It’s that time of year—Christmas in July! Be sure to check out my blog post and Beat the Heat with Christmas in July.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I just finished reading Darius the Great is Not Okay, by Adib Khorram. A great showcase of Persian culture, family relationships, and depression, this YA book would definitely be on my recommended reads. The descriptions of the buildings and historic sites in Iran, Persian cuisine, and tea are rich and fascinating. As a teen living in a dual-culture home suffering from mental illness, the relationships are often fraught as Darius tries to find his way in the world.
I see from Amazon that there is a sequel as well, Darius the Great Deserves Better. I’m sure I will go on to read it at some point. Khorram’s writing is engaging and the characters are deep and sympathetic.
Dad always said that. Not “Hi, Darius,” but “Is everything okay?”
Darius the Great is Not Okay, Adib Khorram
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.
