
Darius the Great Is Not Okay
Penguin Young Readers Group · Paperback · August 20, 2019
Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran.
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- Who it’s for
- A warm, serious YA read that blends cultural curiosity with emotional honesty.
- Genres
- YA LGBTQ+, Depression for Teens, Coming of Age
- Published
- Penguin Young Readers Group, August 20, 2019
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Start with this bookAbout this book
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.
Continue reading
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.
Why It Landed
A warm, serious YA read that blends cultural curiosity with emotional honesty.
Come here for
- warm, serious YA voice
- cultural curiosity with emotional texture
Expect
- steady immersion
- coming-of-age intimacy
Where it sits
| YA LGBTQ+ | 51% |
|---|---|
| Depression for Teens | 44% |
| Coming of Age | 36% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Multigenerational YA Stories
- Middle East for Teens
- Depression for Teens
- Authors
- Adib Khorram
- Publisher
- Penguin Young Readers Group
- Published
- August 20, 2019
- Format
- Paperback
- Reading lane
- Multigenerational YA Stories