(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. When it’s time to go home to America, he’ll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.

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. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he’s spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline. And he understand that sometimes, best friends don’t have to talk. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what’s going on. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom’s family for the first time. He’s about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it’s pretty overwhelming–especially when he’s also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. Summaryĭarius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones.

In Darius the Great Is Not Okay his unabashed love for Star Trek, struggles with depression, and conversations about his Persian identity.

Darius great is not okay