Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

• Sophomore Darius Kellner is not doing great or even okay.  He's overweight, lives with clinical depression, gets bullied at his Portland, OR high school, and he has a complicated relationship with his dad who he feels is always disappointed in him.
• When Darius's grandfather falls ill, his family takes an extended trip to Iran where Darius struggles with getting to know family he's never met (besides on Skype), the language (his little sister is fluent in Farsi, but he is not), and fitting in (his mother is Persian, but his father is American; Darius refers to himself as a "Fractional Persian").
• Things start looking up when Darius meets Sohrab, the son of one of his Grandfather's neighbors.  For someone who's never really had a best friend before, this is a big deal.  Darius notes, "I liked that I could be silent with Sohrab.  That's how I knew we really were going to be friends." 

I really liked Darius (he loves tea; he makes a lot of references to ​Lord of the Rings and Star Trek;  and he's a great big brother to his little sister Laleh).  His problems are real, but he faces them with a lot of humor.  I also really enjoyed the peak into Persian culture (the food, traditions, and history).

Grades 8-12