOD. I’d originally thought this was an m/m romance between the two of them, but it wasn’t, and I’m kind of glad? Because 1) it emphasizes that queer people don’t have to be in a relationship to be queer or queer enough and 2) FRIENDSHIP IS SO IMPORTANT.

Sohrab is really Darius’ first friend, since he never really fit in at school and always got bullied, and he helps Darius realize that who he is is okay, that the different parts of himself aren’t bad or things to be insulted. And it was just so beautiful to see these two soft boys BE SO SUPPORTIVE of each other and I loved it.

“Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here.”

At this point, I truly have no idea what else I can say to make you read this book besides this: IT MADE ME CRY. I mean, crying has been happening more often with books now, but it’s still not a common thing and that should tell you just how emotionally powerful this book is!!!!

READ THIS BOOK. PLEASE. It is just a beautiful story that will stay with me for a long time, and I think it will be an unforgettable book for a lot of people.

“You okay, son?”
“Yeah, Dad,” I said.
I took a long, slow sip of my tea.
“I’m great.”

:: rep :: fat biracial Persian (Iranian, white) gay MC with depression, major Persian (Iranian) Baha’i side character, major side character with depression, multiple Persian (Iranian) side characters
:: content warnings :: depression, racist comments (challenged), fatphobic comments (challenged), comments criticizing depression (challenged)

Thank you to Penguin Random House for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for a spot on the blog tour and promotion of the book!

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this one was excellent! The author did a fantastic job at depicting the trials of depression. I remember the descriptions of food standing out to me in particular. (lol) The father - son relationship was super fascinating to me and I loved exploring how complex it was.

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read 8/11/20: I loved this book even more the second time around and am actually raising my rating from a 4 to a 5. This book is incredible and if you haven't read it yet YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO. I am so glad that I have an arc of Darius the Great Deserves Better so that I can dive in IMMEDIATELY!

Original read 8/28/18: WOW OKAY I liked this a heckin’ ton. This is the first book I’ve ever read with an Iranian main character and I learned so many things about the culture that I never knew before. It was also just really well written and I will without a doubt read everything Khorram publishes in the future. So good!

TW: depression, fatphobia, disordered eating, racism, racist slurs, suicidal thoughts, terminal illness

[chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book of the Reading Rush complete!

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

***the sequel is calling me***

All those tears and all.

This book talks about so many things: the representation of mental health (depression, therapy, stigma and the discrimination towards it), multicultural representation, the Persian culture and tradition; food and tea love; family and friendship; the sibling dynamics; and yes, also handling bullying, body shaming; coming of age representation. It also shows how a family copes with a member suffering with brain cancer. It also deals with identity and belongingness.

I got super attached to all the characters! There's nothing like ten other side characters. Every character is my family now. The good, the bad and the damn fathers. Father issues. Lots of it here.

This book gave me a lot more than what I had expected.


I cried buckets and buckets starting from page 2.

A good book is always a good book no matter what.

My heart is still burning....



Book memory: I hid the book under my pillows when there were only 10 pages left because I wasn't ready to get done with it so soon.
Yes, NCT 127, ATEEZ, MCND, BTS helped me calm down in about 40 minutes and then I was able to finish reading it up.


"My face was experiencing some extreme thermal flux of its own."

Hahahah!!! This author made me laugh out loud and cry at the same time.

[Larry H · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, rounded up.

What an enjoyable, sweet, and special book!

"What kind of name is Darius Grover Kellner? It was like I was destined to be a target."

Darius Kellner calls himself a "Fractional Persian"—his mother is Persian, and he refers to his blonde, Teutonic father as the Übermensch. But he feels like he doesn't quite fit into either world. He looks like his mother but never really learned to speak Farsi (although his younger sister did), and while he and his father share a love of Star Trek , it seems like mostly Darius disappoints his father, because he's not more athletic, not in better shape, not the Übermensch-in-training he knows his father wants.

The other thing that Darius and his father share is depression, although both manage it through medication. But when Darius gets sad when the more popular kids in high school (aka the "Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy") pick on him or play pranks with him as the subject, when his father disapproves of Darius' in-depth interest in fancy teas (not the factory-made stuff he sells at his part-time job), or when his father criticizes his hair or his eating habits, it seems like his father forgets that Darius has the same problem, which depresses him even further.

But when his family heads to Iran to visit Darius' grandparents (his first trip to his ancestral home), he hopes that things will be different. While he absolutely loves spending time with his grandmother, he feels ill-at-ease around his grandfather, who is terminally ill. He feels his grandfather looks at him as disapprovingly as his father, especially when he learns Darius takes medicine for depression. Plus, he doesn't speak Farsi, and his younger sister has no problem communicating with everyone.

Everything changes when Darius meets Sohrab, the son of friends of his grandparents. With Sohrab, Darius plays soccer (and enjoys it for the first time), visits various historical landmarks and tourist attractions in the area, and learns about both his heritage and his grandparents, who have been a part of Sohrab's life as long as he can remember. More than that, however, Darius finds he can confide in Sohrab and share the things that sadden him or cause him to feel inadequate, and he knows not only does Sohrab listen, but he identifies with the feelings as well.

"The thing is, I never had a friend like Sohrab before. One who understood me without even trying. Who knew what it was like to be stuck on the outside because of one little thing that set you apart."

Darius the Great Is Not Okay is a book about feeling like you don't fit in, and how good it feels when you finally click with someone who helps you realize your self-worth. It's about the assumptions we make which cause us emotional pain, and how if we only expressed our feelings, we'd save ourselves so much anxiety. It's also a book about what it's like to live with depression, and how it can impact everything we do and feel, as well as our relationships.

This is such a special book. It is so full of heart and the characters are so memorable. I was utterly hooked on this book from start to finish, and unbelievably, read the entire book in one day (and I worked, too). Adib Khorram does such a fantastic job telling a simple yet poignant, rich story, and he makes you feel the same emotions the characters do. I enjoyed this book so much I am willing to overlook my one pet peeve, which is that nearly every sentence Darius said started with, "Um." I know this is probably accurate for teenage boys, but it got a little monotonous after a while.

I love books that leave me with a smile on my face. Darius the Great Is Not Okay is definitely one of those. I can't wait to see what's next for Khorram—if this is what he did in his debut, the sky's the limit!

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com, or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2017.html.

[len ❀ [ia bc of school] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the quiet. Even if it sometimes made me think of sad things. Like whether anyone would miss me if I was dead. I sipped my tea and breathed in the jasmine and wondered if anyone would be sad if I was killed in a car accident or something. That’s normal. Right?

I have a confession to make: adult romance burns me out.

It’s pretty easy for me to find an enjoyable enough (3-stars) book that, while it won’t stick with me for the long run, it did the job of providing entertainment and making me forget the world around me for a little bit. I don’t avoid books specifically (some authors, yes, for reasons), but the overall execution is what matters. Regardless, of course, my common criticisms are common for a reason. I’m not gonna get really in-depth about this. All I wanna say is that I love the genre a lot, but always reading the same things or being disappointed for the same reasons over and over again gets tiring. And sure, it’s my fault for how my reading tastes are and how I analyze the books, but that’s how reading is—there has never been a time when everybody has felt the same about a book. Reading is subjective, and that’s the beauty of it.

That’s why I turn to YA sometimes, and even then, sometimes I just wanna read about characters facing different challenges without romance being at the forefront or a theme at all. Instead, we see them deal with their personal problems in different ways, challenging each other individually, and taking down the obstacles in their ways, without worrying about something like a relationship and having petty misunderstandings. That’s why I turned to Darius the Great Is Not Okay—because I still wanted a queer fictional story, so I found one of a teenage boy allowing us to follow his journey. And his journey was an emotional one, full of self-doubt, bullying, insecurities, mental health struggles, family issues, fitting in, adjustment, cultural shocks, and most of all, finding new love in your own people.

