Welcome to the Well Read Book Review! For the month of June, Well Read is recognizing two things this month, Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month and Pride month!
#1 – “Darius the Great is Not Okay” – Adib Khorram
Darius Kellner knows more Klingon than he knows Farsi, he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. Darius is about to take his first trip to Iran. Not under the best circumstances, he’s going to see his grandfather, who is suffering from a brain tumor. Everything is overwhelming, Darius is leaving his home, going to meet his family for the first time, learning about his Persian identity, but the worst thing is dealing with his clinical depression. Both Darius and his Dad suffer from depression, but neither are open about it, it’s considered weird by others, as they’re both told they just need to work harder. The one person that Darius feels understands him is Sohrab. The two meet on Darius’ first day in Iran, and they become fast friends. Sohrab makes sure to talk to him in English, and he works hard to include him. Darius is finally getting used to staying in Iran, but that’s when it’s time to go home. When Darius leaves to go back to America, he has to leave his one friend, and his family, and learn to be who he is in both Iran and America.
4.22 Average Stars on Goodreads – “Darius the Great is Not Okay” is an easy read. It has short chapters, and I managed to finish it within two days. Darius spends most of the book in Iran, feeling like an outsider as he can’t seem to fit in with the people around him. This book dives into Darius’ questioning of his identity and worth, and it’s a decent book. I say it’s only decent because there’s not much that makes it interesting. There’s not anything bad about the book, it just never really has a climax, a moment where things go wrong or a part where you think “Oh my gosh, what’s going to happen next?” It’s a mellow story. Overall, three stars.
Can be found in the FHS library
Tags – Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Mental Health, Coming of Age
#2 – “The Gray” – Chris Baron
Sasha’s year has been hard. He’s being bullied at his middle school and his anxiety, which he names “The Gray,” is growing. Sasha’s dad is telling him to toughen up, and he tries, but the results seem to hurt more than they help. His parents and therapist decide it would be best if Sasha went to stay in the country with his aunt for the summer, but that’s the last place he wants to be. He’d rather stay in his room, playing video games. Being in the country, he’ll be away from his best friend, and constantly reminded of his uncle, who died two years earlier. His aunt ends up being supportive of him, and encourages him to explore and make friends, and when Sasha goes to the local ranch, he’s introduced to a horse nicknamed Gray. Sasha feels complete with Gray, but his own Gray is growing. When Sasha’s other new friend disappears, he finds out that the country is more mysterious than he thought. He tries to muster the courage to help with the search, but will the Gray hold him back?
Average 4.17 Stars on Goodreads – It’s been a while since I’ve read this book, but I remember it fondly. I read this as a Project Lit book in middle school, and it was one of the best books we read. This book represents anxiety really well, which I haven’t found in many books recently. When reading, you could feel exactly how Sasha was feeling in the moment. The only reason why I wouldn’t recommend this book is because it’s more of a middle grade book, made for younger readers. Overall, loved this book, and connected with it very easily. Four stars.
Cannot be found in the FHS library
Tags – Middle Grade, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Animals, Contemporary, Childrens, Mental Illness
#4 – “Suicide Notes” – Michael Thomas Ford
Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year’s Day in the hospital. The psychiatric ward, to be specific. With nutjobs. This has to be a mistake. Jeff is completely fine, I mean, if you ignore the bandages on his wrists and the things written in his chart. Forget all his problems with Allie, his best friend, and her boyfriend, Burke. Jeff is perfectly normal, he’s not like the other kids in the ward. They’ve got problems. Jeff is now stuck in the psychiatric ward for the next forty-five days, stuck going to therapy, and stuffed away from the outside world. Although, as his sentence drags on, the crazies seem to seem a little less crazy.
Average 3.8 Stars on Goodreads – This book is one of the most accurate mental health books I’ve ever read. Jeff is a really funny main character, no matter how deadpan or self-deprecating the jokes may be. You’d think this book would be a very depressing story, but it’s not as sad as it seems. Throughout the book, which is forty-five chapters, matching up with Jeff’s 45 day sentence, you learn more and more about what happened to Jeff before New Year’s and why he attempted to taking his life. During his time in the psych ward, Jeff makes friends, goes to therapy, and towards the end comes to terms with his sexuality. I read this book over the summer in 2025, so I don’t remember much, but I’m aiming to reread this story soon. Though, for those reading, please be warned as it has moments that can be considered sensitive and/or “inappropriate,” for a lack of a better word. Five stars.
Can be found in the FHS library
Tags – Young Adult, Mental Health, Fiction, LGBT, Realistic Fiction, Psychology, Humor, Queer, Contemporary
#5 – “Magical Boy” – The Kao
Max is a boy. That’s all he wants people to understand, but on his birthday, after coming out to his parents, his mother reveals a secret, Max is from a long line of magical goddesses, and now that he’s getting older, he’s going to have to join that line of goddesses. The story is about Max figuring out life as a “goddess” while trying to transition socially, and finally showing his mom that he’s not a girl or a goddess, that he’s a magical boy.
Average 4.3 Stars on Goodreads – I have reread this book plenty of times, and it’s pretty good! While it’s not, and won’t be my favorite book, it’s still good. Max is somewhat stereotypical in the story. He hates dresses, and is disgusted by femininity. To be honest, I like the side characters a lot more than I like Max, but he’s not all bad. He grows throughout the story from an angry trans teen who just got powers to a “Magical boy.” This book deals with a bit of transphobia, more towards the beginning, and also used religion and ancestry to support that transphobia. I like that most of the characters grew, and accepted Max, but I also find the journey for a couple characters to be very quick. This book is pretty good, but it’s not one that I would go out of my way to recommend. 3.5 stars.
Cannot be found in the FHS library
Tags – Graphic Novels, Fantasy, LGBT, Young Adult, Comics, Queer, Transgender, Fiction, Magic
#6 – “On a Sunbeam” – Tillie Walden
In the deepest parts of space, a crew works to rebuild beautiful and broken structures, working to painfully put the past back together. As a new member, Mia gets to know her team. The story flashes back to her time at a boarding school, where she feels in love with a mysterious new student. Soon, Mia’s real motive for joining the crew is revealed, to find her long-lost love.
Average 4.29 Stars on Goodreads – I picked this book up on a whim while at the public library, and I’m so glad I did. It has been a while since I last read a graphic novel, and even longer since I’ve read a book set in space, and this book was a great way to get back into both genres. The book starts with Mia arriving on the spaceship, meeting her new team, and soon flashes back, and it’s done so well and clearly, which is so relieving, as not many authors can do flashbacks very well. Without giving away too much, I can say that this is a beautiful book, both while showing how Mia is adapting to her new life on the ship, and while showing Mia’s life in boarding school with her girlfriend/long-lost love, Grace. I love how this book doesn’t dump information on you, all things you need to know are dropped carefully, and purposefully. Five stars.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, please be aware of the following:
- Please be aware of all of the Student Mental Health Services that are available for LCPS students.
- Freedom High School is a Sources of Strength school, where we focus on students’ strengths and resiliency.
- If in school, please contact your trusted adult and/or any member of the Freedom Unified Mental Health Team (UMHT).
- If not in school and you are aware of anyone at risk of harming themselves now or has just harmed themselves, call 911 and ask for a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) deputy or officer.
- If not in school, but are experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts or other behavioral crises, call or text 988 for the Suicide or Crisis Lifeline
