Darius the Great Is Not Okay
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-16 08:51:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Adib Khorram
- ISBN：3125783585
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Undomiel Books （Rosie）
，
I loved this book so much， and am so glad I finally got the chance to pick it up！ From the endless Lord of the Rings references， to the fascinating representation of Persian culture， and the great mental health representation， I really enjoyed this book。 There were some really interesting character relationships and dynamics going on， and I liked how we saw both sides （American and Persian） of how each culture perceives one another and has prejudices to overcome; books like this often feel very I loved this book so much， and am so glad I finally got the chance to pick it up！ From the endless Lord of the Rings references， to the fascinating representation of Persian culture， and the great mental health representation， I really enjoyed this book。 There were some really interesting character relationships and dynamics going on， and I liked how we saw both sides （American and Persian） of how each culture perceives one another and has prejudices to overcome; books like this often feel very one sided， but I'm glad this book explored much more！ 。。。more
Rada
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darius the great is not okay is a nice fun （fun as in， the humor in this book is fun） book。 the main character is annoying at times， but it all makes sense in the end。
Khloe
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4。25
Mr。 K
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Very interesting。 A side of depression and some teenage angst mixed in with a cultural experience。 I was in from the beginning。 96
Emmaline Davis
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I give this 3。5 stars overall。 It was a good book but I think what I enjoyed more than the book itself was all the food that was mentioned。 I found recipes for the faludeh and the qottab and I will definitely be attempting those before summer is over。 I loved reading all about Persian culture and I feel like I learned quite a bit， although I can't speak to how accurate the representation is because I'm white and American。 The ending felt a bit like the ending of Allegiant， honestly - like what d I give this 3。5 stars overall。 It was a good book but I think what I enjoyed more than the book itself was all the food that was mentioned。 I found recipes for the faludeh and the qottab and I will definitely be attempting those before summer is over。 I loved reading all about Persian culture and I feel like I learned quite a bit， although I can't speak to how accurate the representation is because I'm white and American。 The ending felt a bit like the ending of Allegiant， honestly - like what did it do for anyone？ Without getting into the thematic ideas of the book and seeming like I'm writing an essay for english class， Darius and Sohrab's friendship is one that I think many people would be lucky to find one of in their life。 They feel safe around each other and they haven't felt that with anyone before。 They did talk about foreskins for a solid 2 pages and that was unnecessary and weird but I mean they're teen boys， what else should we expect？ This book was good I just didn't quite enjoy it as much as I have other ones。 I look forward to making those foods more than I do reading this book again。 。。。more
stefansbooks
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Rating: 2/5⭐️sHere’s the tea: This book is being marketed as something else， LGBTQ+ YA Contemporary， and instead it’s basically a story about family， friendships， fitting in， and living with depression， without letting depression rule your life。 And I wasn’t in the mood for it at all。 I expected something entirely different， and received something else。And it wasn’t really that bad。 But it wasn’t good either。 The writing felt flat most of the time， and I can genuinely say that I only enjoyed the Rating: 2/5⭐️sHere’s the tea: This book is being marketed as something else， LGBTQ+ YA Contemporary， and instead it’s basically a story about family， friendships， fitting in， and living with depression， without letting depression rule your life。 And I wasn’t in the mood for it at all。 I expected something entirely different， and received something else。And it wasn’t really that bad。 But it wasn’t good either。 The writing felt flat most of the time， and I can genuinely say that I only enjoyed the last 25-30 pages。 The rest of it was just “okay”。 The story isn’t actually bad， it’s just more that there’s no actual plot。 As I mentioned earlier， it’s basically a story about meeting your past， learning how to find your place in a family that you’ve never met before， and making friends。 There’s no other “story” or “plot”。 I feel like people get too carried away with the sequel， and kinda forget that the first one doesn’t actually have a plot。 So， I’m sorry if I’m being repetitive， but if you read the thoughts I had while reading it， take them with a grain of salt。 Bottom line is that I believe that this book is way too overhyped。🤷🏽♂️Fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy the sequel a lot more🤞P。S: I don’t know if my rating is too harsh。 But it’s how I feel at the moment。 I might update & upgrade it to 3/5 in the future， but for now I feel like 2/5 is all it deserves。 My thoughts while reading it:Nothing happens in this book。 It’s getting extremely boring。 The MC keeps repeating the word “Um”， it’s like he doesn’t know how to say anything else， and it’s getting on my NERVES。 It’s like SJM using the word “mate”。 Like bruh， please stop。Also， I don’t want to sound mean （cue that I’m about to sound extremely mean）， but if I wanted to learn about Iran and Persian cuisine/culture， I would have read a non-fiction book on Iran and Persian culture， and not a YA LGBTQ+ contemporary book 😃 So yes， I love learning about other cultures， but this book is literally 20% plot and 80% Persian Culture and the MC using the word “Um”。 Also， can people stop squinting at each other？ Like ？？？？Started somewhat enjoying it （somewhere around） page 190。 Which is extremely late。 Because this book is barely 315 pages。 So yeah。 Disappointing to say the least。 。。。more
