Darius the Great is Not Okay | 
pickDarius annoyed me so much - I think he annoyed himself and everyone else, too. Then I got to know him and his depression and I felt close to him with every meal and every tea time. Quick read that inspired a lot of empathy (and hunger - the food sounds so good!)
This is honestly been the week from hell so this was a very nice treat to come home too and the title is very fitting. Thank you @Bookgoil #litsylove
I have such a book hangover from this! I'm not ready to start the sequel and nothing else seems worth reading.
pickReading a book that takes place in Iran at an Italian restaurant in NYC felt a bit… off 😆 but the meal was delicious and the book was sweet.
It‘s a lovely coming of age story about “Fractional Persian” Darius‘ family, friendships, and mental health — and surprisingly zero romance (that‘s what the sequel is for)
“We have a saying in Farsi. It translates ‘your place was empty.‘ We say it when we miss somebody.”
#ya #bookclub #teachersoflitsy
pickPhenomenal book! I found this incredibly emotional to read. The main character, Darius, has chronic depression and the book is from his point of view so you see his life and thoughts through the lens of his depression.
I wasn't diagnosed with depression until my mid twenties but I definitely had it from a very young age. Many parts of this were uncomfortably familiar because I remember thinking the same kinds of things.
pick#bookspin @TheAromaofBooks
Finally got to my bookspin for this month. I really liked the view into another culture.
pickLike Junie, Darius shows courage as he navigates through life with clinical depression. On his first trip to Iran, he embraces the opportunity to learn about friendship, his family, and his cultural heritage. I loved the gentle pace of this book. This was my September #BookSpin pick.
#BookSpinBINGO
pickTook me a minute to find my groove with this one, but I loved it by the end! I love that there isn't actually a romantic love story in this, but the relationships are still meaningful and important. Really fills a niche I hadn't noticed was empty before. #yalit
pickI cried my heart out at this book. I loved it so much. I actually really cared about the characters. This book was just so great. Definitely a five star read for me and one of the best books I‘ve read in a while. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!
I‘ll be mailing it out today. Thanks for a great round of #LMPBC !!
pickWhat a beautiful book for its content. There are various important topics, the most important is depression, but also, cultural identity, friendship, family support, family relations, importance of communication. According to the author, some parts are from his life since he suffers from depression. We see beautiful friendship? or an early romance? or a discovery of how Darius identified himself? Beautiful descriptions of Iran‘s culture❤️4⭐️
pickI really enjoyed this! It tells the story of an Iranian-American boy who goes to Iran to visit his family and comes to know himself and his family better as a result. It also really made me crave Persian food!
This came in the mail today. I‘m looking forward to getting into it. How is it already almost the end of this round of #LMPBC? Did it go fast or is it just me? Hope you all have a good weekend!!
pickI could barely read the last forty pages I was crying so much. An amazing, amazing book.
pickI stayed up late last night to finish this one! I definitely felt a connection to Darius. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
@PandaPanda I‘m getting this one in the mail for you today!
@Bianca @slategreyskies @suvata
#LMPBC #GROUPU
pickJust finished this yesterday for my #LMPBC pick for #GroupU. It was pretty good!
It's off to the next person today!
#Round11
@Alfrazier21 @slategreyskies @PandaPanda
pickA sweet tale of Darius experiencing his heritage in Iran for the first time and falling in love with the town, his extended family and a new best friend. Told through Darius‘ eyes all his experiences are related within the context of his depression and mental health. A really good read. It‘s also worth reading for the beautiful descriptions of the food and tea!
pickSweet and poignant story of a teen boy dealing with all the usual teen torments, along with a trip to Iran to visit his dying grandfather. Darius has depression, and that comes through strongly in the text. I felt for him, and I really felt for his mom. The Iranian setting was so vibrant, especially considering that Khorram hasn't ever actually been to Iran (I was shocked to read that). The writing was just a bit twee for me.
I‘ve noticed this trend in YA where the author will have a paragraph explaining something and then one sentence broken out at the end with a sort of sarcastic joke. It‘s getting a little tired. Is there a word or a phrase for this kind of writing style? (It might not be new; I might just not read enough YA to have noticed before.)
Thank you so much @Louise for the great birthday snail mail treat! Looking forward to the books but can I just say how in love I am with the Michelle Obama pencil case! I‘ve actually been looking for a pencil case so this was perfectly timed! Thanks so much! Will write soon!
