Darius the Great is Not Okay | 
pickA friend recommended this book to me, & I‘m glad I listened to it because I got to hear the Farsi pronounced correctly instead of me butchering it in my head. I got a little emotional towards the end, a really good story about Darius going to visit family in Iran for the first time. He deals with depression, bullies at school, negative thoughts, & relationship with his dad. Also learned a lot about culture, a bonus to a great YA story.
pickThis has been sitting on my tbr for ages and I read it at the right time. There were some quirks I didn‘t like but the overall feeling was very warm. And I learned so much about Persian culture, especially the food!
pickI loved this book so much. From my banned book subscription.
pickThis was a really lovely, quiet novel. Darius doesn't feel comfortable with his American peers or his long distance family members in Iran. When they travel to visit his grandparents, he struggles to feel connected to his family's culture. I loved the relationships built throughout, the strained one with his father and the new bond with Sohrab. It delves into some deeper topics like depression and platonic masculinity.
#QueerBC @PuddleJumper
pickDarius feels like he doesn‘t belong anywhere. Maybe a trip to Iran to meet his mother‘s family for the first time will allow him the space to find himself.
Oof. I related to Darius a lot. Depression from a young age combined with complicated relationships with his parents & younger siblings that feel like they‘re replacing you? I felt that deep in my chest. It‘s a slow book, & not a lot happens, but once we were in Iran, I was hooked. 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
pickThis was my May #queerbc read. I adore this book. There was so much I appreciate about the book, but I think what stuck out the most was the representation of masculine platonic affection in the book. It's an interesting contrast and challenge of the Western concept of masculinity and was utterly refreshing. I highly recommend this one.
pickDarius Kellner, a high school sophomore (which makes him what, 15 or 16?) and his family go on a trip to Yazd in Iran where he meets his mother's family for the first time.
I enjoyed this story of a teenage boy trying to navigate a culture unfamiliar to him when he doesn't really fit in at home either. ⬇
#teaandabook
I recently found my stash of genmaicha, which had disappeared during my last move, so time to re-read this
pickDarius is the best book about adolescent depression I think I‘ve ever read. I loved his family, and felt for him as he met his family in Iran for the first time. His feelings of not fitting in, of feeling like an “other”, were relatable. I‘d definitely recommend this to any teens, but especially to anyone struggling with mental health or who feel like having immigrant parents set them apart from peers.
Darius Kellner, born in America, & a self-described Fractional Persian visits Yazd for the first time in his life with his younger sister & his mother & father due to his grandfather's terminal disease. Darius filters the world through LoTr & Star Trek references, making for often funny observations but these are heightened by his own difficulties with mental health issues. This is a YA novel. but I found it to be free of a lot of the (CONT)
pickEngaging coming of age story. Darius is half Iranian on his mother‘s side. His family goes to Iran for a brief visit to say their good-byes to his terminally ill grandfather. While there, Darius learns to accept himself and his clinical depression.
#Alphabetgame #LetterD
I loved Darius relationship with his grandmother. A beautiful book about transcultural identity, mental health, sexuality, family relations.
I also enjoyed: Duma Key; Discovery of Witches; Dark Matter YES! The Death of Mrs. Westaway
#AlphabetGame #LetterD
It had to be Darius the Great is Not Okay! This is such a great book. It is written from the POV of a teenager with depression and does a great job at showing how insidious depression can be, how much it influences your thoughts and actions
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
pickSuch a sweet but effective book on Mental Health!
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
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!
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.
so-so
