Darius the Great Is Not Okay

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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. Darius the Great is not just okay—he’s wonderful. A story about learning who you are, who you want to be in the world, and how family will always be there, no matter how great the physical or emotional distance.” 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!

Darius the Great Is Not Okay Themes | LitCharts Darius the Great Is Not Okay Themes | LitCharts

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?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. 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. I do think so. At first it seemed like there was a surge in books about suicide, but lately there have been books that look at mental illness as a part of a person rather than a crisis. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks eloquently about the dangers of a single story. For a long time, suicide was the single story for mental illness, but we’re finally seeing multiple stories, and I’m hopeful that trajectory will continue. 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. 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.

Darius the Great Deserves Better - Common Sense Media Darius the Great Deserves Better - Common Sense Media

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. I had the opportunity to chat with Adib about his inspiration for his book, the importance of representation in literature, and more. Oh.” I had never met Babou in person, only over a computer screen. And he never really talked to me. He spoke English well enough, and what few words I could extract from him were accented but articulate. Darius the Great Is Not Okay brings Iran alive, with sounds and smells and imagery, and you’ll tearfully be rooting for Darius as he struggles with this mental health, identity, and his place in the world.”Dad smiled and waved and stood up. My knees were getting sore, so I did the same, and edged toward the door. This is an incredible story of friendship, family, and identity that you absolutely won’t regret reading.”

Darius the Great Is Not Okay Summary - LitCharts Darius the Great Is Not Okay Summary - LitCharts

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. 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.

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. Darius meets Sohrab, the son of one of Babou's neighbors. Sohrab invites him to play football, which Darius enjoys, but while showering after the game, other boys make fun of Darius' penis, calling it " Ayatollah", and Sohrab joins in. This leads to Darius leaving and having a breakdown, but Sohrab comes to apologize later in the day. Sohrab and Darius continue to bond as they hang out and begin to play football frequently. Darius feels comfortable around Sohrab; Darius feels like he can be himself around him. They often visit a rooftop (pictured in the cover) that provides a view of the city and an isolated place to talk. 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. Top Ten Best Fiction". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). February 19, 2019 . Retrieved January 1, 2022.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - Penguin Random House

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. Darius becomes frustrated when Laleh begins watching Star Trek with Stephen—the only thing that Darius and Stephen had together—and started without him, because he's already seen the episodes. Darius feels that Laleh is his better replacement. Darius receives an Iranian national football team jersey as a present from Sohrab, which he loves as it makes him feel like a true Persian and feel like he fits in. His family visits multiple sights of Yazd and Iran throughout the book, including Persopolis, Tower of Silence, Jameh Mosque, and the Fire Temple of Yazd. 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.I had a very sharp memory of Dad yelling at me to stop crying so he could examine my hand, and how I wouldn’t let him hold it because I was afraid he was going to make it worse. 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? Darius is a well-crafted, awkward but endearing character, and his cross-cultural story will inspire reflection about identity and belonging. A strong choice for YA shelves. Give this to fans of Adam Silvera and John Corey Whaley.” 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.” I love this story, and the way it combines the bitter of adolescence with the sweet of friendship and family. Brewed together they make a beautiful, memorable book.”