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. Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award "Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I'd live in this book forever if I could." -Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's a Fractional Persian-half, his ...
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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. Winner of the William C. Morris Debut Award "Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I'd live in this book forever if I could." -Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's a Fractional Persian-half, his mom's side-and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he's sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn't exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they're spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city's 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. Adib Khorram's brilliant debut is for anyone who's ever felt not good enough-then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.
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Add this copy of Darius the Great is Not Okay to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by More Than Words rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by Dial Books.
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I knew going into this book that I was going to love but I was not expecting to LOVE it. Like one of the best books I have read love it (and sorry CBB, I am handing your crown of best book of the year over to Darius). The main reason why I love it was that I understand what Darius is going through. I understand the questions and not always getting social cues and finding your best friend. I cried during the last 50 pages. I have never done that while reading a book before. I teared up when Rue died, I felt sad at the ending of The Book Thief but I never *cried*. So I can no longer call be a called a heartless wench by my best friend, even though she totally will still.
Don't read this book on an empty stomach. After a really big meal because this is the type of book that you want to read in one sitting. I almost did but work got in the way so I had to finish it the next day. But to the point that I was really trying to make is that the food descriptions are amazing. I want to eat it all and since this is contemporary I actually can!!! I am hoping to make Faludeh, a dessert made with rose water syrup and noodles made from rice or potato starch, and I love anything rose water so I have high hopes for it. And Darius has a real love of tea, though the traditional way to make Persian tea is to put cardamon which I don't exactly care for so I think we would make different types of tea; point being the love for tea is still there.
And speaking of love, this book was spoken of as a similar one to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. I do see the similarities, both Darius and Aristotle find friendship and themselves through the book. However, unlike Aristotle, Darius comes to the realization of how much he does love Sohrab but he doesn't really approach this to the extent that Aristotle did. But don't get me wrong the ending was heartfelt and I liked how it helped Darius with overcoming his depression. As of right now and to my knowledge, this is a standalone but there is so much room to continue Darius's story and I would love to read more about him.
spellbindingstories
Aug 28, 2018
Emotional, with Unwavering Authenticity
Books like these demonstrate why representation and diversity are so important in fiction. I had entered the book anticipating it to as a cute romance, but I found myself surprised yet untroubled by its absence (I mean, there are some hints at romantic feelings, but you have to squint as much as Sohrab to really see it). Rather than focus on romance, the story is centered on identity and Darius's struggle with depression. By the end of the book, I had a river of tears streaming down my face. Protagonists such as Darius are rare finds, yet he is the most authentic character I've read about in a long time. His pain, his anger, and his worry are all palpable and easy for readers to recognize their own emotions in. No matter who you are, you'll find yourself drawn into this story and no matter whether you are like the leading character or his exact opposite, you'll be able to learn something from this book.
While I absolutely loved this book, one thing that might bug some readers is that the entire book kind of ignores the unofficial "show, don't tell" rule of writing fiction. While I'm sure a lot of readers will get annoyed by this, I surprisingly liked it. It took awhile to get used to, but I felt like it really worked for this story and I can see why the author chose to tell the story in this manner. Throughout the novel, readers are essentially trapped inside Darius's head the same way he is trapped by his depression. The writing style doesn't allow us to leave his head by showing us what is really happening and, instead Darius filters information to tell us his interpretation of events and individuals. It really places the reader in his position which works perfectly for the message this book delivers. It sounds weird, and I'm sure many others will disagree, but I really appreciated it.
