This book explores the depths of teenage Darius’ emotions with an amazing breadth. He is a second generation Persian American who suffers from inherited clinical depression, a troubled relationship with his father and doesn’t really fit in.

When Darius and his family travel to Iran to visit his mother’s parents, Darius copes with an array of new situations and relationships that test and evolve his understanding of himself.

The characters in this book are incredibly well-developed, particularly Darius’s parents, grandparents and friend, Sohrab. Told from Darius’s point of view, there is an inner dialog that adds richness to relationships and the reader’s understanding of what it’s like to be Darius.

The chapters in Iran are filled with Farsi words, religious and family traditions and depictions of the homes, sites and people, making a fascinating and deep setting for Darius (Darioush) to discover himself and for the reader to understand the Iranian people.

Family relationships, mixed-culture families, depression, identity and self-discovery all feed this story. I loved this book.

I loved this book! It was so incredibly amazing! As I read, I was feeling like it would be a four star read for me. As I neared the end, however, and the story began to wrap up to a close, this book sealed a five star rating for me. I highly recommend it to all readers!

I was hesitant to read a YA novel narrated by a teenager who is conflicted by his Persian heritage. But I’m so glad I set my pre-conceived bias aside and read it. I loved this book. I loved the honest voice of Darius, his inner conflict, his struggle with familial and peer relationships, his love of traditions. I highly recommend this novel.

Darius the Great is not Okay is a great depiction of depression, finding your identity, and learning where you come from. I found Darius frustrating as a character, and wanted more development in his friendships and relationships.

I loved Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khoram. I found it easy to relate to Darius even though I have never been a teenage boy. He doesn't quite fit any where. He has issues with his dad. He's bullied. He's an excellent big brother to his sister Laleh. He is in treatment for depression, taking medication. He meets his grandparents for the first time as a teen on his first visit to Iran, and isn't sure he'll fit in there, either. I also loved learning about the Iranian/Persian culture. I enjoyed looking up the various foods and places mentioned in the story. Darius is introspective, sensitive, and constantly learning about himself and his world. The author's writing style brought me right into the story. Sometimes I cried along with Darius. Don't miss this wonderful novel!

This book is my favourite Contemporary YA title! As the mother of a son with anxiety and depression, I was beyond impressed by the accuracy of Darius' struggles. It was as if someone unlocked my heart and poured it's contents directly into a book. Every chapter was touching. I found myself swinging between wanting to fiercely defend Darius and crying (Often on public transit. Sorry to the people stuck sitting next to me). I was also drawn to his extended family and learning about a different culture. Basically, I loved everything about Darius The Great Is Not Okay, and I absolutely love recommending it whenever I get the chance.

Darius the Great is Not Okay is more than “just-an-okay” book . Tell you what, I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this book. I prefer character-driven stories less than plot-driven stories because I tend to get bored easily – especially when all I get was a cycle of how the main character’s day begun and ended and nothing interesting seems to happen. Sure enough, there were times I got bored and felt like this is too plain on the beginning. But surprise! Here I am, giving this a 4 stars rating.

Meet Darius. He loves tea, he’s half Persian half American, he’s a bullying victim, he’s fat, was diagnosed with clinical depression – which according to his doctor, the reason for his severe anxiety, he’s gay and he’s a huge Star Trek fan. At first, I wasn’t quite sure of what to think of him. I couldn’t relate or click (Idk the right term???) with his humor and I thought that he sounded too childish for his age. But as the time goes by I unconsciously changed my mind. I liked Darius, he’s humorous, I did not connect with him in a deep way but he is still relatable (anxiety and depression, hello?). And he’s really just a typical teenager which made it easy to think of him as a friend.

The characters are three-dimensional. All perfect to make everything seem real. I liked them from Darius’ extended Persian family, to Sohrab’s store owner uncle – especially Sohrab. You know that feeling when you met a person for the very first time and you just know that he’s a good guy? And you’re like “Go get him, friend!”? He is so kind and welcoming, it was impossible from the start not to want to know him better. He’s just a good guy.

