ARC Review: DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY

Do you all know how I feel about Nic Stone? I love her. Dear Martin is one of my favorites, and I will support anything she does. When I went to YALLWEST in May, I listened to her speak, and she made a plug for DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY by Adib Khorram. This book had already been on my radar, but after an endorsement from Nic Stone, it shot up on the list of books I wanted to read over the summer. In a stroke of good luck, I won a book from BookishFirst, and was able to devour it within two days.

Darius is a geek, bullied by his peers, and criticized by his father for being overweight and not trying harder to fit in. (What?! I wanted to fight the dad at times, but I had to remember that he was fighting his own battles.) He also takes medication for depression. His family travels to Iran to spend time with his ailing grandfather. In Iran, Darius meets Sohrab. The boys develop a strong connection, and Darius starts to learn that he actually is okay. This book is amazing, and Adib Khorram manages to write his character in such a genuine way, that you feel that he’s real. It’s a rather stunning debut, with heart and humor. As someone who has only read two other novels about Persian characters (Funny in Farsi and A Very Large Expanse of Sea), I am grateful that this book is filling a gap in the diverse YA world. Check it out!