The appeal is for anyone who is bi-cultural and knows the difficulties which go along with belonging to two cultures, while not fitting in to either.
Beautiful description of the culture and customs of Iran...and tea!
I liked it a lot....I am interested in getting others' perspective.
Summary:
Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming--especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.
Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understands that sometimes, best friends don't have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he's spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline.
Sohrab calls him Darioush--the original Persian version of his name--and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab. When it's time to go home to America, he'll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.
Awards & Such:
William C. Morris Debut Award
Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult LiteratureLambda Literary Award FinalistYALSA Best Fiction For Young Adults Top 10Publishers Weekly Flying StartTIME‘s 10 Best Young Adult and Children’s Books of the YearBoston Globe Best Books of the YearWall Street Journal Best Books of the YearBuzzFeed Best YA Books of the YearPublishers Weekly Best Books of the YearKirkus Best Books of the YearNew York Public Library’s Best Books of the YearBook Expo Young Adult Buzz Panel SelectionIndies Introduce SelectionIndie Next Top Ten Pick
Great links:
Read Globally: Books to introduce kids to the history & culture of Iran
Author interview