The struggle of having to deal with two different cultures because you are biracial, navigating with that other part of your identity and dealing with conflicts arising because you must be both at the same time? The struggle of being asked “what are you depressed for?” by the people who do not understand it once they learned that you are depressed? Darius’ insecurities? Darius’ envy towards his sister, his father issues, the way he felt awkward with his Persian relatives? I loved how they were all addressed from the start towards the end.

I may have shed only few tears, but I was really touched for the most part. This unexpectedly made me feel emotional. This is full of heart-warming encounters and relationships that will make you just want to hug your loved ones especially your family at the end. I also loved the family dynamics. It goes through problems and has its own cracks. Their family felt so realistic and normal which made it easy for me to feel like a part of it. This also made me miss my grandparents and appreciate more my grandmother who is still here. I also loved the friendship built between Sohrab and Darius. It all just happened so naturally. It’s lovely.

Aside from the various representations, approximately 85% of the book was set in Iran and most of this was spent with Darius exploring its culture. I really appreciate all the things Darius – and I – learned about Iran and the Persian culture. It felt like I, myself, lived in Iran for a couple of weeks, visited those landmarks in Yazd and drank and ate all those mouth-watering foods and drinks! And the fact that it is an #ownvoices book made me appreciate this even more because this made me completely feel and see where this book is coming from – from the deepest parts of Adib Khorram’s heart. Just beautifully diverse.

I had mixed feelings towards the end. It was still sweet and satisfying. However, I hate that part with Chip on it (but I like Chip, there’s difference, okay?), because I feel like it was too late and that it should have happened earlier in the book. It somehow ruined the ending for me because Chip’s role suddenly felt out of place. I felt like the author just threw the opportunity away from Chip’s character to be a more significant part of this book on the beginning and then suddenly used him in the end for what? for the sake of cliffhanger?

Overall, Darius the Great is Not Okay surprised me a lot. Adib has simple yet engaging and entertaining writing. This is a beautifully diverse book that tells an interesting story and introduces us to a fresh new voice in YA. I wish there would be a book 2!

I really enjoyed this book. I've been meaning to read it since it came out and I finally got around to it! A wonderfully written story about a boy discovering who he really is and how he can be comfortable with that. Dealing with depression isn't easy, nor is being Persian, but Darius takes all that in stride. I enjoyed how genuine Darius was with his feelings and how his narration was very blunt in terms of his observations of his friends, family, and the world around him. Highly recommended.

Darius the Great demonstrates a very important relationship between a boy, his family, and his culture, and while it explores all those growing pains, it does so in the most dreary way possible. Darius was very hard to root for. He takes the tone of tired old YA books, too dull and uncharismatic and intentionally boring to bother pulling any emotional connection out of me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than a lot of YA in a constructive and realistic way. Darius was an interesting character, and his growth throughout the book in terms of his self-identity and relation to others was great to read about.

I loved this book! It was an excellent story, and I also learned a lot because it was set in a different culture than the one I live in. Can't wait to read more by this author!

Darius isn't particularly fond of his lot in life. As a half-Iranian living in Portland, he has never found a way to fit in. Between his depression, his quirkiness, his not-like-everyone-else looks and resulting desire to just he left alone, high school has been a lonely place. So when he ends up in Iran for the first time, to visit his ailing grandfather, a new friend comes as a real surprise. What Darius learns in Iran about friendship, his family and yes, even himself, is at the heart of this funny and poignant coming of age novel.

I loved this book. I loved Darius and his way of looking at the world through the lenses of Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. I loved his penchant for tea and his way of being raw and real about his feelings. I loved the tenderness here, tenderness for family and culture and even for the places in the world that you barely know but yet somehow are a deeply entrenched part of you. The Iranian setting really drew me in. I liked watching a friendship blossom between two boys and while it did sometimes feel like it wasn’t enough time to become as close as they did, I’ve had friendships like that, where it feels from the start like you were actually meant to be friends. While there is some talk of genitalia (he is a teenage boy), there is also so dang much heart that even as an adult woman, I felt incredibly invested in Darius and his journey not just to Iran but to a space where he could begin to find the freedom of being Darius Just As He Is.

