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A review by barrettbooks
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"He said it like was a puzzle. One he was enjoying putting together. Even if the pieces didn't quite make sense."
🫖
Darius the Great is Not Okay is a book about a bullied, depressed, nerdy, half-Persian teenager with a complicated relationship with his father visiting his mother's family in Iran for the first time and making a friend.
🇮🇷
I loved this book so much. I love Darius's narration, his creative turns of phrase, the way he relates to the world through metaphor and connection to his interests. The reader, Michael Levi Harris, did a wonderful job of capturing this unique narration in the audiobook. I love his relationships with his family, which are strained and messy and complicated and loving in a way that felt very real. Darius's relationship with Persianness is beautifully depicted: his almost-obsessive observations of the characteristics of true Persians vs fractional Persians; his struggle with the language barrier, with feeling too Persian in America and not Persian enough in Iran; and, occasionally, his euphoria at feeling really Persian is drawn so fully and gracefully in the narrative. The depression of both Darius and his father is so well captured. I was not at all surprised to learn in the afterword that the author has depression as well. The way Darius both describes to others how it feels but also the way the reader can see him getting stuck in a depressive thought pattern through the first person narration is brilliant. I also love that this is not a diagnosis story. Those are important of course, but I love stories of mental illness from the perspective of people who have it, and know they have it, and have a treatment plan, and it is a part of their life. And finally, of course, I love the friendship of Darius and Sohrab. It is so lovely. It is beautiful to see Darius learn to expand his notion of masculinity and male relationships, to find generosity and grace and give that in return. This book made me laugh and also made me sob and I highly recommend it.
🫖
Darius the Great is Not Okay is a book about a bullied, depressed, nerdy, half-Persian teenager with a complicated relationship with his father visiting his mother's family in Iran for the first time and making a friend.
🇮🇷
I loved this book so much. I love Darius's narration, his creative turns of phrase, the way he relates to the world through metaphor and connection to his interests. The reader, Michael Levi Harris, did a wonderful job of capturing this unique narration in the audiobook. I love his relationships with his family, which are strained and messy and complicated and loving in a way that felt very real. Darius's relationship with Persianness is beautifully depicted: his almost-obsessive observations of the characteristics of true Persians vs fractional Persians; his struggle with the language barrier, with feeling too Persian in America and not Persian enough in Iran; and, occasionally, his euphoria at feeling really Persian is drawn so fully and gracefully in the narrative. The depression of both Darius and his father is so well captured. I was not at all surprised to learn in the afterword that the author has depression as well. The way Darius both describes to others how it feels but also the way the reader can see him getting stuck in a depressive thought pattern through the first person narration is brilliant. I also love that this is not a diagnosis story. Those are important of course, but I love stories of mental illness from the perspective of people who have it, and know they have it, and have a treatment plan, and it is a part of their life. And finally, of course, I love the friendship of Darius and Sohrab. It is so lovely. It is beautiful to see Darius learn to expand his notion of masculinity and male relationships, to find generosity and grace and give that in return. This book made me laugh and also made me sob and I highly recommend it.