The family's finances are in a precarious state, so his father has taken a temporary job out of town and his mother's working lots of overtime. Darius the Great Deserves Better is the much-needed, absolutely almost-perfect finale to what is now one of my favorite YA duologies of all time.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - LitCharts Darius the Great Is Not Okay - LitCharts

When Dad changes his behavior and tries to be more supportive of who his son is, it opens the door for them to connect more deeply and honestly—and to feel more like “a real father and son” more often. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis.

In his grief, Sohrab lashes out at Darius—but he also then makes a point to apologize and take ownership of his misplaced anger. I hope other kids growing up in the diaspora will see that it’s okay not to have things figured out right now, or ever. Suddenly he starts relying a little more on Chip, but he can't quite figure Chip out all the time, which is unsettling, too.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay - Wikipedia

A major storyline deals with the pressure Darius feels from his boyfriend to go further sexually than he's comfortable with. I have grown so attached to Darius and his entire family and I would love nothing more than to read book, after book, after book following them moving through life together.Before games and practices, she has them circle up, hold hands, go around the circle saying something kind or helpful a teammate has done for them. Darius Kellner is a high school sophomore in Portland, Oregon; his little sister Laleh is in second grade.

Khorram on Writing Honestly About Mental Health, Love Adib Khorram on Writing Honestly About Mental Health, Love

All he ever said was that it happened when he was in college, and that his medication had kept him healthy for years, and that I shouldn’t worry about it. Morris Award for Best Debut Author Writing for Teens and was listed as one of the best teen books of 2018 by Buzzfeed, the New York Public Library, Time, and BookBub. It was handled artfully, and I loved Khorram’s emphasis on relationships sometimes failing because they simply don’t work, as well as the importance of holding people accountable for their lack of proactiveness. In practice, it means when someone comes to your house, you have to offer them food; but since your guest is supposed to taarof, they have to refuse; and then you, the host, must taarof back, insisting that it’s really no trouble at all, and that they absolutely must eat; and so on, until one party gets too bewildered and finally gives in. Darius explains why he was upset about Star Trek, and how he feels that Stephen thinks Darius was disappointment to him.Darius, or Darioush, depending on the day, suffers from clinical depression, subpar social skills, and self-esteem issues, making him an all-too-relatable character for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in their own space. Whether it'd be the way he views events occurring or his thoughts on certain people or subjects, the way the writing is formatted and done allows the reader to immerse themselves in Darius' head.

Darius the Great Deserves Better - Common Sense Media Darius the Great Deserves Better - Common Sense Media

He and Dad have a fraught relationship, while Darius’s only interactions with his Iranian maternal grandparents, Mamou and Babou, have been over Skype. This book also contains discussion of so many important topics deftly woven into Darius' everyday life. Originally published in 2018 by Dial Books, the novel echoes Khorram’s experiences growing up in a multiethnic family with a history of mental illnesses. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center.

Darius’s story also captures what it can feel like to be biracial and a child of an immigrant, split between the world you know and the world that your family comes from — the one you want to know better. He and Darius quickly become inseparable, with Sohrab reintroducing Darius to soccer, accompanying him on family trips to famous sites like Persepolis, and joining in holidays like Nowruz.