Fractionally Persian, Darius has his spirit crushed on a daily basis by the Soulless Minions of Orthodoxy at Chapel Hill High School. When he’s dragged to Iran to be with his sick grandfather, he expects to be a misfit in a whole other culture. And he is—but at the same time he isn’t. Darius is so painfully lovable that I couldn’t wait for the other characters in this story to discover his lovableness too. When a genuine breakthrough comes, it is undeniably earned, and it gave me an afterglow of warmth for all humans. Ages 13 and up.
— Tera
YA SUMMER READING PASSPORT
It's gay and it slaps: Read a book by with a queer main character
Bookshop suggests:
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen
Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
“A beautiful, thoughtful book that is all the more impressive for being a debut! Darius is visiting Iran with his family and meeting his grandparents in person for the first time. He struggles with fitting into an unfamiliar culture and feeling like a disappointment to his father, but a new friendship helps him learn some truths about himself and see the world in a new way. An achingly relatable story in a wry, honest voice. Stunning.”
— Cecilia Cackley, East City Bookshop, Washington, DC