Darius is an incredible narrator and protagonist. He’s a teenager dealing with a couple issues at his high school, including the traditional ones many face, like bullying, teasing, racism/discrimination, insecurity, mental health (specifically depression), and family issues. Darius’ depression is a core theme of the novel, and we see him face it every day in different ways. Not only is this an OwnVoices in how the author also has depression, but it shows how different it is for everyone. We witness Darius have an internal struggle with himself and his family leading to unfortunate thoughts. For most of the time, Darius doesn’t really know how to cope, at least not directly. He simply keeps going until he feels like he no longer can, and it all leads to him almost facing difficult dilemmas. Mental health isn’t always visible, and Darius’ is only one example of it. The author really shows the emotional turmoil Darius faces throughout almost the entire novel. Even during moments of happiness, Darius goes back to struggling. There are a lot of heartbreaking scenes, but one that really stuck with me is when Darius thinks he’s being selfish because he didn’t want to share Star Trek with his sister, because that was his time with his father.

Allow me to be a little personal here.

This reminded me of a time I traveled to another state to go to a concert with a friend. We had planned it all, so everything was looking good until plans had to change. The day I arrived, everything was fine–we hung out as much as we were able to, walking downtown, laughing until 3 am, and hanging around the city. The next day, the day of the show, she calls me in the morning and tells me she got in a car accident. The first thing I felt was anger. Anger at herself for getting in that. Then I reflected on that, and felt scared for her, and hoped she was okay, telling her to call me or update me as soon as she can. I wasn’t able to do much, being in my hotel and not having a car, but I really was only a phone call away. Hours later passed, and I knew we would not be able to go to the show anymore. I didn’t feel comfortable going alone, and I didn’t want to pay so much for a lift, so I stayed in the hotel. All day. I cried so much, and I hated my friend at that moment. I was so mad at her.

I felt so selfish.

Selfish because I only thought about myself when my friend was dealing with a car crash. I felt selfish because I was thinking about my money while my friend had to worry about hers to deal with the insurance and everything else. I felt selfish because she could have gotten really hurt and I was over here crying because I couldn’t go to a show.

But I also reflected on it, and I realized I felt that way because I’m only human, and unfortunately my emotions got the best of me then and there. It made it worse because she told me we were still going to be able to go to the concert, so I got my hopes up and only thought the best. Hours kept passing, and I had to call a friend on FaceTime to vent how I was feeling because I couldn’t stand the silence of not knowing how my friend was.

More stuff happened. Time passed. I’m not goint to go in full detail about this. What I’m trying to say here is that: Sometimes selfishness is necessary. It’s selfishness for a reason. We use what we can to get over ourselves, to let our emotions go. I don’t think selfishness always means a bad thing. I think it really depends. We’re all human, and we’re all egotistic in some ways, and we all have some sort of greed. It doesn’t mean we’re all narcissistic, or that we all only care about ourselves. I just think feeling a certain way in that specific moment is valid, and as long as we reflect on how and why we felt the way we did, I don’t think it’s going to make us the villain forever. I reflected on how I felt later, when my friend texted me three days later as I was in another state to see that same band I was gonna see with her but with another friend (I saw the artist two times, although three times was the original plan–once in Colorado, then Kansas, and then Ohio. If you live in the U.S., you’ll know). We text again now, and she’s really the one who reached out. I admitted to her how I felt. I didn’t wanna hide it from her, but I didn’t know how to tell her about it. Some shitty things happened, but fortunately all is good now. We text and talk as we always did before, and we’re back to being close like before. There was a small break we went through, but I think it was necessary. It doesn’t mean we stopped being friends, but I was still upset with what happened, while also being worried about her.

This is a personal reflection, but I thought about that day and night as I was reading about Darius feeling selfish. I don’t think he’s a bad person for the way he felt. I loved that he acknowledged it anyway, and he reflected on how he felt, but I thought his feelings were completely valid. He had something with his dad, and he felt like it was stolen from him, especially since it was a thing between them. As he said, it was a time for them to be son and father. In fact, personally, I felt bad for Darius, and I hated how his dad didn’t see the issue with it. You can really see how Darius struggles with his relationship with his dad, but his depression as a whole. I thought the author wrote it incredibly well, especially on a surface level, because we really get to see the invisibility of the illness, despite it being something Darius has been struggling with for a while. It consumes the reader, just as it consumes Darius, showing the intricate difficulties of mental health. It affects his every day thoughts, makes him feel less worthy of himself, and even makes him grieve his past life.

“You’re okay,” he murmured.
“No. I’m not.”
“I know.” He rubbed my back up and down. “It’s okay not to be okay.”

The author also dives into the complex relationship between an individual and their connection to their culture. In this case, Darius struggles with his connection to his roots and ancestry. He’s half Persian, but he never learned Farsi completely, so his vocabulary is lacking and he can only understand some words. Even though I’m not Iranian, the story doesn’t focus on what or who Iranians are as a whole, but instead who Darius and his family are. I appreciated this route, as it allows the author to not only still add his personal connection to it, him being Iranian-American, but there’s really no room for stereotypes or false beliefs of what Iranians are set to be. I can’t comment on anything related to religion, language, and even places, but I will comment on how realistic the portrayal of Darius feeling not Persian enough. It’s authentic and heartbreaking, as he wanders two different worlds that don’t exactly accept him—he’s not Persian enough for his family in Iran, and he’s not American enough because of his Iranian background. This is so common for children of immigrants (even something I still face), and it goes to show how conflicted children can feel. Darius is stuck on both sides, unknown to the unjust conflict he has to face for being one and one. I didn’t think this story would make me cry, so I was surprised a little when I sobbed uncontrollably for 20 pages straight (for anyone curious, I read the hardcover version of this so the pages were 275-300). I always have to give it to the authors for being able to write such poignant scenes. Touching, moving, powerful, heartbreaking—you name any adjective and synonym related to poignant, and that’s how I felt.

I was a big fan of the friendship between Darius and Sohrab. Sohrab was born and raised in Iran, and is kind of like a family member. He becomes Darius’s best friend, and their friendship grows as Sohrab invites Darius to play soccer together, shows him a little of Yazd, shows him new cultural aspects, listens to Darius when he’s upset, and go to each other’s houses. Their friendship is in innocent, full of a couple firsts for Darius, since he’s never really had a friend like Sohrab. They share differences yet get along well. Their fights are realistic for teenagers, yet are solved maturely. They learn from their past, move forward, and let it go. I loved how close they became, to the point where Sohrab was able to read Darius well. He’s friendly and gets along with everyone, but he understands Darius on another level. He’s caring, respectful, and understanding, never showing a sign of impatience or annoyance with Darius. He also never made Darius feel like he wasn’t Persian enough or that he [Sohrab] was more Persian than Darius.

“Darioush. You remember what I told you? Your place was empty?”
“Yeah.”
“Your place was empty for me too,” he said. “I never had a friend either.”

There is nothing but platonic love between them, even though we slowly see Darius get certain reactions from Sohrab, but nothing is ever done. While the story is marketed as LGBTQ+, this is not a romance, and it’s better that way. Darius’ sexual orientation is never clarified in this installment, but we get an idea of who he is through his interaction with Sohrab that get him to feel different things at certain times. Regardless, there’s never any implication of anything. Please do not read this thinking it has romance or a love story when that has no relevance to the story.

Since the story is a coming-of-age story, Darius’ development takes time. There are a lot of ups and downs he goes through, both mentally and physically, showcasing a difficult situation that requires patience and time. Throughout his time in Iran, he comes face to face with more complexities. He doesn’t think he’s enough for his father, he hates how he’s not Persian enough, he has just made his first (actual) friend, bullies also exist in Iran just like they do in Portland, his mother is slowly grieving, and he’s unsure about his relationship with his grandparents. The portrayal of it all is raw with emotion, as Darius faces a journey of coming to love his background and become curious about it, as well as not understanding why he can’t be enough. He faces a dilemma that he still hasn’t solved when the story ends, but the progression he made shows his character growing. He’s getting used to having a best friend, his relationship with his dad isn’t as strained, and he’s facing new challenges in his life he’s working to overcome.

