Darius the Great is not okay /
Material type: TextSeries: Darius the great ; bk.1 | Darius the great ; bk.1Publisher: New York, NY : Dial Books, [2018]Description: 314 pages ; 22 cmContent type:- text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9780525552963
- 0525552960
- Friendship -- Fiction
- Grandparents -- Fiction
- Depression, Mental -- Fiction
- Iranian Americans -- Fiction
- Americans -- Iran -- Fiction
- Friendship -- Juvenile fiction
- Grandparents -- Juvenile fiction
- Depression, Mental -- Juvenile fiction
- Iranian Americans -- Juvenile fiction
- Americans -- Iran -- Juvenile fiction
- LGBTQ
- A.R. 4.7
- Reading Counts: GREEN
- Iran -- Fiction
- Iran -- Juvenile fiction
- Iran
- [Fic] 23
- PZ7.1.K5362 Dar 2018
Item type | Current library | Home library | Collection | Call number | Copy number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Standard Loan | Hayden Library Young Adult Fiction | Hayden Library | Book | KHORRAM (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Checked out | 06/11/2024 | 50610022069004 | ||
Standard Loan | Liberty Lake Library Young Adult Fiction | Liberty Lake Library | Book | YA KHORRAM (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 31421000599200 | ||||
Standard Loan | Wallace Junior/Senior High School Library Young Adult Fiction | Wallace Junior/Senior High School Library | Book | KHORRAM/AR 4.7 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 50610013185397 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
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-winningauthor 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.
Clinically-depressed Darius Kellner, a high school sophomore, travels to Iran to meet his grandparents, but it is their next-door neighbor, Sohrab, who changes his life.
Excerpt provided by Syndetics
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
First-time author Khorram's coming-of-age novel brings to life the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of a culture steeped in tradition. After learning that her Iranian father is ailing, high school sophomore Darius's mother decides to take the family to visit her father and relatives in Iran. Suffering from chronic depression and bullied at school in America, Darius isn't sure how he'll fare in a country he's never seen. It doesn't take him long to adjust as people welcome him with open arms, however, especially after he meets Sohrab, his grandparents' teenaged neighbor, who invites him to play soccer and quickly becomes Darius's first real friend ever. While the book doesn't sugarcoat problems in the country (unjust imprisonment and an outdated view of mental illness are mentioned), it mainly stays focused on the positive-Iran's impressive landscape and mouthwatering food, the warmth of its people-as it shows how a boy who feels like an outcast at home finds himself and true friendship overseas. Ages 12-up. Agent: Molly O'Neill, Waxman Leavell. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Darius is a bullied American teenager dealing with numerous stigmas. His mom is Persian and his "Übermensch" dad is white. He is overweight. He takes medication for depression. He is a devotee of artisanal tea, Star Trek (all seasons), and Tolkien. And there is an unspoken awareness that Darius is gay. He is certain that he is a constant disappointment to his father who also takes antidepressants, which they both consider a weakness. When his family travels to Iran to see his mother's parents because his grandfather (Babou) is dying, Darius experiences shifting perceptions about the country, his extended family, and himself. Debut author Khorram presents meticulous descriptions and explanations of food, geography, religion, architecture, and English translations of Farsi for readers unfamiliar with Persian culture through characters' dialogue and Darius's observations. References to Tolkien, Star Trek, and astronomy minutiae, on the other hand, may be unclear for uninitiated readers. Despite the sometimes overly didactic message about the importance of chronic depression treatment, Darius is a well-crafted, awkward but endearing character, and his cross-cultural story will inspire reflection about identity and belonging. VERDICT A strong choice for YA shelves. Give this to fans for Adam Silvera and John Corey Whaley.-Elaine Fultz, Madison Jr. Sr. High School, Middletown, OH © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Booklist Review
Darius Kellner has more than his share of teen troubles to manage: racist bullies, clinical depression, complications with his father, and feeling like a misfit. So he does not expect much when his family travels to Iran to visit his maternal grandparents. Darius is a keen observer of life and very much aware of his emotional mechanisms. He is loving, sensitive, and a connoisseur of tea: steeping, drinking, sharing with family. He views the world through analogies to Star Trek and the Lord of the Rings trilogy in ways that are sometimes endearing and other times cumbersome. The trip to Iran opens new places of tenderness as Darius connects with people, places, and history that feel simultaneously familiar and new. But most significant is his friendship with Sohrab, which is tinged with an intimacy that suggests it is something more than platonic. This is a refreshing bildungsroman and an admirable debut novel that will leave readers wanting more. Hand to readers of Sara Farizan's Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel (2014) and soul-searching teens.--Amina Chaudhri Copyright 2018 BooklistHorn Book Review
Sophomore Darius Kellner doesnt fit in at his Oregon high school, where hes bullied by Trent Bolger and his Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy. But Darius also doesnt fit comfortably in his own life due to clinical depression, confusion about his half-Persian heritage, and constant awareness of his white bermensch fathers disappointment in him. Darius has only met his mothers family over Skype, but when the news comes that his grandfather is dying, the family embarks on an extended trip to Iran. Here the book ripens into an exploration of understanding ones identityboth personally and culturally. When Darius meets his grandparents neighbor Sohrab, a Bah young man, in Yazd, a tender and natural friendship begins. Unlike the Level Seven Awkward Silences he shares with his stern father, the teen feels comfortable and safe with this virtual stranger: I could be silent with Sohrab. Thats how I knew we were going to be friends. Khorrams debut novel is an affectionate portrait of Iran: the food and aromas, the rich traditions and eclectic culture; the somewhat choppy first-person narrative also explains Farsi phrases and their complex etymology. As Dariuss palpable discomfort begins to give way, readers will understand that home can be more than the physical place you live, and that people who make you feel at home can come into your life unexpectedly. katrina Hedeen (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Kirkus Book Review
Darius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him. When Darius' grandfather becomes terminally ill, Darius, along with his parents and younger sister, travels to Iran for the first time in his life. Iranian on his mother's side and white American on his father's side, Darius never quite fits in. He's mocked for his name and nerdy interests at Chapel Hill High School in Portland, Oregon, and doesn't speak enough Farsi to communicate with his Iranian relatives either. When he arrives in Iran, learning to play the Persian card game Rook, socializing, and celebrating Nowruz with a family he had never properly met before is all overwhelming and leaves Darius wondering if he'll ever truly belong anywhere. But all that changes when Darius meets Sohrab, a Baha'i boy, in Yazd. Sohrab teaches Darius what friendship is really about: loyalty, honesty, and someone who has your back in a football (soccer) match. For the first time in a long time, Darius learns to love himself no matter what external forces attempt to squash his confidence. Khorram's debut novel is filled with insight into the lives of teens, weaving together the reality of living with mental illness while also dealing with identity and immigration politics.This tear-jerker will leave readers wanting to follow the next chapter in Darius' life. (Fiction. 12-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.Author notes provided by Syndetics
Adib Khorram is an author, a graphic designer, and a tea enthusiast. If he's not writing (or at his day job), you can probably find him trying to get his 100 yard Freestyle (SCY) under a minute, or learning to do a Lutz Jump. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.There are no comments on this title.