Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Posted on 09 February 2017 by Adib Khorram

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.Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows 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 understand 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 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. Read Darius the Great Is Not Okay Author Adib Khorram – kino-fada.fr Darius Kellner is what he likes to call a Fractional Persian as his mother was born and raised in Iran but his dad is white Although he has a nightly ritual of watching Star Trek reruns with his father, the rest of the time Darius feels like he is a big disappointment to his dad The family makes a trip to Iran to visit relatives and there Darius meets Sohrab, the teenage neighbor of his grandparents This is a YA story of feeling like you don t belong and learning to accept who you are.I reall Darius Kellner is what he likes to call a Fractional Persian as his mother was born and raised in Iran but his dad is white Although he has a nightly ritual of watching Star Trek reruns with his father, the rest of the time Darius feels like he is a big disappointment to his dad The family makes a trip to Iran to visit relatives and there Darius meets Sohrab, the teenage neighbor of his grandparents This is a YA story of feeling like you don t belong and learning to accept who you are.I really enjoyed the author s subtle approach in regards to certain topics which in my opinion makes it stand out among other books in the genre I don t think everything always has to be spelled out for the reader or every loose end wrapped up in order to appreciate a story By far the thing I loved most about the book was the focus on culture and the role it played in Darius feeling like he just didn t quite belong I liked how the book explored the different rela...See that puddle on the ground Hear the heavy sobbing It me and my tears.Darius Kellner isn t sure he fits in anywhere At school, he s the Fractional Persian, the kid who sticks out as being just a bit different At home, he struggles to connect with his dad, who is Zero Persian but rather a blond Teutonic ideal He doesn t speak Farsi like his mom and little sister Even the way he makes tea seems called into question.But when his grandfather is diagnosed with a brain tumor, Darius is thrown into his most fish out of water situation yet Iran He is in a country wh Darius Kellner isn t sure he fits in anywhere At school, he s the Fractional Persian, the kid who sticks out as being just a bit different At home, h...It s been longer than normal since I ve read a book in one sitting And god, this one is certainly a one sitting read Filled to the brim with heart, Khorram s debut shines on every single page It made me laugh and cry within one scene This was my most anticipated 2018 rele...As I ve gotten older, I ve developed a curiosity about longing for connection to my Persian heritage that I didn t have as a younger person I couldn t tell you where exactly this sudden interest came from, but I have lately found myself following the news about Iran, and asking my grandparents about the old country, and, of course, reading a lot of novels by Iranian American authors What I m trying to say, in short, is that I was primed to like this book I d heard about it months ago, when th As I ve gotten older, I ve developed a curiosity about longing for connection to my Persian heritage that I didn t have as a younger person I couldn t tell you where exactly this sudden interest came from, but I have lately found myself following the news about Iran, and asking my grandparents about the old country, and, of course, reading a lot of novels by Iranian American authors What I m trying to say, in short, is that I was primed to like this book I d heard about it months ago, when the author was awarded a six figure advance by Dial, and when my girlfriend managed to get her hands on a galley , I dove into it almost right away 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, butto the point , but bad in a show don t tell, Creative Writing 101 way DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib...It s okay not to be okay Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram gives readers a look into a world rarely seen in YA fiction A world I really enjoyed learning about Persian culture is the star of this book Foods, stories, traditions, social cues, places, andall come to life through the eyes of young Darius.Darius Darioush Kellner, who is half Persian on his mother s si...It took me a little while to get into the writing, which is very fourth wall breaking, but at some point, about the main character s vulnerability and the deep love for the setting and getting to see Iran in a different light from the usual portrayals and the incredible depression rep and the wonderful friendship, I just found myself utterly beguiled In case you can t tell, this debut has a lot going for it, including the way it just dips its toe into the main character questioning his sexualit It took me a little while to get into the writing, which is very fourth wall breaking, but at some point,... 4 starsThis was not okay This was fantastic I loved all of the reflection on Darius character and the subtlety to his character development, as well as how sure Khorram is of Darius voicw throughout the story I only wished there wasphysical plot vs character.PRE REVIEWVicky is not okay Why Because this book sounds SO GOOD Li...Thanks to BookishFirst for this free review copy This YA novel releases on 8.28.18 from penguinteen and it 100% deserves a place on your Fall TBR..DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY is one of my favorite YA reads in recent history due to the following Heartbreakingly hilarious Darius is the nerd of my high school dreams His terminology and descriptions of being a Fractional Persian, his Star Trek and Lord of the Rings references and a million other things that make Darius so uniquely DARIUS jus Thanks to BookishFirst for this free review copy This YA novel releases on 8.28.18 from penguinteen and it 100% deserves a place on your Fall TBR..DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY is one of my favorite YA reads in recent history due to the following Heartbreakingly hilarious Darius is the nerd of my high school dreams His terminology and descriptions of being a Fractional Persian, his Star Trek and Lord of the Rings references and a million other things that make Darius so uniquely DARIUS just make him own my heart TEA how many other high school boys are as obsessed with tea as Darius is Father son relationship depiction the way...This book was so beautiful I absolu tely loved it The family, the friendship, the depression rep It was all perfect I can t properly express how many things I felt while reading it Pre order it immediately, and keep your eye on Adib Khorram, he s going to do great things with his writing.

English
09 February 2017

Adib Khorram