Darius the Great Is Not Okay

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No,” I said. “I promise. Ahab is a good name. And I’m proud of you for knowing it. It’s from a very famous book.” And even though I hated getting shuffled around and grabbed by my love handles, my rubbery constipated face did relax into a smile. Darius the Great Is Not Okay brings Iran alive, with sounds and smells and imagery, and you’ll tearfully be rooting for Darius as he struggles with this mental health, identity, and his place in the world.” It's just hard," I said. "Everyone knows everyone. And everyone speaks Farsi. And everyone knows the dances. And I..." ..."Darioush." Sohrab bumped my shoulder again. "No one wants me here." "Everyone wants you here. We have a saying in Farsi. It translates to 'your place was empty'. We say it when we miss somebody." I sniffed. "Your place was empty before. But this is your family. You belong here.” First-time author Khorram’s coming-of-age novel brings to life the sight, sounds, smells, and tastes of [Iran] . . . as it shows how a boy who feels like an outcast at home finds himself and true friendship overseas.”

Darius the Great Is Not Okay Summary - LitCharts Darius the Great Is Not Okay Summary - LitCharts

Darius the Great Is Not Okay is a young adult novel by Adib Khorram, originally published August 28, 2018, by Dial Books. The book has received various awards and has been translated into eight languages (Russian, Japanese, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, and Dutch). [1] Darius the Great Is Not Okay follows the personal journey of Darius Kellner, an Iranian–American teenager with clinical depression, as he makes a best friend for life, reconnects with his grandparents, and repairs his relationship with his father. If I had been drinking tea at that moment, I would have imitated Javaneh Esfahani and shot it out of my nose. Babou insists on taking everyone to the Atashkadeh, the Zoroastrian fire temple, the next day. But when the family arrives, Babou isn’t feeling well, so he and Mamou stay in the car. It’s a sobering experience for Darius, as he thinks about Babou’s mortality while staring at the ceremonial flames that have been burning for about 1,500 years. When the family gets home, Darius finds Mom looking at photo albums. She shows him a photo of Dad holding baby Darius, which makes them both sad: if only Dad and Darius could act like father and son, and if only it was easy like it seems in the photo.

Some profanity ("bulls--t," "a--hole," "crap," "d--k"). A character uses some unusual homophobic slurs: "Dairy Queen."

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - SuperSummary Darius the Great Is Not Okay - SuperSummary

It’s Nowruz a few days later. Darius starts the day feeling secure in his identity and in his place in his family. He feels even better when Sohrab gifts him a soccer jersey for the Iranian national team. But his uncle Dayi Soheil calls Darius fat, and Dayi Jamsheed suggests Darius isn’t very Persian since he doesn’t like cucumbers. Even Dad seems to fit in better than Darius, since he plays Rook with Babou and Darius’s uncles. Darius and Sohrab sit in the garden, talking about Darius’s fraught relationship with Dad and how Darius doesn’t feel like he fits in. Sohrab also reveals that he’s here with only his mom, Khanum Rezaei, because Sohrab’s dad was wrongfully arrested and imprisoned years ago, just for being Bahá’í. He’s now in solitary confinement in a Tehran prison, and Sohrab worries he won’t see his dad again. Most Haft-Seens have vinegar and sumac and sprouts and apples and pudding and dried olives and garlic on them—all things that start with the sound of Sin Farsi. Some people add other things that don’t begin with Sto theirs too: symbols of renewal and prosperity, like mirrors and bowls of coins. And some families—like ours—have goldfish too. Mom said it had something to do with the zodiac and Pisces, but then she admitted that if it weren’t for Laleh, who loved taking care of the goldfish, she wouldn’t include them at all.Our mission is to foster a universal passion for reading by partnering with authors to help create stories and communicate ideas that inform, entertain, and inspire. Sometimes I can’t help crying. Okay? Sometimes bad shit happens. Sometimes people are mean to me and I cry. Sorry for being such a target. Sorry for disappointing you. Again.”

Darius the Great Series by Adib Khorram - Goodreads

Darius the Great is Not Okay is, in many ways, the story of how its titular teenage character learns to be part of his family. Family, Darius learns, isn’t just about being related to someone by blood. Rather, it’s about the support that family members show each other that makes a family. Darius begins the novel feeling cut off from most of his family members. He and Dad have a fraught relationship, while Darius’s only interactions with his Iranian maternal grandparents, Mamou and Babou, have been over Skype. As such, Darius doesn’t feel particularly connected to Dad, Mamou, or Babou. When it comes to his relationship with Dad, Darius also feels like he’ll never be able to please his seemingly perfect, exacting father for various reasons. This leads Darius to feel generally alone and unsupported. Nearly every car parked on the street (or occasionally up on the curb) was light-colored and angular, makes and models I had never seen before. I wanted to know the things Mom wouldn't think to tell me. Things she knew but never said out loud, because they were a part of her. Dad smiled and waved and stood up. My knees were getting sore, so I did the same, and edged toward the door. Darius takes the self-confidence he built while in Iran and continues to build on it throughout the story -- at his job, on the soccer field, with a new group of friends. When the Kellner family face financial hard times, they work together, supporting and encouraging one another. Darius' soccer coach offers a lesson in how to counter "toxic masculinity" on a sports team. Before games and practices, she has them circle up, hold hands, go around the circle saying something kind or helpful a teammate has done for them.This is an incredible story of friendship, family, and identity that you absolutely won't regret reading.” Horning, Kathleen T. (2019). CCBC choices 2019. Merri V. Lindgren, Megan Schliesman, Madeline Tyner, University of Wisconsin--Madison. Cooperative Children's Book Center. Madison, Wisconsin. ISBN 978-0-931641-29-9. OCLC 1096332792. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) A love letter to anyone who has felt uncomfortable in their own skin and wondered where exactly they belonged. A big-hearted and marvelous debut.” They don’t know you, Darioush.” Sohrab grabbed my shoulder. “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” Upon discovering his babou (Darius's mom's dad) has a brain tumor, the family decides to take a trip to the desert city of Yazd, Iran, where Darius's grandparents live. Darius has not seen his grandparents in a long time, and has only talked to them through video calls, but Darius speaks little Farsi compared to his mom and sister, so he easily gets lost in the conversations. Upon arriving, Darius instantly connects with his mamou (grandmother), but struggles to get to know his babou.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - LitCharts Darius the Great Is Not Okay - LitCharts

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more 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. Trudon, Taylor (October 12, 2018). "Young Adult Books That Plunge Into the Ecstasies, and Agonies, of Teenage Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved January 1, 2022. 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.The Walden Award". Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE. July 30, 2021 . Retrieved January 1, 2022. I pulled down Dad’s bottle and set it on the counter, then popped the lid off my own and shook out my pills. You know, he is okay,” Mamou said. She glanced at Mom and said, “Jamsheed took him to the doctor today.”