Adib Khoram Is Okay (Now): A Young-Adult Author Comes To Terms With Being Different

It's okay not to be okay. That's the essential message of a new book for young adult readers by Kansas City author Adib Khoram. Darius The Great is Not Okay follows a boy with an Iranian mom and teutonic, white-guy dad through the cruelty and tenderness of adolesence. Darius lives in Portland. He struggles with depression. He's bullied at school, and he's unsure of his place at home. He doesn't speak Farsi, like his mom and sister, and he's convinced he's a disappointment to his dad. His only comforts come from hot tea and Star Trek.