Darius the Great Is Not Okay Audiobook By Adib Khorram cover art

Darius the Great Is Not Okay

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Darius the Great Is Not Okay

By: Adib Khorram
Narrated by: Michael Levi Harris
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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. 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.

©2018 Adib Khorram (P)2018 Listening Library Depression Depression & Mental Health Difficult Situations Family Family & Relationships Literature & Fiction Multicultural Romance Heartfelt Funny Tearjerking Witty

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Critic reviews

William C. Morris Debut AwardAsian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature; Publishers Weekly Flying Start; TIME's 10 Best Young Adult and Children's Books of 2018; Boston Globe Best Books of 2018; Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2018; BuzzFeed Best YA Books of 2018; Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018; Kirkus Best Books of 2018; New York Public Library's Best Books of 2018; Book Expo Young Adult Buzz Panel Selection; Indies Introduce Selection for Fall 2018; Indie Next Top Ten Pick for Fall 2018

“Layered with complexities of identity, body image and mental illness that are so rarely articulated in the voice of a teenage boy of color. Khorram writes tenderly and humorously about his protagonist’s journey of self-acceptance, making it hard not to want to reach through the pages, squeeze his hand and reassure Darius that he is, in fact, going to be O.K.” (The New York Times)

“Reminiscent of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (better known in movie form as Love, Simon) and Angie Thomas’ phenomenal The Hate U Give, the novel chronicles a politically aware teendom where microaggressions are as much an everyday obstacle as untamed acne and humdrum mall jobs… Darius the Great Is Not Okay will have you craving a freshly steeped tea, an episode of Star Trek, and a glass of faloodeh - all courtesy of one delightful package.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“This is the hilarious and heartbreaking story of Darius: a clinically-depressed, half-Persian lonely American teenage Trekkie who heads to Iran for the first time to meet his mom’s family.” (Cosmopolitan)

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Beautiful Writing • Cultural Richness • Excellent Voice Differentiation • Relatable Protagonist • Emotional Depth
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I am a high school teacher, and I taught this book to a class of students who are low-performing in English. They absolutely LOVED this book! They stayed engaged with the story throughout the entire unit, which is rare for this group of kids. An absolute game changer. 10/10!!!

My students LOVED this book!

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I love this book, and when I say love, I’m in love love with this book. Truly an amazing and inspiring tale. And it’s not a memoir. Truly a beautiful story .

It’s better than OK

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I really enjoyed Darius’s story. My favorite parts were meeting his family members in Iran. I thought there would be more to his story with Sohrab, but I am okay with it simply being a lasting friendship for both of them. I also love the recurrence of “your place was empty” and the way depression is portrayed. Darius’s depression shows with a higher frequency than other stories in which the characters are diagnosed. It was satisfying to finally hear from his father as well.

Good Story

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This is a perfect book, combined with real world experience of a teenager. An absolute must read. :)

Perfect Story!

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When I picked this book for my future reading I thought the cover was cool. That’s it really and I heard about the sequel. I wasn’t expecting to feel like parts of my life were woven into the little scenes here and there. It touched me in so many different ways. I recently lost my grandmother and I was crying by the end of the book because I wished I had one last chance like Darius to have wished her or my grandparents a final goodbye. One that I knew was forever. It’s a great read and may hit a little harder than expected so be careful.

This is definitely a must read

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This is a beautiful book, beautifully written and beautifully performed. Michael Levi Harris does an excellent job with all the different voices and accents. I could always tell who was speaking even without dialog tags. And the accents were never hard to understand. Adib Khorram introduces you to Persian culture very naturally, and offers a unique glimpse into what life is like both for people in Iran--of various faiths and social status as well--and for Persians living in America, all wrapped up in a take about family, friendship, love, and depression.

Insanely Immersive and Profoundly Touching

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Darius the Great is Not Okay was more than okay! It was poignant and heartfelt and educational and insightful.
I loved "being" in Iran with Darius and learning about the culture and history of the area.
His relationship with his grandmother was so precious. This book was heavy on relationships, and not all were good. Although by the end of the book there was hope for some.
I really enjoyed this story, a lot more than I expected. I'm looking forward to listening to the follow-up, Darius the Great Deserves Better. I think Darius is such a compelling character, he stole my heart a little.

I thought the narration was terrific, I'm very glad I listened to the audiobook. Michael Levi Harris did a wonderful job with all the different voices, and there were a lot of them!

Terrific coming of age story.

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Darius the Great is Not OK is a good coming of age story. It addresses father-son dynamics, living in a bi-cultural and multilingual family and dealing with regular teenage emotions alongside the ups and downs of depression. As a teacher I could see some of the chapters leading to great discussions about social and family dynamics that kids deal with in real life. The most awkward scene is when the topic of penises come up when kids are showering after a soccer game because the other kids notice Darius in uncircumcised and looks different.

Solid teen book

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Loved peering into the Persian culture and the world of depression. This is a beautiful story of growth, friendship, and family. The narration is well done, especially the different voices and second-language vocabulary. This story was such a delicious treat each night before bed, I missed the characters after the book ended.

glimpse into a different world and culture

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I loved everything about this book; acceptance, family, love, loss, depression, friendship - it has it all!

Loved the writing and the presentation.

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