Daniel
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4。5/5 ✨
Pardis Raoofnia
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This book made me cry for real。 Not an overly emotional story I’m just a little bitch so it made me cry for like 10 minutes。 I enjoy learning about Iranian culture since I’m Persian but also could relate to Darius deeply due to the language barrier between me and my relatives so this story really resonated with me。
Ryane Puspa
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This book makes me want to forgive my old man for all the sufferings he has put me through。 Thanks， Darioush。
Helen
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Such a lovely story about love and friendship， mental illness， coming of age， and fitting in。 The audiobook was a great way to hear the Farsi come alive， and just made all the characters feel so much more real and resonant。
Kaitlin
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3。5⭐️
tamu : ）
，
this book is really easy to binge and you get sucked into Iranian culture like I really want chelo kebab or Iranian ice cream RNbut also the book heavily dives into Darius’ depression and at times it was frustrating and sad， and thus the book did great on what it is like to live with clinical depression if that triggers you， by all means be careful if you are to read itgreat book， I’d say better than the second because it deals more with heavier topics like clinical depression！4。7/5 :）
Ariana
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This book did make me cry。 I highly highly recommend it to everyone。 It took a minute to get past all the star trek references but the whole story is gorgeous and did make me feel very seen
Naomi Rae
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Read for my children’s and young adult lit class。 This book was pretty good。 A little slow at times， but I really liked the themes and characters。
Niko
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what a stunning depiction of mental health and the struggle of cultural identity。 i bawled over this book at 1 in the morning and i’m still dealing with swollen eyes hours later。
Duta Setyawan
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A teenager（darius） is living in portland oregon with his iranian mother and caucasian father until one day her mom told him that his grandfather in iran is sick and gonna die anytime soonwhen he went to iran he met another teen named sohrab and quickly caught feelings with him， but didn't confessed to him because iranian culture dont accept queerness and he might be hatecrimedsohrab came from a background filled with problems， he was a member of the baha'i minority group that was often discrimin A teenager（darius） is living in portland oregon with his iranian mother and caucasian father until one day her mom told him that his grandfather in iran is sick and gonna die anytime soonwhen he went to iran he met another teen named sohrab and quickly caught feelings with him， but didn't confessed to him because iranian culture dont accept queerness and he might be hatecrimedsohrab came from a background filled with problems， he was a member of the baha'i minority group that was often discriminated against。 his father is also a baha'i and got arrested although he was innocent and got stabbed in prison a few years after darius felt left out of his extended family because of the culture and mindset he was accustomed back home in portland vs the culture and mindset in irandarius had depression but get treatment in portland， but his extended family thinks his medication is has a negative effect with his health and weight 。。。more
Claerysa
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Liked it， definitely。 Love the representation that this book gives， a gay （presumably）， depressed half persian teenage boy。 It was great learning the Persian culture along side Darius。 Getting to know all the food and their holidays and traditions。 It’s really important to also showcase other nationalities than the „typical“ （America for example）。 I really loved that。 That being said I really enjoyed this book。
Meghan
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Love hearing the Farsi out loud。
sierra
，
This book was as if my own dreams of traveling to my ancestral homeland were already written out for me。
Amy Lyke
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While there was much to like about the book， I couldn’t give it five stars。 I liked the plot and setting。 The storyline of a teen boy and his family going to Iran to get to know family was interesting。 I appreciated the strong sense of place and learned some things about Iran。 I didn’t like Darius as much as I wanted。 I liked the relationship development between Darius and his dad。
Christina Brzykcy