Lunchtime reading! (But ughhhh, today is so full of aggravation that I just want to hide out down here and keep reading. 😑) #dariusthegreatisnotokay #adibkhorram
pickWhat a great discovery! ❤️ I was so deeply moved by this story and really got into Persian culture. So sad, that there's no persian restaurant anywhere near from where I live...
pickLove, love, love this book! Told through the lens of a high school boy who travels to Iran to visit relatives, this is a story of self-discovery, the importance of friendship, and what it means to be family. ❤️ The author does a fantastic job of helping readers understand depression as well as Iranian culture. Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #oregonbattleofthebooks
pickThis book really sat with me and I think will set with me, especially the ending. The author of this novel suffers from depression and wanted to tell a story where a character lives through depression. The depression is not the focus per say, but creeps up on Darioush in every day situations. It was also a great read to learn about Iranian culture.
pickHigh schooler Darius, a self-described Fractional Persian, doesn‘t feel like he fits in anywhere—not even in his own family. But then he goes to Iran for the first time in his life, where he meets his grandparents, explores his Iranian heritage, and makes his first true friend who accepts Darius as he is. Darius‘s emotional journey is just as captivating as his geographical journey. I dare you to read this and not fall in love with his story! 💙
pickBook 10 of 30 books in 30 days. This is my July book club pick and I got ahead of myself. I was disappointed to learn after reading the book and being fascinated by the culture in Iran that this author isn‘t from there and has never been. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable read.
pickI learned a lot about Iranian culture and food from this YA novel. It also does a great job explaining depression. This was the first audiobook that I tried listening to when I awoke at 2 am and it always put me to sleep. A huge plus!
pickThis book-whew. I absolutely loved it and think it should be read by everyone. It was refreshing to read a book that shows normal, healthy friendships among teenage boys, and that it shouldn‘t be abnormal to be emotional just because you are a boy. The openness when it came to mental health was done very well. The majority of the book is set in Iran, so cultural differences were also explored. Adib Khorram weaved all of this together seamlessly.
pickI loved how this book addresses mental health, heritage, bullying and just figuring out who you really were and being okay with it. I am so glad that this book is out there for teen reads. I can‘t wait to read more about Darius in August!
#booked2020 Pan Asian Author.
pickLess plot driven and more character driven, this book gave insight into adolescence in general and being of blended (or as Darius says, fractional) heritage.
Even if you don‘t normally drink tea, you will want a steaming cup of Oolong while you watch Darius grow.
pickA really great YA read about a teenager exploring his identity (his mother is Iranian) - issues of bullying, depression, experiencing life in a different culture (the family visits Iran for the first time). I love that Darius loves tea. He works in a tea store! He buys his grandmother a gift of tea! And he hope for an internship in tea! ☕️ 🍵
pickI first discovered this title on an article on Bookriot about YA books depicting mental illness. I listened to the audio version through Libby.
What I liked: I absolutely fell in love with this book. Darius is one of those narrators that just has this special kind of sneaky charisma about him that you can‘t help but immediately love him.
amicryingorlaughing.home.blog/2020/04/06/review-darius-the-great-is-not-okay-by-adib-khorram/
My husband was diagnosed with depression at 15. Having seen first hand his struggle with this illness, I appreciate books like this that show the reality of living with a #mentalillness.
I highly recommend this book. 🙌
And for those Littens who struggle with a mental illness, know there are those of us who appreciate you continuing to fight even on the bad days. 😍 Don't give up 💚
#MagnificentMarch @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620
pickI absolutely love that books such as this one are available for teens to read. 💚
Darius is such a great character who is fighting to make some sense out of why he doesn't fit in. This book deals with depression, suicide, bullying, and so many other important topics.
It made me experience a wide range of emotions and I loved the journey!
I really enjoyed The Outsiders this weekend! Definitely not my favorite, but I enjoyed the writing, and I think it will hook some reluctant readers. Taking a break from required school reads now for Darius the Great. This one‘s been on my list for a while, and I‘m liking it so far! And just for fun, a cute picture of Bella from yesterday ☺️
pickThis book was not what I expected and I am so glad it wasn‘t. I love YA but sometimes it all feels the same, and this story was so different! It‘s about Mental Health, Family, heritage and most of all friendship. It made me cry! All the Star Trek references repeatedly kind of bugged me, which is my only complaint.. the story itself was fantastic.
pickThis was so good! I can‘t explain how much this book spoke to me. It made me think of my own depression, all my mixed and Persian friends and it had Bahaí representation which I have never read in a book before! 5/5?
Coming August 19th 💃💃💃💃
Also - this book isn‘t in the database yet and didn‘t know how to add it. 😬
Started a new book because I just need to rest and wait until the floors are dry before doing more chores. That‘s my excuse anyway 😂
pickI‘ve been so lucky to read some really great YA this year that I wished was around back in my day. Darius is a Star Trek The Next Generation/LOTR loving, Persian American, nerd (I mean this in the best way possible) who deals with depression and being picked on and trying to find his place in this world. His grandfather falls ill and his family goes to Iran to visit where he makes a new friend and comes into his own. Easily a new favorite. Pick!!
This young American teenager is meeting his grandmother for the first time in Iran and there are some simple sounding sentences that just blindside you in here. Oof.
pickBefore I start let me just say that Darius sneezes a lot throughout the book and says “Um“ way way too many times! That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. Darius is getting teased at school and feeling underloved by his dad. His grandfather has a brain tumor so the family goes to Iran to visit him. That's where the story takes off and Darius “grows“ up, meets his best friend and connects with his dad.
4 stars
pickOh I really enjoyed this book! All the feels. For someone who has been diagnosed with Major Depression in my early YA years, there was so so much I could relate to. So so good.
so-so