The writing is sharp yet robotic. I think this is a strong key point of the novel, as it makes the tone of it much more interesting. With Darius having depression and mental health being at the center of his role, the relationship between him and the writing is vivid. It’s not colorful nor colorless—it’s melodic but a little mechanical as well, which I thought made sense since the tone isn’t exactly on the optimistic side. It felt fitting; sharp to create emotion but robotic to show the exhaustion. It’s easy to read yet sometimes difficult to get through. Every statement is full of emotion, whether negative or positive, and carries with it the same weight Darius is holding.

The story of Darius is only one example of why I still read YA and want to go back to reading these kinds of stories. With powerful and necessary themes surrounding the story, Darius the Great Is Not Okay delves deep into mental health, new friendships, and the embracement of your ancestral roots.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A solid YA novel I would recommend to fans of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda . Darius the Great Is Not Okay did not blow me away, but I appreciated several parts of it, in particular its emphasis on Persian/Iranian culture, its careful portrayal of depression, and its focus on friendship. With the awful current political climate, Adib Khorram's rendering of Iran felt like a much needed respite from the racist and problematic images we receive from mainstream media. Khorram's depiction of Darius's depression felt intentional and authentic too, such as how we see him struggle with excessive rumination right on the page. Finally, I liked the friendship between Darius and Sohrab. So rarely we do get to see soft, tender friendships between two young men, especially one that does not turn explicitly romantic, so I found their connection wonderful.

Similar to how I felt about Simon, I wanted more depth from this novel. While I liked Darius and Sohrab's frienship, I felt like their conversations could have been longer, or more disclosing even. Sohran has an immense impact on Darius, so I wished for more content to explain that impact, beyond basic validation and vulnerability (see the relationship in Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe for an example, supported by beautiful writing too.) I also wanted more depth from Darius's relationship with his dad. While their relationship had nicely written tension throughout the book, the one scene that resolved that tension felt too neat - I wanted more content that addressed masculinity, intricate father and son dynamics, or how mental illness can make us mean to the people we love.

Despite these qualms, I still liked this novel and would recommend it tot those intrigued by its synopsis. While the book did not move my heart too much, it makes a nice addition to the YA genre.

[Corey · Rating 1 out of 5]

As I've gotten older, I've developed a curiosity about/longing for connection to my Persian heritage that I didn't have as a younger person. I couldn't tell you where exactly this sudden interest came from, but I have lately found myself following the news about Iran, and asking my grandparents about the old country, and, of course, reading a lot of novels by Iranian-American authors.

What I'm trying to say, in short, is that I was primed to like this book. I'd heard about it months ago, when the author was awarded a six-figure advance by Dial, and when my girlfriend managed to get her hands on a galley*, I dove into it almost right away.

But the book, unfortunately, is bad. And not, mind you, bad in a failed-to-meet-expectations way (it's bad in that way too, but more to the point), but bad in a "show-don't-tell," Creative Writing 101 way.

DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib Khorram follows the story of Darius, a teenager living in Washington state, born to an Iranian mother and a white father. Darius is a self-identified Treckie, and in stereotypically Treckie fashion, falls prey to the usual social pitfalls: he's picked on by his classmates in school, he has a difficult time making friends, and he is frustrated over and over by his own inability to read (as he refers to them with annoying frequency) "Social Cues"**.

The first third of the book is spent establishing Darius' social ineptitude, and of course, his Persianness. And here enters one of the author's greatest failings in this novel: it's as though instead of building a convincing, three-dimensional character by perfecting a voice and ascribing to that character compelling idiosyncrasies, and establishing the character's nuanced worldview, Khorram has seen fit to simply make the character Persian.

Indeed, the most interesting thing about Darius is that he's Persian. His obsession with tea, his longing to learn Farsi, his takes on Nowruz and Persian cuisine... such are the dubious foundations on which Darius is constructed. Take away the Persianness, and who is Darius? Well, for an idea, let's take a look at a typical conversation had by Darius and another character:

"Did you have a nice time, maman?" [My grandmother asked me]

"Yeah. Um. Babou showed me Darius the first."

"Where your name came from."

I nodded.

"I wish you had seen it sooner. I wish you lived here."

"Really?"

"Yes, of course. I miss you. And I wish you could know your family history better. You know, for Yazdis, family history is very important."

"Um."***

Without his Persianness, in other words, Darius is a socially isolated, monosyllabic, and not-very-well-defined character. Which is not only a writerly failing on Khorram's part, but somewhat sociopolitically problematic. I am, on the one hand, cheered by the proliferation of Iranian-American literature since the advent of the Trump era, and on the other hand, a little concerned by the commoditization and solidification of the Iranian-American identity, of which Khorram seems guilty here****.

With his Persian identity and his extreme social awkwardness established, then, it is quickly learned that Darius' grandfather (still living in Iran) has a terminal brain tumor and is quickly approaching the end of his life. In the span of 20 or so pages, Darius' mother decides to take the family to her hometown of Yazd for a week, so that the children can meet their grandfather before he passes.

This potentially rich and moving plotline, however, turns out to be a McGuffin for the real story at the heart of DARIUS THE GREAT, in which Darius finally finds a friend in Sohrab, his grandfather's neighbor's child. Sohrab is a charming, athletic boy around Darius' age, with a winning smile (repeatedly referred to as a "squint"). Sohrab is nonetheless socially outcast due to local prejudice against Bahá'ís as well as the fact that his father was taken political prisoner during the Green Revolution protests that took place several years before the novel is set.

After a meet-cute involving a post-soccer-game shower*****, Sohrab and Darius find themselves "joined at the shoulder," and (without any spoilers), the most probable narrative arc unfolds from there: there are confidences, moments of adorable whimsy, fights and reconciliations. In other words, not exactly the kind of stakes that are going to blow anyone away.

The novel is, in short, a fluff piece, easy to read and easy to forget. Which might be fine if the prose wasn't so clumsy and poorly composed. See, for instance, Khorram's habit of using unnecessary line breaks to make overly simple thoughts sound profound******. Or the annoying repetition of certain phrases, which are again presumably supposed to make up for the lack of work done to characterize Darius (see especially, "That's normal./Right?" and "Soulless Minions of Orthdoxy," which is how Darius refers to bullies and is amusing the first time but less so the two-dozenth time).

Again, it's not that the book is bad relative to other published novels. It's that the book is so bad, it's difficult to understand how exactly it got published in the first place. It's repetitive and clumsily written and, despite the large font size and generous spacing of the physical text, somehow a chore to read--it took me weeks to get through this. And moreover, there's a hollowness and empty sentimentality at the novel's core that not only fails to make any meaning of the Persian-American experience, but makes the reader feel kind of sad and betrayed at the hands of Khorram.

So, if you're looking for a good Persian-American novel in this age of American hostility towards Middle Easterners, might I direct you to Porochista Khakpour's brilliant Sons and Other Flammable Objects?





*A request is made at the beginning of the galley to note somewhere in any reviews of the book that my copy was an uncorrected proof, so consider that noted.

**Darius spends so much time thinking about whether certain utterances or actions of those around him are "Social Cues" (capitalization sic), that the reader occasionally wonders whether or not Darius is on the Spectrum, but there's no definitive evidence one way or the other. (Likely, it's simply a failure of Khorram's to develop Darius' voice: in general, one of the things that irked me about the book is the way Khoram totally failed to nail the voice of the contemporary American teenager. Darius is supposed to be about 14 or 15, but he often comes off sounding about three or four years younger).

***Not to harp on the possible-autism thing, but Darius is more or less this non-verbal throughout the novel, again making one wonder...

****Not to mention the slightly offensive and patronizing attitude of the publishing industry through all of it; I very much doubt this novel would have earned its six-figure advance had the 2016 US Presidential election turned out differently.

*****Another thing that's left frustratingly opaque is the homoerotic tension between Darius and Sohrab. It's never said explicitly that Darius is queer, but there are a few heavily suggestive moments. There is, for instance, the aforementioned shower scene, in which Sohrab and a few other boys make fun of Darius' uncircumcised penis. This is in addition to the curious frequency with which S and D get touchy-feely with each other (Sohrab is perpetually putting his arm around Darius' shoulder) and the endless physical descriptions of Sohrab related to the reader by Darius (e.g., "He was kicking his soccer ball around... barefoot and shirtless. Sweat plastered his short hair to his temples, and the nape of his neck.") And finally, there's a "resources" page at the end of the novel, directing readers to organizations like The Trevor Project and The Trans Lifeline... Khoram might have been able to pull off this ambiguity (again, not un-problematic, considering the perils of being queer in Iran's Islamic Republic) had the rest of the novel contained any kind of nuance. DARIUS, though, is otherwise as subtle as a seizure.