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Darius is a teenage boy who struggles to feel like he fits in anywhere。 He is， in his own words， a "fractional Persian，" with his mother having immigrated from Persia and his father having been born and raised in America。 He loves tea， Star Trek， and his sister。 He does not have a lot of friends at school and is often bullied， and his father has a tendency to make him feel like this is his own fault。 He struggles with depression， as does his father， and several aspects of the story revolve aroun Darius is a teenage boy who struggles to feel like he fits in anywhere。 He is， in his own words， a "fractional Persian，" with his mother having immigrated from Persia and his father having been born and raised in America。 He loves tea， Star Trek， and his sister。 He does not have a lot of friends at school and is often bullied， and his father has a tendency to make him feel like this is his own fault。 He struggles with depression， as does his father， and several aspects of the story revolve around his struggle to not only deal with the depression， but also accept it as a part of himself。 When the family finds out that Darius's grandfather is ill and dying， they take a trip to Iran （where Darius has never been） to spend time with their family there。 While at school at home， Darius sometimes struggled with feeling "too Persian，" in Iran， he struggles with feeling "not Persian enough。" As he gets to know his family and the country in which his mother grew up， he learns to accept himself as he is。 This book is not strongly plot driven， but makes up for that in character development。 It's easy to empathize with Darius in his thoughts and struggles， and the author avoids making Darius's father a flat character as well。 One particular exchange between Darius and his father towards the end of the book made me cry， which is an indication that the book succeeded in making me feel for the characters。This book does a really good job of exploring the topic of depression and the feelings that come with it。 I like that there is no significant event in Darius's life that has given a "reason" for his depression， as I feel like few stories dealing with depressions recognize that there does not have to be a specific "reason。" I also love the interactions between Darius and his parents。 。。。more
Kindling
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From 0-85% of the novel， boring。 Super boring。Afterwards， fascinating until the end。Is that even possible？Yep。 This book
Aiden
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Beautiful， tender， funny。 Unforgettable。
Lydia Lewis
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A 14 year old struggles with identity and mental health issues as well as relationship issues with his dad。 I loved this book！
Jennifer
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3。5
Judit
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5Me ha gustado mucho。 Muchísimo。 Tanto， que ahora la que no está bien， soy yo。Desde luego ha sido una montaña rusa de emociones: he reído， he llorado， me he enfadado， he vuelto a llorar。。。 pero lo he disfrutado。 Me ha gustado que me destrozara emocionalmente y es que el autor consigue que te pongas en la piel de Darius desde la primera página y constantemente hace que quieras darle un abrazo al personaje。El libro se centra sobretodo en el desarrollo de Darius y su evolución a lo largo de su visi 5Me ha gustado mucho。 Muchísimo。 Tanto， que ahora la que no está bien， soy yo。Desde luego ha sido una montaña rusa de emociones: he reído， he llorado， me he enfadado， he vuelto a llorar。。。 pero lo he disfrutado。 Me ha gustado que me destrozara emocionalmente y es que el autor consigue que te pongas en la piel de Darius desde la primera página y constantemente hace que quieras darle un abrazo al personaje。El libro se centra sobretodo en el desarrollo de Darius y su evolución a lo largo de su visita en Irán y pone en valor temas como la amistad， la familia y la salud mental。 Qué bonito el mensaje de "está bien no estar bien"。No quiero contar mucho para no spoilearlo porque yo he ido un poco a ciegas y el viaje ha sido maravilloso。 Es uno de esos libros que voy a querer releer en el futuro。 。。。more
prutha
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ok i cried。 this book was so simple yet unflinchingly gorgeous。 the depression representation was great and for someone with clinical depression （+who's depressed even though nothing bad has happened to me） Darius's story was a great comfort。 people always tell me。 "oh why are you sad， nothing bad has happened to you。 there are people who suffer worse yet manage to stay happy so why can't you？" and truthfully i don't know why i'm sad either。 i don't know what else to say apart from the fact that ok i cried。 this book was so simple yet unflinchingly gorgeous。 the depression representation was great and for someone with clinical depression （+who's depressed even though nothing bad has happened to me） Darius's story was a great comfort。 people always tell me。 "oh why are you sad， nothing bad has happened to you。 there are people who suffer worse yet manage to stay happy so why can't you？" and truthfully i don't know why i'm sad either。 i don't know what else to say apart from the fact that this book now has a special place in my heart。5 Stars 。。。more
Mara
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4。5*
Donya
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As an Iranian-born， American-raised young adult， every emotion was heightened throughout reading this novel。 Darius experiences depression and the perception of his Persian family on mental illness was so painfully accurate to my own experience。 The heartbreaking struggles as an outsider in one's own family， community， and culture have equally matched the joys that come from being a second-generation immigrant。 Thank you for helping me feel less like an outsider and helping me find a home within As an Iranian-born， American-raised young adult， every emotion was heightened throughout reading this novel。 Darius experiences depression and the perception of his Persian family on mental illness was so painfully accurate to my own experience。 The heartbreaking struggles as an outsider in one's own family， community， and culture have equally matched the joys that come from being a second-generation immigrant。 Thank you for helping me feel less like an outsider and helping me find a home within Darius's story。 *My cousin's name is Dariush and according to my Aunt， there was pressure from outside of our family to name him Darius。 [Dariush's mom （1） : German government baby-naming committee （0）] 。。。more
Jayana！！
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