This book is beautiful and very truthful. Darius is dealing with clinical depression which isn't often discussed. His dad has it and he has it. You get to understand why this is different that other types of depression and why medication is so important. Also Darius is dealing with identity as a Persian and learning what life is like in Iran.

A great read! I couldn't put this down. Darius is a very memorable character and it was great to see so much diversity!

Although some of the connections didn't appear to get fully developed, Darius the Great is Not Okay was strong in depicting depression in a teen. The friendship between Darius and Sohrab was also fully formed creating a solid base for a story about friendship and displacement.

Darius the Great is Not Okay, and I don’t think I am either. THIS BOOK. It took me a while to read because of a slump but I think that at the end, it cured it. And I’ve had this page opened for at least a two weeks trying to find the words to write this review but it’s been hard and even as I’m typing this now (Because i need this review up asap and i procrastinated enough for a lifetime oops) I’m not sure where my thoughts are going to take me or how they’ll translate into coherent sentences. But the gist of it is, I loved this book. So much.

The writing is quite simple and yet very beautiful and emotionally charged. Darius, the MC, is the type that feels a lot, he feels everything and isn’t ashamed of his feelings, and that shows in his voice. I actually loved reading from his POV, how genuine, real and unfiltered his perspective is, which made the book all the better to read, even when he’s struggling, even when life becomes too much.

Darius the Great is Not Okay is very much a character driven story, there’s no real linear plot to it but there is a lot of character growth, of self-discovery, family love, and all kinds of complicated relationships. I honestly loved reading from Darius‘ perspective so much, he has such an honest genuine voice that I know a lot of teens can relate to, especially depressed teens, heck, even I related to him a lot. He feels so much, all the time, and more often than not is overwhelmed by all his emotions and I really appreciated how okay he is with not being okay. Don’t get me wrong, he struggles. A lot. But most of the time, he rolls with it, he doesn’t try to repress his feelings or pretend he’s Something he isn’t and I think that’s brave and something that teens with depression need to see. I felt like the whole message of this book can be summed up in one sentence: It’s okay not to be okay. And that’s something I needed when I read the book.

The relationships in this book are amazing, every one of them, even the not so great ones. At the start of the book, Darius has never met his grandparents because they live back in Iran and he’s never been so we actually get to witness him forming a bond and breaking down walls that were between them for the first time and that was so heartwarming, especially when it comes to his Mamou (grandma) whom I ABSOLUTELY adored, she’s so soft and affectionate and makes sure to vocally let him know that he’s loved and cared for.

Then comes his relationship with his parents, his mom is a little bit like his Mamou, but then we have his dad with which things are a little more rocky. Well. A lot more rocky. Darius’ dad also has depression and while they were very close when he was a child, there’s a rift between them now that only seems to get bigger. His dad basically blames him for being bullied as well as fatshames him over and over. It’s rought but I love how it was all so deep and complex and well handled.

Then my favourite. The softest, cutest, best male friendship I’ve ever read. When he goes back to Iran, Darius meets his grandparents’ neighbour, Sohrab, a boy his age with whom he forms an immediate bond. And I adored that there was no trace of toxic masculinity anywhere, both were so open and honest witth each other, never afraid of showing their emotions in front of each other, they basically becomes best friends in the span of a few weeks. Which reminds me, I’ve seen in quite a few places that Darius is gay, which, unless the author said it and I missed it, is stated nowhere in the book. I conceed that he is heavily queer coded but he reads more on the aroace spectrum than anything else. But again, no specific words are used in the book so no *official* representation, it’s just coding, and someone else might read him differently.

I would highly highly recommend Darius the great is not okay for anyone looking for fat and depression representation, and obviously Iranian too. But also. Really anyone who loves a good book exploring human relationships in a genuine way.