*****Literally thumbing through the book at random here, e.g.: "He felt safe with me/Maybe that's the thing I liked about Sohrab best of all," "Mom was calling me by my Iranian name/I wished she would make up her mind,"That night, Dad didn't tell me he loved me/I didn't tell him either."

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m on BookTube now! =)

For Fariba Bahrami, love was an opportunity, not a burden.
I swallowed away the lump in my throat. “I love you, Mamou.”

trigger warnings: depression, racist comments, bullying, grief, fatphobic comments , comments criticizing depression

I thought long and hard about how to start my review of “Darius the Great Is Not Okay” because it’s not easy to put everything I thought and felt into words. It’s actually pretty challenging but I’ll try to do it anyway because I really enjoyed this book and had a great, interesting, educational or all of the above(?) time with this story. I guess you can already see that I’m struggling to put my reading experience into words and this is mostly due to the fact that Adib Khorram addressed so many important topics in this book yet still managed to pull it off somehow. I think if you’re set on it you could describe the story with one sentence: Darius visits his Persian grandparents in Iran and makes a friend named Sohrab. But what this sentence won’t be able to convey are all the different layers this story actually entails.

”Did you ever think that you wouldn’t get picked on so much if you weren’t so...”
Dad worked his jaw back and forth.
“So what, Dad?”
But he didn’t answer. What could he possibly say?

One of the main topics in this coming-of-age novel is definitely the rocky relationship between Darius and his dad Stephen Kellner. The mere fact our MC always thinks of his father as the Übermensch and even uses his full name instead of just “dad” gives the reader a very good impression of how distant those two actually are. It really made me extremely sad to read about their interactions and to see how Darius’s dad didn’t get that he was hurting his son with every single word he uttered and with every action he took. The worst thing about their situation is that as a reader you get that Stephen only wants to protect his son from harm but apparently is incapable of telling Darius how he feels. Those two are clearly not the best at communicating and this leads to a lot of hurtful moments and misunderstandings between Darius and his father. Though admittedly some of the things like Stephen’s constant criticism of Darius’s weight clearly were no misunderstanding and only added to their already existing tensions.

”Maybe Dad was right. Maybe I would always be a target.
Even for things I couldn’t help. Like being from America. Like having a foreskin.
Those things were normal back home, but not in Iran.
I would never fit in. Not anywhere.”

Another theme of this book is the bullying Darius is subjected to at home and even in Iran. In America there’s a boy named Trent Bolger who’s a bully and makes his life even harder than it is and in Iran there are two boys Sohrab and Darius play football with that pick on him at first. Add to that Darius’s constant feeling of being in the middle of two cultures and not belonging to either of them and you can see that Adib Khorram truly did his best to tackle a lot of serious topics. The interesting thing is that they all complete each other and work together so well. Darius exploring his roots and identity as a Persian who lives in America are at least as vital to his development as him spending some time with his grandparents and the rest of his family.

”I had never been surrounded by my family before. Not really. When Dayi Jamsheed started herding us together into a big group photo, my eyes started burning. I couldn’t help it.
I loved them.”

But that’s not all. The reason why Darius and his family are even visiting Iran is because his grandfather is very ill and will most likely die soon. So this adds another layer to the story and a very well done and bittersweet grief rep I couldn’t help but notice. And yes, you can already grief for a person even if the person is still alive. Take it from a graduate grief counsellor. Illnesses and diseases can take away the people you love long before they actually die. In Darius’s case it’s even worse because he’s only getting to know his grandfather and knows that he will be gone soon. The author tackled this topic in a very sensitive and careful manner and I think he did it more than just well.

”Standing in that temple, staring into the fire that had been burning for hundreds of years, I felt the ghosts of my family all around me. Their soft presence raised the hair on my arms and tickled at my eyelashes.
I wiped my eyes and stood there, lost in the fire.
I knew that Babou was going to be one of those ghosts soon too.
No one had to say it out loud.”

Yet another theme he addressed was Persian culture with all its little and bigger cultural quirks and I absolutely loved to learn about it! Honestly, the way Persian food was explained and described caused my mouth to water and it was very interesting to read about cultural habits and Persian history. I kinda had to laugh when the reader was introduced to taarofing because I realized that Persian and Romanian culture aren’t all that different after all, at least not when it comes to this. My in-laws are masters at taarofing and it took me a while to get the hang of it. *lol* By now I can taarof the hell out of everybody as well, though, so beware of me and my taarofing skils. ;-P

”Darioush. You remember what I told you? Your place was empty?”
“Yeah.”
“Your place was empty for me too,” he said. “I never had a friend either.”

Anyway! Let’s continue to talk about the book and the strong focus on Darius’s friendship with Sohrab instead. And let me tell you, I adored the fact that there was such a strong friendship representation in this story without it turning into anything romantic in the end. I think the potential was definitely there but it didn’t happen and I appreciated that the author decided to focus on all the other topics first. It rounded the entire story off and made room for a potential exploration of Darius’s sexuality in the next book. So kudos to Adib Khorram for tying up all the loose ends in the first book while still giving Darius time and room to explore this important part of himself in the second instalment. And I’m convinced this will happen in book two!

”You really love Sohrab. Huh?”
“He’s the best friend I ever had.”
Dad looked at me for a long moment. Like he knew there was more. But he didn’t ask.

Whether it will happen with Sohrab or another boy/girl/non-binary person, etc. I don’t know but I’m definitely ready to accompany Darius on this journey. His friendship with Sohrab made me cry near the ending and broke my heart into tiny little pieces and I don’t know how they’ll come out of everything that happened in those last couple of chapters. I really hope they’ll find a way to stay in contact and to continue to be best friends. This said the last topic I have to talk about is the depression representation we experience first-hand through Darius’s POV and I think just like any other serious topic that was tackled in here, it was also done very well.

”Suicide isn’t the only way you can lose someone to depression.”
Dad looked at me again. There were no walls between us.
“And it kills me that I gave it to you, Darius. It kills me.”

I was so relieved when this subject was finally addressed and though the relationship with his father might still be strained for a while I think them talking about it will help them in the long-run. Depression is a mood disorder that accompanies you your entire life and sometimes it will be extremely strong and sometimes it will feel like it’s not even there or entirely gone. Darius and his father both take medicine to keep it in check and apparently this is frowned upon in Persian culture.

I’ve never explored depression from a Persian POV before but it was very interesting to hear how it is viewed in this culture. I can only speak about what I read in this book and what I found out when I did my online research (yes, this book actually made me look up depression in Persian culture!) but as it seems mental illnesses are viewed as a familial flaw because familial reputation and relationships are very important aspects of Iranian culture. So if you’re unhappy and depressed it reflects negatively on your family which seems to be the reason they don’t even want to acknowledge its existence. I found this to be a pretty tough stance because it’s not in a depressed person’s power to "be happy”. I couldn’t help but wonder how high the suicide rate might be if mental illnesses like depression don’t get the right treatment. I mean as we all know untreated depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and death. So I looked up the statistics and according to wiki suicide is a growing concern in Iran and “mental disorders” are actually stated as the main reason for men (41%!) attempting to end their lives! For women it’s on second place with 31% - And to give you an even better picture: In 27% of the cases the person concerned already had a long medical record. (compare Wikipedia on “Suicide in Iran”, just in case you also want to dig deeper too.)

”You’re okay,” he murmured.
“No. I’m not.”
“I know.” He rubbed my back up and down. “It’s okay not to be okay.”

Sorry for that long excursion but I really like it when books make me think and force me to do some digging and “Darius the Great Is Not Okay” obviously caused me to do both.

