Darius the Great Is Not Okay: The History of American-Iranian Relations Summary & Analysis

Darius wakes up to taps and squeaks, the Dancing Fan face down on the floor. He sees a human shape pass his window outside. Darius gets dressed, finds the kitchen, and then steps out into the backyard. After blinking in the bright sunlight, Darius sees that Babou is climbing a ladder leaned on the house, which is right next to Darius’s bedroom window. He’s wearing dress clothes and doesn’t look sick. Darius tries to say hello, but he can only squeak a little bit—he pictured this meeting going differently. Finally, Babou reaches the roof and shouts for someone named Sohrab. A boy about Darius’s age is unknotting a hose near a shed. Babou finally notices Darius, greets him, and tells him to help Sohrab.

Sohrab is short, lean, and has brown eyes that make Darius think brown eyes maybe aren’t so boring. Darius greets him with the traditional “salaam,” and then says in Farsi he knows little Farsi. Smiling, Sohrab says English is fine. Awkwardly, Darius asks if they’re related, which is a normal question to ask a fellow Persian. Sohrab says he lives close, which is revelatory for Darius—he’d never considered that Mamou and Babou have neighbors. Finally, Sohrab finishes untangling the hose, points it at Darius, and squeezes the sprayer handle. Darius shouts, but nothing happens—the hose isn’t on. Sohrab apologizes, smiling, and Darius finds he can’t glare at him. They both laugh, and Darius decides he likes Sohrab.

For readers, Darius explains that every Iranian person knows a Sohrab. It’s a very common name that comes from a story in the Shahnahmeh, a book of Persian fables and legends. In the story, Sohrab’s father accidentally kills him in battle, which may explain why all Persian boys try so hard to please their fathers. But Darius also wonders if all dads secretly want to kill their sons a little bit—maybe that even explains Dad.

Darius helps Sohrab drag the hose over to Babou and shrugs when Sohrab asks if Darius likes figs (Darius doesn’t, unlike all other Persians). Sohrab explains that Babou grows the best figs in Yazd, though they won’t be ripe until summer. Darius turns the hose on when Babou asks him to, and then he and Sohrab watch Babou totter across the roof and water his fig trees. Noticing how tense Darius is, Sohrab tells him to relax. He acknowledges that Babou shouldn’t be doing this, but he does it every week and they just have to watch.