Will I love Darius the Great Deserves Better?

When I was growing up, there was zero queer Iranian representation to inspire me or guide me.

I felt quite literally invisible in the world, and my own mission has been to flood the world with queer Iranian stories to fill this void. Thankfully, a number of other authors are now doing the same, including Sara Farizan, Arvin Ahmadi, and Adib Khorram.

I chose the sequel to Adib’s masterful Darius the Great Deserves Better because I love how it leans into intergenerational family dynamics, which are a particular passion of mine (and of most immigrants who must work to unite… show more.

Since Darius came back from Iran, he is getting along with his dad, his depression seems to be managed, he has a best friend, and he’s dating a cute boy. But of course, things start changing. He’s not sure if his family, who is important to him, accepts him as he is. His best friend is distant. He doesn’t know if his boyfriend is The One. This book is an exploration through a lot of feelings, and what I can’t stop thinking about is how often Darius talks about crying. Males crying should be normalized, as it’s a valid response,… show more.