Conclusion:

All told, I really enjoyed this story. Adib Khorram has a way of telling a tale while including a lot of intriguing topics and explaining Persian culture throughout the entire book without it ever getting boring or feeling like a chore. You might say he effortlessly included it in his story and gave it room to be explored. Add to that Darius’s struggles, his friendship with Sohrab and the way he connected with his family and roots and you have a wonderful coming-of-age story that even caused me to cry at the ending. “Darius the Great Is Not Okay” is a beautifully crafted book and I’m already very excited to pick up the sequel!

_____________________________

This book was such a lovely coming-of-age story and I really enjoyed learning about Persian culture and Iran. Adib Khorram wrote a really great book and tackled a lot of difficult topics.
I have so many thoughts and I’ll write them all down in my review!

Full RTC soon! I can already say: This might have been my first book by Adib Khorram but it certainly won’t be my last! ;-)

______________________________

As it seems 2023 is going to be the year in which I read all the books I wanted to read for ages.
And this one is no exception to that rule. *lol*
“Darius the Great Is Not Okay” has been on my TBR for years now and even though a lot of people say it’s underrated and needs more attention I actually saw it quite often on my feed. Which is the reason it landed on my TBR in the first place.
Anyway! I can’t wait to read my first “Adib Khorram” book and I’m sure I’ll love it.

Have you read this one and if yes did you enjoy it? =)

Find me on:
My Blog
Instagram

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darius Kellner is what he likes to call a Fractional Persian as his mother was born and raised in Iran but his dad is white. Although he has a nightly ritual of watching Star Trek reruns with his father, the rest of the time Darius feels like he is a big disappointment to his dad. The family makes a trip to Iran to visit relatives and there Darius meets Sohrab, the teenage neighbor of his grandparents. This is a YA story of feeling like you don't belong and learning to accept who you are.

I really enjoyed the author's subtle approach in regards to certain topics which in my opinion makes it stand out among other books in the genre. I don't think everything always has to be spelled out for the reader or every loose end wrapped up in order to appreciate a story. By far the thing I loved most about the book was the focus on culture and the role it played in Darius feeling like he just didn't quite belong. I liked how the book explored the different relationships Darius had with family members and thought having not just Darius but his father also deal with mental health issues really added to the story. Definitely recommend especially if you are looking to hear from a voice that isn't commonly represented in fiction.

Thank you to First to Read for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy! I was under no obligation to post a review and all views expressed are my honest opinion.

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIOBOOK PREVIEW ENCLOSED!

If you know you are sexually inverted, as our polite forbears used to quietly infer of Oscar Wilde, it’s probably best not to fight it.

I’m not - being sexually extroverted - but had to fight against the modern psychiatric current for fifty years after I fell in 1970.

The staff kept running sexual interference while I was 'vacationing' at the Odds and Ends Ward in 1970.

So on my shoulder, an angry mega chip rested for fifty years afterward.

UNTIL I went with the flow like Darius. Whatta guy, God love him!

Darius is a well-adjusted child of the Millenium. Finding himself at last, he’s happy. He's a perfect fit! Kids have more options now, especially in the Eastern world.

I really enjoyed my reading of this wonderful YA novel.
***

Darius learns about himself in Iran. Is it any wonder? Iran is more Right-Brained than America. Infinitely more so!

Even the definition of manhood is different. In the US, Logic Rules. That screws a kid up. Sometimes, as with the young me, Big Time.

The SF Master, Van Vogt, said it best (symbolically) in his novel The World of Null-A: America is Aristotelian in its thinking. Narrowly so, in fact!

And the East, thank Heaven, is Intuitive. They’re Null A, and they don’t sweat it. They're right. We're Getting there, thanks to Einstein.

Getting over your Oedipal struggle is no cakewalk in North America. Gotta make your stand for independence young, or be marked for life, as I was. Such is the Aristotelian way.

In the East sex is more natural.

But the road isn’t easy here. Arriving at adulthood always involves the encounter with your Green Man...

The Green Man, our uncomfortable new adulthood, can be treated comically, as in Kingsley Amis’ novel of that name, or mordantly, as in Ken Kesey’s tragically mordant Cuckoo’s Nest.

I thought my ending would be tragic, finally... In the sixties, I believed Kesey's Cuckoo's Nest. Don't go there, kids!

In the end, happily, I got into my oldtimer's second-childhood groove.
***

And the ending is happy, too, for Darius -

As it continues, now, to be happy for me -

For coming of age brought me deep Christian Insight:

In my OWN joyful Walk through the Aristotelian Village of Old-Fashioned Values, with Side Trips (in my reading) into Literary Utopias like Darius the Great!

So NOW, have a listen to the First Chapter of Darius the Great is not OK!
https://youtu.be/5wJ-JsBGwtQ

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richly cultural and beautifully real, Darius The Great is Not Okay was a truly wonderful book.

“I was one tiny pulsar in a swirling, luminous galaxy of Iranians, held together by the gravity of thousands of years of culture and heritage.”

~★~ What is this book about? ~★~

Darius is a half Iranian teenager that hardly fits in at home in America. He knows more about hobbits and Star Trek than social cues, and the only thing he has in common with his father is their clinical depression. When Darius learns that his grandfather has a worsening brain tumour, he and his family go on a trip to Iran to visit him. The culture and people come as a shock to Darius at first, but then he meets Sohrab, and the Persian part of him feels more at home than ever. The two develop an unbreakable bond of friendship, and Darius is able to learn a lot about both himself and his heritage.

“How could I be a tourist in my own past?”

~★~

This was by far the most authentic, vividly cultural book I’ve ever read, and I loved it to pieces. Adib Khorram was able to create crystal clear scenery and a lovely atmosphere through his own Iranian background. I feel I know so much more than I first did about the Middle East.

Darius, oh Darius. I can’t stress just how much his character means to me. The way his depression was handled was amazing, the growth in his relationship with his father had me in tears. Teenagers everywhere will easily be able to relate to this beautiful character because of his faults and struggles. It was nothing short of breathtaking to follow Darius’ journey of self discovery.

“...love was and opportunity, not a burden.”

The aspect of budding friendship demonstrated through Darius and Sohrab was wonderully heartfelt. I couldn’t help but feel a peculiar attachment towards the two and their blossoming relationship.

The overarching theme of self discovery and family was handled in a way I have trouble describing. Darius harbors such a strong love for both his parents and his younger sister, their interactions left me feeling a certain warmth.

This book was beautiful, I’ll gladly say it a thousand times over again.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to stay away from YA but this year it's a different story. I have read many YA books this year, so I can safely says that I am not averse this genre as I used to be 2-3 years ago. I saw this book making rounds on my GR home page repeatedly and one fine Saturday I caved in and started reading this. I have to confess, to me blurb without "Iran" is the avg blurb that I read for this genre.

This story revolves around Darius who is on his first visit to Iran to visit his ailing maternal grand father. If the feeling like an outsider in his own family is subtle back in America, here that feeling is overwhelming. He is perhaps the only kid in Yzad who is on medication for depression or at least that's how he felt. His first time in a new country, language barrier, cultural difference, this was too much for Darius. But in this new country he also find a friend in Sohrab. He is easy to talk, and which helps Darius to bring out of his shell.

But I think it is the father-son relationship in this book that I loved the most. Both are on medication for depression. Darius always thought that his father is ashamed of him because of his obesity, depression and that's why he keeps an hawk eye on his eating habits. He is ashamed of Daruis's depression. Being in Yzad brought these together and broke the ice that they both had felt previously. It was cute to see the duo interacting.

I don't know why this is under the lgbt shelf. Sure Darius and Shorab are close but it was never said that they like each other romantically. They loved and cared deeply for each other but that is also friendship. I don't know why a story about two boys must be put in lgbt shelf.

Anyways this was a lovely coming of age story. Give it a try when you want to read a YA which is not all about America.

