Darius doesn't think he'll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. Hilarious and heartbreaking, this unforgettable debut introduces a brilliant new voice in contemporary YA.
“Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I’d live in this book forever if I could.”
—Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.
Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. 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.
Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough—then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.
“Heartfelt, tender, and so utterly real. I’d live in this book forever if I could.”
—Becky Albertalli, award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life.
Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. 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.
Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough—then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.
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4
bennett_the_ceo
(Grade: B) Khorram acts as a welcoming, insightful guide into the traditions and customs of Iranian culture, setting politics aside to tell an intimate story. The book's narrator is fully Americanized and ventures to his ancestral homeland as an outsider, lost among even his immediate family. With forces of adolescence weighing down on him, it's a struggle to love or be loved. Such diversity in voice and setting ought to be celebrated, though the inner monologues grow tiring and detract from the wonder.
(Grade: B) Khorram acts as a welcoming, insightful guide into the traditions and customs of Iranian culture, setting politics aside to tell an intimate story. The book's narrator is fully Americanized and ventures to his ancestral homeland as an outsider, lost among even his immediate family. With forces of adolescence weighing down on him, it's a struggle to love or be loved. Such diversity in voice and setting ought to be celebrated, though the inner monologues grow tiring and detract from the wonder.(Rated on Oct 21, 2018)
2
HeathersCorner
(Grade: A+) This book is what I wanted Oscar Wao or Aristotle & Dante to be. I read it pretty much straight through, and cried more than once. For anyone who struggles with weight, for anyone who doesn't fit in, for anyone who feels like they will never be enough, for anyone who has ever lived far away from family, for anyone who found a best friend and had to leave them behind, this book is for you. So glad I picked up a copy and you will be, too.
(Grade: A+) This book is what I wanted Oscar Wao or Aristotle & Dante to be. I read it pretty much straight through, and cried more than once. For anyone who struggles with weight, for anyone who doesn't fit in, for anyone who feels like they will never be enough, for anyone who has ever lived far away from family, for anyone who found a best friend and had to leave them behind, this book is for you. So glad I picked up a copy and you will be, too.(Rated on Sep 25, 2018)
1
KinzieThings (Grade: A) This is a beautiful book. All teenagers struggle to find their place in the world. That may be even more difficult for a young person with depression. I love the way that we get taken along with Darius as he hints for the place he fits and struggles to figure out how to meld his Persian and American worlds. In addition to being heart-warming, this was educational! I learned some Farsi and a lot of things about Iranian history!
(Rated on Jun 16, 2020)
1
angelari (Grade: A) Oh, man. Do you ever feel like a book comes along at the exact right time in your life, just when you need it? This book was that for me. I went into it for some reason expecting it to be m/m, which it isn't, not really (though there is a lot of subtext and heavy hinting), but that didn't bother me because it's so heartfelt and witty and touching and just what I needed right now. I related to the mc Darius on so many levels that I felt understood by him. A beautiful portrayal of family relatio
(Rated on Jul 1, 2020)
0
staceen (Grade: B) I might have been in the wrong headspace for this book, but I didn’t find Darius particularly likeable or sympathetic. I thought the Persian characters in the book shined, and the family’s trip to Iran was a believable transformation, I just couldn’t get behind poor Darius 100%. I *was* glad he had a mostly hopeful, if not happy, ending. I’ll probably read the sequel. I recommend the audiobook.
(Grade: B) I might have been in the wrong headspace for this book, but I didn’t find Darius particularly likeable or sympathetic. I thought the Persian characters in the book shined, and the family’s trip to Iran was a believable transformation, I just couldn’t get behind poor Darius 100%. I *was* glad he had a mostly hopeful, if not happy, ending. I’ll probably read the sequel. I recommend the audiobook. (Rated on Jan 16, 2021)