When I started reading Darius the Great Is Not Okay, I was taken in immediately by the main character. Darius feels like an outsider at his own school as one of the few Persian kids, and he’s very focused on his own thoughts throughout the book. It was fascinating to see the world through his eyes; he really felt like a real person. The book does a good job at portraying depression, both with Darius and his father who experience depression in different ways. It’s an important message for people who are depressed themselves or who wish to understand more about depression.

The strongest themes in this book involved family and friends. Darius comes to Iran for the first time and meets his extended family, particularly his dying grandfather. The experience also leads to him making a new friend, Sohrab, and becoming closer to his father. I really loved all the details about Persian culture and that Darius had something he was passionate about: tea. Not to mention all the wonderful references to Star Trek and Lord of the Rings.

It’s really interesting to see the differences in American and Iranian culture, particularly the rules for politeness and how each culture views mental illness. In Iran, Darius’s mental illness was not taken seriously, so he had to educate those he grew close to. It was nice to see that both cultures shared an appreciation for soccer (also called football), and I really liked that Darius began to enjoy the sport.

I would recommend this to readers who appreciate a character-driven story rich with culture, family bonds, friendship, and a good portrayal of depression.

Darius The Great Is Not Okay was honestly one of my favorite books of the year.
Darius is not exactly popular at his school. Too different and often bullied, his great loves in life are food.... and tea. He is proud of his Persian heritage, although he has never been to Iran and only met his mother's side of his family through video chats. He struggles to connect with his distant father (called the "uber mensch" in his head), while also wanting to be a good big brother... as long as no one sees. When his family decides to travel to Iran to meet his dying grandfather and the family he's never met, Darius must come to grips to with both halves of himself.
What truly gives this book heart are the relationships Darius has with the other characters. Readers are invited in and get to experience the joys and sometimes complications of connecting with family that loves you but are virtual strangers. It is in Iran that Darius makes his first friend. Who almost seems too perfect until he lashes out angrily when his father is jailed. This is a book that exists in the spaces. Nothing major happens, yet by the end you feel like one of the family. Like sips of warm tea, Darius The Great Is Not Okay warms from the inside out.

Plot in a sentence: Darius has no friends, a bad relationship with his dad and depression but when his family goes to Iran to visit his dying grand father, he finds more than a connection to his Persian roots.

This review is based on an ARC given to me by Penguin. This novel was released on August 28th 2018. (So you can already buy it! GO!)

Recommended age: 12 and up

Diversity:

Mental illness: Darius and his father have depression.
Race: Much of the cast is Persian.

Who will love this book:

Readers who like touching, family-centered stories.

What I liked about this book:

This book was constantly making me laugh and tear up.
Most of my knowledge of Iran comes from Persopolis. Khorram gives a fascinating glimpse of both the country and of Persian culture.
I could completely relate to Darius with his depression and his love of Star Trek and tea.
Darius’ journey to make friends and reconnect with his family (both his Persian family and his father) was both complicated and touching.

If you liked this book, read: You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins for another story about family and discovering your roots.

When I started reading Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, it didn’t immediately strike me that I was in for a treat for it is a book that only grows on you page by page. Once I had completed reading it, I realized just what a strong message it has for young people who are battling social awkwardness, body shaming and racial slurs.
Darius Kellner born to a German American father and a Persian mother faces racial snubs and jibes at his school and the first thought that strikes the reader is: growing up angst, tick; coming of age, tick; race and multicultural theme, tick. Clinical depression also stalks Darius and his father. When Darius with his family travel to Iran to meet his grand parents, he comes face to face with his roots and the history of his mother’s country but find that he doesn’t fit in there. Enter Sohrab who bonds with him and so begins a friendship that will also have its tests and lessons, the most crucial being that there are hardships one cannot come to terms with but find a way to live with.
The theme of clinical depression makes a solid entry towards the finale of the book and left me in tears: the bonding between Darius and his father and the former’s realization of his mother’s journey in an alien country was very moving. Will recommend this for sure!