Darius the Great Is Not Okay

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram would be an excellent book to recommend to any student who feels like an outsider, but especially to students of of immigrants or bicultural students.

Darius describes himself as a "Fractional Persian" since his mother is Persian and his father his American by birth. He's a nerd and wants the reader to know it, constantly referencing Star Trek and Lord of the Rings. Khorram does an excellent job developing the strained relationship between Darius and his father Stephen, as the as the intimate friendship Darius forms with Sohrab in Iran.

However, I think the novel is most remarkable for its treatment of clinical depression. Darius is depressed, and the novel gracefully shows how depression affects Darius everyday life. We see the mundane ritual of taking his medication (though he does describe the many months it took to find the right medicine), but we also see the more sinister ways depression affects Darius. For example, he often gets stuck in certain negative thought patterns, often repeating "That's normal. Right?" after experiencing a less-than-positive thought or emotion.

The answer to Darius's constant refrain is answered by this book at every turn--yes, it is normal. Depression is just a part of Darius's life--not something that is in control of him completely. I think this novel could help assure certain students that their feelings are also normal.
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