Reviews with content warning for Racism - Darius the Great Is Not Okay

In this novel, we see Darius struggle socially, internally and also within his family unit. Darius is bullied at school by racist peers and just general assholes and when he reaches out to his father for help, he portrays textbook toxic masculinity and blames Darius for the bullying. He’s the perfect example of being your child’s first bully.

Due to the illness of a loved one, Darius’ family goes to Iran for a trip. During this, we see many culture differences and Darius’ struggle with not feeling “Iranian enough”. He forms a friendship while there that is just wonderful for him and really helps him build confidence and connection and who helps him feel like he belongs. I really think this friendship with Sohrab truly healed some parts of Darius that he was really struggling with. It was truly a beautiful depiction of friendship. I was so sad when Darius had to go back home.

I really felt for Darius when he was struggling with wanting to be more involved in his family on his Iranian side but not knowing how to communicate. I have family struggles myself so it’s safe to say I cried throughout the majority of this book. Darius and his dad have a really great conversation where his dad apologises and explains why he acts the way he does and that one conversation was so healing in their relationship.

I think this book does a great job of portraying familial relationships in such a real and honest way and it really resonated with me. This is definitely one of my favourite books of all time and I can’t wait to read the sequel. Also, I loved the afterword and I really appreciated the inclusion of helplines at the end of the book.

Representation - Bahá’í (SC); Depression (MC); Fat (MC); Iranian/Persian-American (MC); Muslim (BGC); POC (MC)

TWs/CWs - Blood; Bullying; Death; Death of a Parent; Fatphobia; Homophobia; Institutionalised Racism; Islamophobia; Medical Detail; Racism; Stool; Suicide; Suicide Attempt; Suicide Ideation; Terminal Illness; Toxic Masculinity

Content Warnings

aexileigh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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maple_dove's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The main character, Darius, is Iranian-American, clinically depressed, fat, and has Father Issues.

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would, to be honest. It's sad yet has a lot of hopeful and happy moments. I also liked the social commentary on schools trying to be inclusive, but explains why most of these efforts ultimately fail. The part on where Darius didn't feel "enough" (in this case, not "Iranian enough") is very relatable to a lot of POC living in the States.

Content Warnings

thestoriesjar's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.75

Ich bin selbst halb Iranerin, kann aber leider kaum persisch sprechen (nur die einfachen Dinge). Außerdem bin ich wie Darius auch mit Depressionen diagnostiziert. Ich weiß zwar Einiges über die Kultur und war auch schon 6 Mal dort, jedoch kenne ich das Gefühl des „nicht persisch genug sein“ nur zu gut. Ich habe mich in vielen Situationen wiedererkannt und musste bei bestimmten Verhaltensweisen die ich von meinen persischen Verwandten kenne immer mal wieder schmunzeln. Ich wollte das Buch gar nicht ablegen, weil es so liebevoll geschrieben wurde. Außerdem denke ich auch, dass es interessant für Leute sein kann, die noch nicht viel über den Iran und seine Kultur wissen und es diesen etwas näher bringen kann. In dem Buch geht es aber nicht nur über den Iran, sondern auch um so vieles mehr (z.B. Freundschaft, Mobbing, …).

Content Warnings

haley49's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

It was good and sweet as a story of growing up, discovering yourself and reconnecting with your family. It was an easy and emotional read but for whatever reason I didn’t resonate with it like I’d hoped to. I’m not sure if it was the younger humor or voice.

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chcb's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

5.0

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erinrebecca922's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I really enjoyed this book and how they used an authentic portrayal of depression. It wasn't the central part of the book, but it was an important part of the main character.

Content Warnings

adalinemccormick's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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