Purchase to Support Our Program

“…layered with complexities of identity, body image and mental illness that are so rarely articulated in the voice of a teenage boy of color.” –The New York Times Book Review

Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Written by Adib Khorram
Published by Penguin Group

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 Darious 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.

Primary ISBN: 9780525552963
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback
Middle Grade, Age 12 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , ,

Setting: Iran, United States

Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: 1st Generation

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.