[Mrinmayi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
Buddy read with
MONICA
PHOEBE
JOEY
RACHEL
CHANDLER
This book was heart warming at one moment and the next l was sobbing like a baby
So basically a roller coaster of emotions
My emotions while reading this book :



I could relate to Darius in so many ways
My parents belong to two different cultures
So there were many situations in the books that I was familiar with

Darius was trying his best to become a part of the Persian culture and I was so proud of him!!
I loved his character arc🥰
Though I would have preferred the character development to take place around 50% of the book rather than 80%
That being said this would have been a 5 star read if the ending was not rushed
I kept on wanting more of the story




Special mention to the Irani food
I kept on nagging my mother to give me falooda and berry pulao😅




Just adding this biryani gif here:


I must thank my STALKER friend JOE GOLDBERG for this gif...
Because of her I saw a 5 min biryani AD....
Never thought I would see such a long biryani AD


Sorting CEREMONY ❤❤
Darius: Slytherclaw??
Sohrab: Hufflepuff
Laleh: Gryffindor
Stephen: Slytherin
Darius' mother : Ravenclaw
Mamou: Hufflepuff
Babou: Slytherin

[Kevin (Irish Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

”suicide isn’t the only way you can lose someone to depression”

This was such a beautifully written book with such a lovable cast of characters. Darius’ mental health representation is something I could really resonate with and I thought it was handled really well. His relationship with his dad was also handled really well and seeing the journey both of them went on to get to where they are by the end of the novel, was really beautiful to read. It highlighted the struggles depression puts on relationships with family members and also with yourself, and I really appreciated how this was handled and written. The discussions on Iranian diaspora was also very informative and I learned a lot whilst reading this book.

Darius and Sohrab’s friendship was also a huge highlight of this book for me. The way they bonded through their shared loneliness and became the best of friends was incredibly wholesome and filled my heart with so much happiness. I just absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel.

[Lau ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last book I read that was compared to Aristotles and Dante was a complete mess. I can’t believe this one didn’t only live up to the expectations, but managed to shine out with its own light.


Darius the Great Is Not Okay is my favorite kind of YA book: the kind you appreciate even more when you are not a YA. If you have read Aristotle and Dante, you know what I’m trying to explain when I say that a teen may relate more to the characters, but as an adult the whole book is going to resonate better.


Darius is a teenager who, like a lot of sons of immigrants, wanders between two worlds that don’t plan on accepting his other half. On top of that, he suffers clinical depression, is convinced that his father dislikes everything about him and is bullied at school. When his mother announces they are visiting their family in Iran for the first time, Darius isn’t sure if he’ll finally feel at home or confirm he’ll keep being an outsider no matter where he goes.

What Darius wasn’t expecting to find was his first friend.


“He talked so much about you. When you came here, I thought I already knew you. I knew we would be friends.”
My throat squeezed shut.
I loved how Sohrab could say things like that without feeling weird. How there were no walls inside him.


There are three things I always love in books: mental illnesses rep done well-the author himself suffers clinical depression-, friendships and realistic characters. But this book has so many more layers than I could ever name. I felt like I visited Iran while I was reading this. I could taste the dishes, smell the spices and touch the walls of the buildings they were visiting. I could see the culture shock between the USA and Iran, with the pros, the cons and all the gray inbetweens.


But what broke my heart was reading how Darius’ mind kept twisting every single word and gesture, making him feel less and less. He was the kind of son every parent would be lucky to have: kind, patient and loyal. My heart melted seeing how he treated his little sister, how much love gave when he didn't feel like he couldn’t. He thought his father wanted him to be cold and not show emotions and, although you know it’s not true, it’s impossible to ignore his pain.


I knew my sister, Laleh, wasn’t an accident.
A lot of people thought so, because she was eight years younger than me () But she was not an accident.
She was a replacement. An upgrade. I knew that without anyone saying it out loud.


If I had to choose only one favorite thing, it would be the depiction of the relationship between Darius and his father. Even though the book was written in first person, you could see how his father tried to make up for being the one ‘giving’ Darius the illness while Darius was convinced his father was too ashamed of having him as a son. I flew through the book moved by the anticipation of finally seeing them crack and speak up, to realize they had been wrong the whole time.


I also loved Sohrab and Darius’ friendship. Since this has been compared to two YA MM romances, I want to clarify there is no more than friendship between them. And it was more than enough, because it was so interesting to see two people from completely different worlds finding in the other the friend they have been looking for all along. They support the other even when they don't understand why the other was mourning, share moments of comfortable silence and let themselves just be.


“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”
“I wish you could see yourself too.” I swallowed. “You’re the only person who never wanted me to change.”


The final touch were all the relationships between the different characters, main and secondary, siblings, daughters and fathers, grandparents… Everything felt so real I could have believed there is a family like Darius’ out there, trying to understand the people they love.


Although I can’t imagine how you could love Aristotles and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and not enjoy this one, there are also complete strangers when it comes to a lot of the themes portrayed and dynamics of the characters. I can only hope one day Darius the Great Is Not Okay also gets the hype it deserves.

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/

There are no bells and whistles for this one. Some books don’t need them. Darius the Great Is Not Okay is the story of a young boy who takes a trip to Iran with his family when they discover his grandfather is terminally ill. It’s about finding a place in the world when you feel like you’re nothing but a social outcast. More importantly, it’s about clinical depression. And it is DONE. SO. WELL. You can tell the author struggles/has struggled personally. Someone who has not dealt with the lying liar who lies which is depression might find Darius to be a bit of a pill – overly sensitive and quick to take offense – the kind of boy certain members of society would refer to as a “Snowflake.” I’ll admit there were moments when, despite my best efforts, even I felt that way too and in my head I was screaming “PLEASE JUST TALK!!!” or “THEY DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS.” But . . . . .



Sometimes making it impossible to break out of the spiral.

My only “complaint” with this story was that Darius was presented as an older teen, complete with job, but he read more like a middle-grader. That’s the age group I’d recommend this book to. My other “complaint” (for lack of a better word) has to do with the shelving of this book as “LGBT.” I’m assuming it stems from the following:

“Did you ever think that you wouldn’t get picked on so much if you weren’t so …”

“So what, Dad?” But he didn’t answer. What could he possibly say.

If readers want to fill in that blank with “gay” it’s certainly their priority, but it could easily be filled in with “nerdy” or “mopey” or “awkward” or “unsocial” or on and on and on. I read plenty of coming of age/first love/what-have-you stories – this wasn’t one.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

”Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here.


I had pretty high hopes for this and I actually thought I would love it, but sadly that wasn't really the case. It isn't a bad book by any means it just didn't have that big of an impact on me as it seems to have had with other people. Maybe I just wasn't really the intended audience for this book, although from the sypnopsis it seemed like everything I would love.


TW: depression, ignorant views about mental health, bullying, fatshaming, terminal illness


Darius Kellner had always been torn about his identity. He never feels like he could ever be enough in either America or Iran. He speaks better Klingon than Farsi and know more about the Hobbit than Persian Culture. Darius is about to take his first ever trip to Iran and he feels pretty overwhelmed – especially when he is dealing with depression and the fact that his father always seems disappointed in him. In Iran he gets to meet his mother's family for the first time, but he also meets Sohrab, the boy next door. Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on and he helps him feel like a True Persian for the first time.


The writing style was very weird in the beginning. It got better as I read more, but still it never stopped bothering me. I don't even exactly remember what I didn't like about it, I just know there were times when I couldn't even stand it.


I didn't exactly care about the characters. They were okay, I just don't believe they were fully fleshed out and the author could have done a way better job at creating everyone.


Darius wasn't an exceptional main character. Most of the times he was actually extremely boring and reading from his POV got tedious very fast. It was interesting seeing the way he dealt with some of the situations he was put in, but at the same time I didn't really cared about those. None of the other characters stood out that much which makes sense considering this is Darius's story. The only other two characters that stood out were his father and Sohrab.


His father was an interesting chaarcter and the dynamics between the two were very interesting to read about, but I think I would have actually liked it more if they were from the father's perspective rather than the son's. I don't even know why it's that, I just didn't really like following Darioush around.


Sohrab wasn't that great of a friend in my opinion. Their friendship starts with him making fun of Darius because of something really stupid that I will not mention here because I try for my reviews to be PG although that doesn't always work in my favour, thank you very much, and that scene lasted for way too long. Why did we need that? I really don't know since it felt very uneceserry. Also I understand Sohrab was going through some things through out the book, but purpousfully trying to hurt knowing full on well that those comments would hurt him someone you call your friend, your only true friend, just because you're hurting too? That's a bit messed up and it didn't exactly sit well with me when I read that.


