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 AgendaDarius Kellner speaks … 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.
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4.75 stars. This book surprised me with how much I loved it. I started listening to it on a whim and by 5%, I knew Darius would become one of those characters I’d never forget. I adored how unapologetically geeky this was, particularly the focus on Star Trek. I loved watching Darius’s different relationships with each of his family members, his growing friendships, and the love of Persian culture that permeated this book. But more importantly, the raw authenticity of a teen living with depression, while also being the child of someone with depression and still not always understanding the tensions that places on the relationship, is a story that’s so very necessary and wonderfully done.
What a wonderful book! I was captivated by the vivid setting. I enjoyed reading about the Perusian culture references and all of the details about tea. The friendship between Darius and Sohrab is a great model for a positive relationship. They support and enourage each other, also giving space to learn about what they might not know. I look forward to continuing Darius’ story.
Such a good book! I will admit I almost cried a few times. I loved seeing Darius’ growth and his friendship with Sohrab grow. I am looking forward to the sequel!
Definitely recommend for any YA contemporary lovers! Great Iranian rep!
What I liked the most about this book was the honest exploration of a young man’s feelings toward family, friendship, and intimacy. In the author interview at the end, Khorram talks about how Darius is fascinated with different kinds of love and I really got that from the book. I also felt the push-pull of being with family, those we hold close and those we don’t know well, and that weird feeling of familiar disconnect when we’re among extended family that we either haven’t met before or haven’t seen for a very long time.
I also thought the author’s portrayal of depression was both sensitive and timely.
In all aspects, this is an outstanding book and one I’d recommend to all readers.
Audible Review
Overall 4 out of 5 stars
Performance 5 out of 5 stars
Story 4 out of 5 stars
Terrific coming of age story.
Darius the Great is Not Okay was more than okay! It was poignant and heartfelt and educational and insightful.
I loved “being” in Iran with Darius and learning about the culture and history of the area.
His relationship with his grandmother was so precious. This book was heavy on relationships, and not all were good. Although by the end of the book there was hope for some.
I really enjoyed this story, a lot more than I expected. I’m looking forward to listening to the follow-up, Darius the Great Deserves Better. I think Darius is such a compelling character, he stole my heart a little.
I thought the narration was terrific, I’m very glad I listened to the audiobook. Michael Levi Harris did a wonderful job with all the different voices, and there were a lot of them!
Good view of another culture
Usually I read sci fi, mistery, paranormal, adventures or thrillers, so this book is outside of those bounds and I just loved it. It reads best if you have seen Star Trek due to the references made by the main character. But the book is a human interest story that is so well written that anyone would love it.
Darius is a sweetly awkward 15 year old Iranian American who doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere. He loves tea and Star Trek. He’s bullied at school and he’s on medication for depression. His relationship with his dad, who is white, is strained. I could not have rooted for him harder! I loved watching Darius figure out where he belonged and especially how the arcs with with his father and with his friend resolved. The #ownvoices depiction of depression as an every day part of life that’s being managed was refreshing—something I could have used when I was a teenager. I loved every part of this story and can’t wait to see what Khorram does next.
Darius the Great is Not Okay is one of the most realistic looks at teen depression I’ve read, and it works because Darius has such a winning voice (self-deprecating, funny, delightful). Half-Persian Darius is on his way to Iran to visit his mother’s family for the first time, and as he navigates family relationships and expectations, he also falls into a wonderful friendship. A moving contemporary YA novel.
This was a pretty good novel filled with lots of culture. It was very enlightening and I really enjoyed reading about this family. Darius is at a point in his life where he is stumbling and is having a hard time finding his footing in life. His dad doesn’t understand him, he’s bullied at school, and he often feels left out when he visits his mother’s family. Darius is also learning so much about his culture and himself. I really loved that about this book. Definitely worth the read.
Love the bounding the father and son have in the beginning. The fact that even though they visit his mothers home country that does not deter him from learning how to make friends more so in iran than in the states. It’s funny how he tries to avoid telling his grandparents over there why he takes medication. Soccer is of course football in the middle east but he learns to adapt on this vacation his parents, sister and himself go on. What a great debut book. Also how star trek plays a part in the bonding of father and son too.
I cried at the end of this book. It was that good.
This story is full of hilarious references and sarcastic narration that made me laugh, despite the humor being somewhat dark and the story having some very serious themes.
I’ve compared a couple of books to Catcher in the Rye this year, but this one is an even more apt comparison to Catcher in the Rye, because the narration style says so many things (about character relationships, etc) without really saying them.
I’m half Persian like the main character but have not had the chance to go to Iran, so I loved how much we got to see in this book and how well-researched it was.