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Dec 12, 2018leslie_d_ rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I love the depth of Darius' feelings and how they do not only elicit an empathetic response of pain, but also shared self-deprecation and humor. Darius is too endearing to laugh at and irrepressible enough keep us from despairing—this has everything to do with how he’s written. Khorram maintains that difficult tension of levity and the deadly serious. That charm isn’t effortless. One cannot afford to undermine the other; which I think this novel is so rare in teen fiction. Darius is neither pathetic, nor to be pitied; which I think is what happens when you try to write a human being, not an idea or trope or lesson plan. Khorram does a lot of educational and emotional work in Darius the Great, but the reading is effortless. Darius is engaging as a first person point of view, utterly distinct and compelling. Darius the Great is Not Okay is an entertaining and moving read and easily one of my favorite YA novels this year. If I were still working at the bookstore, this is the one for that reluctant male reader, and an option for that frustrated shopper in the teen section looking for humor. Darius the Great should also lure the sci-fi fantasy reader into fiction. Recommended for all the libraries; for lovers of contemporary fiction; for those who like to read beyond their borders; for those with depression and/or straddling two worlds to feel less alone; there are sports; and no romance. For readers of John Green, Patrick Ness, Benjamin Alire Saenz, and Francisco X. Stork; For adult readers of Nick Hornby to consider.