I first discovered Adib and Darius in Darius the Great Is Not Ok in 2018 and I fell hard for his writing and for Darius. I have since suggested that book and sold it to so many of the young people I see in the bookstore where I am a bookseller. It is so important to know it is ok not to be ok, to have feelings, and that it is ok if all the feelings aren't good ones.
Now Darius is back and I love him still so very much.
Now that Darius is back from Iran he feels like things are falling into place. He has friends on his soccer team, he feels better and his depression isn't smothering him, he even has a boyfriend.
But then his parents have to work more hours to make up for the cost of the trip and the pressure becomes so much that Darius becomes worried about his dad. He is having feelings he doesn't understand for a boy that isn't his boyfriend, and he isn't loving what should be his dream job. And there is Trent who is just so awful to him. And all of a sudden his best friend Sohrab isn't answering his calls and Darius is worried about him. Maybe things aren't as OK as he thinks they are.
There are a few threads that run through this story that I think are so very important. A big one is feeling pressured to do more than one is ready to when dating. Many people think it is just a problem for girls in relationships with boys but that isn't the case. The pressure to go further faster than someone is ready for can happen to anyone in any relationship. Agency over ones body isn't dependent on gender or sexual orientation and a person has the right to decide when and how much of a physical relationship is ok for them.
Also faced, talked about, and dealt with: racism, bullying, standing up when it is hard to do so, depression and the cycles one goes through, love, family, and the importance of talking to those you love and trust.
This is an amazing book and I hope that Adib writes much more and hopefully some if it will be about Darius.
(Finished September 3, 2020)
No comments:
Post a Comment