Darius the Great Is Not Okay

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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 st Horning, Kathleen T. (2019). CCBC choices 2019. Merri V. Lindgren, Megan Schliesman, Madeline Tyner, University of Wisconsin--Madison. Cooperative Children's Book Center. Madison, Wisconsin. ISBN 978-0-931641-29-9. OCLC 1096332792. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link)

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - Goodreads

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. Stephen believes that it's partially Darius's fault for being bullied, since he makes himself more of a target. He dislikes Darius's hair length. Stephen also has clinical depression. The main time they spend with each other is when they both watch an episode of Star Trek each night. 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.” Dad swallowed his pills dry; his prominent Teutonic Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he did it. And then he turned to me and said, “So, you heard that Babou went to the doctor today?” 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.”As a child of immigrants who hasn’t seen her grandparents in ten years, I was deeply moved by Darius’s story. What is one thing you’d like children of immigrants to know as they grow older and face the world?

DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY | Kirkus Reviews DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY | Kirkus Reviews

Dad finally finds Darius and joins him on the roof. He tells Darius not to cry, which makes Darius cry more—Dad, he snaps, just wants Darius to never feel emotions and to be perfect. Soberly, Dad shares that he’s just trying to protect Darius from depression’s dangerous effects. He reveals that just before Laleh was born, Dad’s meds stopped working and he spent a few months taking heavy tranquilizers so he wouldn’t hurt himself. Dad admits he fears the same thing happening to Darius, and he feels awful for passing depression on to his son. 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.Khorram, Adib (January 3, 2020). "Darius the Great Is Not Okay: Adib Khorram's 2019 BGHB Fiction and Poetry Honor Speech". The Horn Book . Retrieved January 1, 2022.

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

Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards Acceptance Speeches Roundup". The Horn Book. January 10, 2020 . Retrieved January 1, 2022. The next morning, Darius wraps a pair of cleats he bought as a going-away present for Sohrab to replace Sohrab’s two pairs, which are falling apart. But when Darius gets to the Rezaeis’ house, Sohrab and his family members are distraught—Sohrab’s dad was killed in prison. Wild with grief and anger, Sohrab tells Darius to go away and that nobody wants him. Darius believes Sohrab and runs to the public restroom roof, where he sits for hours and cries. Dad makes us turn our end table into a Haft-Seen on March 1 every year. And every year, Mom tells him that’s too early. And every year, Dad says it’s to get us in the Nowruz spirit, even though Nowruz—the Persian New Year—isn’t until the first day of spring.

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. I guess I didn’t have much to say to him either. “He’s not going to get better, Darius. I’m sorry.” I twisted my glass between my hands. She was talking to Laleh in rapid-fire Farsi, something about school, I thought, because Laleh kept switching from Farsi to English for words like cafeteriaand Heads-Down, Thumbs-Up. First-time author Khorram’s coming-of-age novel brings to life the sight, sounds, smells, and tastes of [Iran] . . . as it shows how a boy who feels like an outcast at home finds himself and true friendship overseas.” 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.