The plot was alright, but it never really stand up to me. It wasn't bad not at all. This is more of a character driven story and I didn't mind that. Character drive story have never bothered me, but I need very good characters that I actually like in order to like the plot we are getting there and the overall book. In this case, the meh characters made me feel pretty meh about this story and the book didn't really stand out to me.


”Suicide isn't the only way you can lose someone to depression.”


The only thing I actually loved through out the whole book was the mental health representation. Both Darius and his father have depression and I loved seeing what that meant for the relationship between them and how it impacted that said relationship. But even so there's one thing I didn't really like about this is that neither Darius nor his father ever corrected their family on their ignorant views about depression. Their family did mean well, but they never actually tried to make them understand what it's like to have depression instead they let them believe that the cure for it is to just not be depressed.


This book had a lot of Persian culture and we were of course told a lot about it and I didn't really mind that for the most part, but when it started becoming more info dump rather than just some info that we needed to know to understand more about Darius' Persian side, that's when I did start minding it. Don't get me wrong, I love learning more about different cultures and learning things I had no idea about before, but I don't like it when it's told through the form of endless info dumps. I wanna enjoy the characters and the plot, not spend pages on Persian social cues, that were explained at least 3 times before.


I was told this book will have LGBT rep and I was clearly lied to. Yes, the sequel has LGBT rep, but I would have loved to know that it wasn't actually explored in this book. It was hinted a bit, but that's it. I went into this expecting to see Darius exploring his sexuality, but nope. If I wanna see that I will have to read the sequel.


This definetely wasn't one of the worst book I've read this year, but I still had way higher hopes considering how many people actually love it and I ended up being let down. I know so many other people will be able to enjoy it so please don't let anything I said discourage you from reading this book. This story wasn't for me, but I'm sure there are many other readers who will be able to see themselves in Darius' place.


”It's okay to not be okay.”



___________________________________


Not as good as I hoped it would be, but it still was a solid read.
RTC.

Happy Pride Month! In honor of Pride Month, I plan to only read books that have LGBTQ+ representation this month. I always try to read more books with queer representation so this month I will be trying to find new favourites and underrated reads.

1. Girl Made of Stars: 4 ★
2. They Both Die At The End: 2 ★
3. Darius the Great is not Okay: 3 ★
4. Every Heart a Doorwat: 5 ★
5. How To Make a Wish: 1 ★
6. Felix Ever After: 5★
7. The Song of Achilles: 3 ★
8. Clap When You Land: 4 ★
9. Last Night at The Telegraph Club: 4 ★
10. The Falling in Love Montage: 2 ★

[✨ jami ✨]

I liked this a lot, my rating is somewhere between a 3 and 4 star I'm still deciding.

The focus on friendship and anxieties around culture/diaspora was really interesting. I've never read a book set in Iran so that element had me so interested throughout. The depression rep is also GREAT. Just overall great rep here. (This is ownvoices Persian & depression rep I believe)

The only thing I didn't LOVE was that I thought the characters could have been more fleshed out, especially Sohrab and Laleh. But at the same time this was a pretty short book so I get there isn't heaps of time.

I definitely recommend this though, especially if you're interested in friendship and family dynamics.

Psa though: this does not have queer rep for people thinking it did!

[Zitong Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oohoohoo, look at my emotions go on a rollercoaster. I mean, I don’t tear up very often reading books, maybe it’s because I haven’t gotten to the really depressing part of literature yet. Like, when I read this, I had some tears in my eyes, especially at this one scene near the end, but it wasn’t like full on sobbing, so I don’t know if I should be glad that a book has yet to destroy me like that, yet(I mean I know it’s coming eventually). What I’m getting at is, is that not a lot of books can make me feel this way, which clearly meant that this book did something right for me to care this much.

I was sort of debating on whether to give it four or five stars, and normally if I have to think about giving a book a four or five, I generally go with a four. For like the first eighty percent or so, I was feeling around a four star, and it wasn’t the last twenty percent or so that I did get a bit emotional and that last bit was a solid five stars. That being said, it is a very high four stars, and who, knows I may change my mind in the future.

There were so many aspects of this that I enjoyed, if not loved. Darius is an absolute solid character that was straight up well written, and I could really feel for him. He also has to deal with depression and constant bullying, and many of the statements made against him are incredibly racist. Reading this sort of stuff is eye opening and also makes me grateful that despite being an Asian living in a Western country, that I haven’t had any serious racial attacks made on me. I liked Darius’ character development and you could really see him grapple with certain things that occurred during the book and he ends up being a much stronger person than he was at the start of the novel.

I originally actually thought that this was going to be centred around a gay romance and that it was m/m, simply because I had heard that it was queer. It certainly appeared to be a queer novel and Darius is a queer character, even though it isn’t explicitly stated in the text. What was really great however was that the book actually focussed on this friendship between Darius and Sohrab, which was wonderful. It largely felt really realistic, considering the things the characters have to go through and what their past experience with friends has been like. It was genuinely just such a beautiful friendship and I’m so glad that is was just a friendship instead of a romance as we really need more friendships in novels and normalise that there isn’t a romance. There were some aspects that weren’t entirely developed or explained, but for the most part, I really liked the friendship between the two of them.

Another really great aspect of this novel was the family dynamics between Darius and his Mamou, Babou, who he is meeting for the first time, and also his relationship between his parents and his sister. There were some really great moments and at how Darius gets to properly know his family in Iran and see the things he has missed out on previously. There’s also the relationship with his Dad, with is often tenuous at best and to see it develop and have their bond become strong again and to learn the truth of the matter, which was just so sweet. Laleh, being only eight, didn’t exactly get a lot of character development, but Darius is able to learn to many things about himself and his family through her and to really help find himself.

It’s great that this is an own voices novel, as it follows Persian character who has depression, much like the author, as I feel many things are much more authentic, especially dealing with things like depression and what they can mean culturally. It also helped me learn, or at least understand some basic aspects of Persian culture and what it is sort of like and really shows how contrasting and different it is to other cultures. It was great exploring a bit about another culture that I didn’t know a whole lot about and then I can go on and do more research about certain things that I have been introduced to.

Also being an Australian, I actually though that Darius was seventeen, when he is actually liked fifteen because I got the names of the high school years wrong, but once I made that realisation I was able to even sort of realise and become aware of how important certain things were for Darius. 8.5/10

[Rachel (LoverofTBR) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notes
BR with Diana, Mrin, Rue, Tani, and Mari! Ladies, I am going to consider this BR a success. For the most part, lol (looking at you, Brekker)!

Rating
4 ‘it’s okay not to be okay’ 🌟

Review
Wow, look at me reading another book outside of my usual genres! I don’t read YA contemporary novels anymore, especially that deal with heavy issues including mental health, because I use books as my escapism tool and I don’t want to face reality while I am immersed in a novel. If that makes sense at all. I’m glad, however, that I got a chance to pick up this novel for our BR! Imagine my surprise when I was totally enraptured in Darius’s coming of age journey.

I was one tiny pulsar in a swirling, luminous galaxy of Iranians, held together by the gravity of thousands of years of culture and heritage.
There was nothing like it back home.

Darius Kellner is a teenager (specific age was not specified in the novel) who has been diagnosed with clinical depression at a very young age, depression that he inherited from his father, Stephen Kellner. Darius The Great is Not Okay is a book about Darius’s journey to feeling comfortable in his own skin. The highlight of this journey was his trip to Iran and the special friend he made there, Sohrab. His friendship with Sohrab plays a pivotal role in Darius getting better at communication and building his confidence, the confidence that has swindled as he was growing up due to bullying at school, feeling left out in learning about his Persian culture, and his rocky relationship with his father.

The thing is, I never had a friend like Sohrab before. One who understood me without even trying. Who knew what it was like to be stuck on the outside because of one little thing that set you apart.

