Darius The Great Is Not Okay
by Adib Khorram
Presents
Farhang’s Third Book Club Selection
By author Adib Khorram
Farhang Foundation is honored to welcome bestselling author Adib Khorram in conversation with our host, renowned author Abdi Nazemian.
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.
“Best Book of the Year”
Boston Globe
“Best Book of the Year”
The Wall Street Journal
“Best Book of the Year”
New York Public Library
WINNER
William C. Morris Debut Award
Top 100 Best YA Books of All Time
Time
"Layered with complexities of identity, body image and mental illness that are so rarely articulated in the voice of a teenage boy of color. Khorram writes tenderly and humorously about his protagonist’s journey of self-acceptance, making it hard not to want to reach through the pages, squeeze his hand and reassure Darius that he is, in fact, going to be O.K."
The New York Times
“This is the hilarious and heartbreaking story of Darius: a clinically-depressed, half-Persian lonely American teenage Trekkie who heads to Iran for the first time to meet his mom’s family.”
Cosmopolitan
“First-time author Khorram’s coming-of-age novel brings to life the sight, sounds, smells, and tastes of [Iran] . . . as it shows how a boy who feels like an outcast at home finds himself and true friendship overseas.”
Publishers Weekly
“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.
Listen to Samples from DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY
About Adib Khorram
Adib Khorram is a queer Iranian-American author of books for readers of all ages. His works have won numerous awards and accolades, including the William C. Morris and APALA Awards (Darius the Great Is Not Okay), a Stonewall Honor (Darius the Great Deserves Better), and been a USA Today Bestseller (I’LL HAVE WHAT HE’S HAVING). When he isn't writing you can find him sipping a cup of oolong, playing his Fender Stratocaster, or dreaming of french fries. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri.
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About Abdi Nazemian
Abdi Nazemian is the author of five novels including Like a Love Story, a Stonewall Honor book, and The Chandler Legacies. His latest novel, Only This Beautiful Moment, was the 2024 Stonewall Award Winner from the American Library Association. For his literary work, he has also received a Lambda Literary Award. His screenwriting credits include movies such as The Artist's Wife and The Quiet, and television shows including Ordinary Joe. He has been a producer, executive producer or associate producer on a number of films, including Call Me By Your Name and Little Woods. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband, their two children, and their dog Disco.
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