Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Publisher's Summary

Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA.

Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award.

“Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I’d live in this book forever if I could.” (Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda)

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian - half, his mom’s side - and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. 

Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s 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.

Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough - then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.

©2018 Adib Khorram (P)2018 Listening Library

Critic Reviews

William C. Morris Debut AwardAsian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature; Publishers Weekly Flying Start; TIME's 10 Best Young Adult and Children's Books of 2018; Boston Globe Best Books of 2018; Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2018; BuzzFeed Best YA Books of 2018; Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018; Kirkus Best Books of 2018; New York Public Library's Best Books of 2018; Book Expo Young Adult Buzz Panel Selection; Indies Introduce Selection for Fall 2018; Indie Next Top Ten Pick for Fall 2018

“Layered with complexities of identity, body image and mental illness that are so rarely articulated in the voice of a teenage boy of color. Khorram writes tenderly and humorously about his protagonist’s journey of self-acceptance, making it hard not to want to reach through the pages, squeeze his hand and reassure Darius that he is, in fact, going to be O.K.” (The New York Times)

“Reminiscent of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (better known in movie form as Love, Simon) and Angie Thomas’ phenomenal The Hate U Give, the novel chronicles a politically aware teendom where microaggressions are as much an everyday obstacle as untamed acne and humdrum mall jobs… Darius the Great Is Not Okay will have you craving a freshly steeped tea, an episode of Star Trek, and a glass of faloodeh - all courtesy of one delightful package.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“This is the hilarious and heartbreaking story of Darius: a clinically-depressed, half-Persian lonely American teenage Trekkie who heads to Iran for the first time to meet his mom’s family.” (Cosmopolitan)

Darius

Thought it was a great story for the young adult reader. I did also appreciate the afterward about mental illness. I especially enjoyed the narrators use of the different accents for different characters. He obviously did his research.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Amazing story, amazing book!

Thought the narrator was perfect! Truly a great book and I felt that the narrator captured emotions and characters fantastically. Its just such a deeper view into how depression affects people and it did an amazing job!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Surprisingly Good and Dark

i enjoyed listening to the book. it's a very modern and realistic tale of what life would be like if Atlantians survived and lived with the surface word bringing their magic and culture with them. i would recommend if you like dark fantasies. I especially liked that the normalization of sexuality. of any complaint I would say including more diverse gendering would be nice. it's mostly a male predominate book but still a well rounded story.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Insanely Immersive and Profoundly Touching

This is a beautiful book, beautifully written and beautifully performed. Michael Levi Harris does an excellent job with all the different voices and accents. I could always tell who was speaking even without dialog tags. And the accents were never hard to understand. Adib Khorram introduces you to Persian culture very naturally, and offers a unique glimpse into what life is like both for people in Iran--of various faiths and social status as well--and for Persians living in America, all wrapped up in a take about family, friendship, love, and depression.