What made this book powerful was the simplistic writing. It was never loud and in your face, instead it had a gripping subtleness to it that left room for the reader to understand and infer the reactions and emotions of characters using the context, dialogue, and even your own life experiences. The pacing of the book was great, but the pacing of Darius’s character development was a bit lacking.

I’d finally managed to open up the well inside me. I didn’t think I could block it again.

The character development that I was excited to read didn’t show up at the expected 50-60% instead, it resulted at around 80% making the ending seem a bit rushed. But the ending, and even most parts of the book, didn’t lack in leaving me a raw, emotional mess. The cultural references, Darius’s struggle of fitting in, the innocence of a new budding friendship, the journey of learning how to understand and communicate feelings, and more importantly, the refreshing way that the effects of clinical depression on relationships are portrayed are all the reasons why I loved this book.

“It’s okay not to be okay.”

I know this book will stay with me for a long time to come. And I am very glad we are getting a sequel this year! The romance fanatic in me can’t help but be excited that we have two potential love interests. Very excited to see where the second book goes!

[Arunimaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think it's possible for me to actually be able to externalize how much this book meant to me. And how dear it has come to be to my heart.

I had some level 150 break downs while reading this book. And I loved every second of it.

I know what you're thinking and no, I am not a masochist. This books sure has its heartbreaking elements but they aren't "sad" sad. They are more touching than sad. It's just one of those books which make you have really wholesome break downs. And if you don't what I mean by that, there is only one way to find out - READ THIS BOOK.

Darius The Great Is Not Okay is probably the most beautiful and touching book I have read in a while. It is so special to me in ways that I can't even put into words right now.

Darius is such a beautiful boy. And all I want to do is engulf him in an eternal hug.

The main reason why I loved this book so much is that it made me feel in the most realistic ways possible. The emotional and "feel" value of this book doesn't come from some major life-changing events. It's the littlest of things. Of thoughts. Of emotions, that were so realistic to me. Of course, I don't mean to say that I completely knew what Darius was going through. His battles are different and so are his circumstances. But still, there is plenty to relate to. Certain loops of thoughts that he would get stuck in, the moments of self-doubt, inadequacy from just the tiniest of exchanges. Things that don't ever seem problematic in the larger scheme of things but can actually sometimes really hurt. It was the fact that something doesn't have to go terribly and majorly wrong in your life to make it suck sometimes. Sometimes it's the smallest of the things that make you sad, petty and feel inadequate. And it's natural. And it's okay. Even if it's not okay, that's okay.

I enjoyed and adored each and every character and their relationships so much. This is really a beautiful, feel-good book that just highlights the beauty of relationships. Not romantic relationships. Just relationships in general. The beauty of masculine affection. We always see very affectionate female friendship bonds, but we rarely see male ones. Not like the one Darioush and Sohrab shared. It was truly a beautiful thing to witness.

All I would like to say at the end is that this is one of those books that each and every person should read once in their lives.

P.S. I fell in love with Yzad and Iranian food.

[౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

a new favorite <3

[Ryan Buckby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suicide isn't the only way you can lose someone to depression.

actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

Wow, i enjoyed that book a lot and for Adib's debut novel it was a real good one to start with!

Plot: This book centres around Darius Kellner who is a Persian American who has an American father and a Persian mother, who is just going through the motions of any teenager at his age. However Darius is living with depression and dealing with the day in and day out jokes from his classmates, he's just trying to get through the day. Darius and his family are soon heading on a vacation to stay with his mothers grandparents after only seeing them through a computer screen for his entire life they soon make their way to Yazd, Iran to stay with them, However this trip is plagued with the fact that Dariu's grandfather has a brain tumour and doesn't have long left to live.

I really am enjoying the fact that there are so many more own voices stories coming out in the YA book community because for me i do really enjoy learning about how other people in different cultures live and how different their lives may be to mine. Adib brought me into a culture that i really have little knowledge of and it was cool to learn about Persian culture and food.

This book also deals with some pretty heavy topics that are now becoming more talked about in YA novels and in the book community more. Depression is a main factor in this book because Darius is living with clinical depression and is taking medication to help combat what he is going through and i really love how open Darius is about it however he is a little ashamed in the beginning of the book but blossoms to the fact he just learns to talk about it more and learns self acceptance within himself. I would also say that Darius has some anxiety thrown into the mix of his depression when he has that fear of disappointing his family especially his father. While reading this book i really found myself in Darius in that fact because this is exactly how i feel myself and it was such a spot on representation.

Suicide isn't the only way you can lose someone to depression.

Family is a real big part of this story and i loved seeing the dynamic of Dariu's family change from the beginning of the book to the end where we see a massive change and i must admit i did find myself tearing up towards the end when Darius and his family left Iran because i can only imagine how hard that was leaving people behind you love.

One thing i also enjoyed is how when this story ended there was still more room to add more in a sequel later on, so it could focus on a number of possibilities such as Darius sexuality, life after leaving Iran and his future friendship with Sohrab. It's like real life just because one chapter of your life has ended doesn't mean that life itself is over and its just the beginning of a new one.


I had never been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, but Dr. Howell said that anxiety and depression often went hand in hand. Comorbidity, he called it. It was an ominous-sounding word. It made me anxious.

Adib's debut novel was very well written and i found myself really enjoying this book, from good representation, family, culture and so much more i cannot wait to see what this author has in store next! because i will defiantly be picking up his next book!

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE FATPHOBIA HAD ME LIKE 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤
Touch his squidge one more time and make baby boy Darius sad, and we gonna have a problem OKAY!!!???

That being said... If I heard the words "excreting stress hormones" one more time holyyyyyyyyy hell............. Why is the word excreting just so weirdly gross? 🤔

Anyway this was a very expressive and realistic (As Darius is just a teenager) portrayal of depression, tough family relationships, growth and Persian culture.
I liked hearing about the Iranian culture, and food and the overall message of the book is one of those "it's okay not to be okay" vibes which is always nice.

I find I am often cursed with this when it comes to YA in general. but like, is it okay to say that it was beautiful and lovely, but also deeply bored me??
I'm glad I read this, I'm glad it's over also, and I hope Darius gets the best second book and works on his own happiness even more.

[Leo Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que história incrível e sensível, fui abraçado de tantas formas que nem consigo explicar. Adib tem uma narrativa maravilhosa, foi uma honra conhecer a história do Darius. Tenho certeza de que esse livro vai morar no meu coração por muito tempo. Primeiro favorito do ano!

[Gem (The Creepy Geek) · Rating 5 out of 5]

On reread this book is a five star, not a four star and I am an idiot. Also I cried this time, so there's that.

***

This book is absolutely beautiful. It a fantastic look at the effects of depression not just on the person going through it but on the people around them too.

"Suicide isn't the only way you can lose someone to depression."

Truer words were never spoken. Darius and his father had lost each other, both suffering under the same thing in different ways. Watching the struggle of their relationship had me on the verge of tears a lot and I’m not ashamed to admit that there were a couple of times where I cried outright. This book is powerful and heartbreaking and honest.

I loved learning all about Persian culture alongside Darius and watching a friendship bloom between him and Sohrab. It was so nice to see Darius start to come out of himself with Sohrab and learn what it means to have a friend. When Sohrab’s father was killed it was like a punch to the gut because not only did it show the struggles of life in Iran but also it showed that when we are hurting, we always seem to lash out at those we love the most. That whole scene with Sohrab and Darius made me so unbelievably sad and I’m so glad that when Darius returned to the US, he and Sohrab were able to maintain friends. It was also great to see him start to be more sure of himself thanks to spending time with Sohrab so that when he went home, he felt like he could get back into “soccer” *British shudder :P* and we even saw that he was starting to let his walls down and there was a possibility of a friendship forming between him and one of his classmates.

My favourite thing about this book though, is the evolving relationship between Darius and his father. Watching them drift further away from each other, before struggling back to each other; seeing the fear his dad had for him; understanding where that fear comes from…so beautifully done and really gets you right in the feels!

I highly, highly recommend this book 😊


************

Oh man...this book was so beautiful and emotional. RTC.

[Tani]

Tried and failed buddy read with Mary Poppins, Captain Jack Sparrow, Miranda Priestly, Bugs Bunny and Willy Wonka.