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Chapter 5 Darius struggles with depression and is trying different meds which is a difficult process.

"Hey, Darius. can I talk to you about something?" ''Sure" Mom pursed her lips and dropped her hand. "Mom?" "Sorry. I don't really know how to explain it. It's... I just want you to be prepared. People in Iran don't think about mental health we do back home." "Um" So if anyone says anything to you, don't take it personally. Ok sweetie?" PG 56

"You cant keep trying to control him," Mom said "You have to let him make his own decisions"
"You know how he gets treated," Dad said. "You really want for him."
"No. but how is making him ashamed of everything going to fix it?
"I don't want him to be ashamed,"  Dad said. " But he's got enough going on with his depression, he doesn't need to be bullied all the time too. He wouldn't be such a  target if he could just fit in more. If he could just you know act a little more normal." PG 60

--"What are you depressed about?''
I hated that question: What are you depressed about? Because the answer was nothing. I had nothing to be depressed about Nothing really bad that had happened to me. I felt so inadequate. Dad told me I couldn't help my brain chemistry anymore than I could help having brown eyes. Dr. Howell always told me not to be ashamed. But moments like this made it hard not to be. "Nothing," I said. " My brain just makes the wrong chemicals is all." PG 68

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- Stephen Keller (Darius's father) He is American but has lost of German heritage he doesn't speak Farsi
-"You think you wouldn't get picked on so much if you weren't so..." PG 42  (Talking about Darius's weight and how his meds and depression effected his weight.. how he thought about that)
-How he lost himself and thought about suicide PG 285
-"Okay. come on. I know you're tired but you've got to stay awake until bedtime." Dad rubbed the dense black shrub of my hair and tugged on the ends. ... "Babou said you went and played soccer. He said you made a friend." " I'm so proud of you, Darius" Dad pushed the hair off my forehead and kissed it. (Getting Darius out of his depressive episode.) PG 124.
Darius dad took his and Darius's time and has Laleh Watch Star Trek with him PG 144-145
- Laleh Darius loves his little sister, he has tea parties and plays dolls with her but doesn't tell anyone about it because it "Unmanly" but he loves it. She speaks Farsi very well.
-Shiran (Darius's mother) she is fully Persian Darius is not very close with his mom and doesn't spend much time with her.
-Mamou Darius's grandmother from Iran. he felt connected to her more that he did with his Babu.
Mamou kept her fingernails short and nicely manicured, painted pomegranate red. Her perfume smelled like peaches. And she was so warm. She squeezed and squeezed me, like she was worried I would blow out the window if she didn't hold on tight enough  PG 73
-Babu Didn't really know how to communicate with him.
He Didn't like Darius's father PG 133

PG 189-The Chapter

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"I had a cursory meal in the food court. (I had a salad to appease dad, who was unhappy I finished off the cold pizza for breakfast) PG 55  this connects to confidence because of how his dad feels about his weight bringing Darius down about it.

I studied the menu "Um. the chicken tikka masala sub?" Dad sighed. "There's nothing with vegetables that sounds good" PG 59

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- "Sometimes I thought about how I didn't really feel like Stephen Keller's son at all"  PG. 14 Also connects to family

- When referring to culture Darius feels disconnected to his culture opposed to the rest of his family and one of the only ways he and his dad felt connected. " That left the two of us in the dark whenever we were at gatherings with Mom's friends. That was the only time dad and I were on the same team: when we were stuck with Farsi-speakers and left with each others company. PG. 21

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"Is this your first time going home?" he had asked. "Uh." I thought it was interesting how he called it home. I wondered why he called it that. What made him call Iran home, when he knew I was born and raised in Portland. "Its my first time to Iran" "Its so important, you know? To see where you came from." PG 45
PG 58-59 IMPORTANT ON HOW HE DOSN'T FEEL CONNECTED TO HIS CULTURE

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For Fariba Bahrami, love was an oppertunity, not a burden.
PG 75

GAY GAY GAY?!..
PG 177-179

PG 189-The Chapter

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-Chip Cusumano Bully popular sports player has been mean to Darius and called him mean names. Try's to supposedly be nice to him and apologize about putting truck nuts on his bike and removing the wheels off hid bike and tell him his bag is unlocked.  (More of a peer)

-Sorhab  was shorter than me, compact and lean. His black hair was cropped close and he had the most elegant Persian nose of anyone I had ever met. He had brown eyes, just like me but there was some light hidden behind them. PG 86
- ''I was very rude and I am sorry. Will you give me another chance.'' I thought I had been wrong about Sorhab. Maybe I was right. Maybe Sorhab and I were really destined to be friends. Maybe we were. " Okay" Sorab's smile brightened into a squint. I smiled too It was impossible not to. PG 131

PG 189-The Chapter

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" I didn't realize your people did the dot thing too." "Um. The dot thing?'' ''You know.'' He tapped his index finger against his forehead, right between his robust eyebrows. --- '' It was a pimple.'' the officer laughed so hard his face turned red. It was deeply embarrassing. (can also connects to differences) PG 53-54

" You have lots of friends? A girlfriends" My ears went strait to red alert. True Persians are heavily invested in the reproductive opportunities of their decedents PG 74

"I felt Persian indeed" finally recognizing his culture halfway
through the book" PG 168

FASHION AND CULTURE PG 169-170

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Darius I named after Darius the Great which is a part of

Persian Culture
Sorab is named after a Persian hero a legendary warrior from the Shahnameh, or the Tales of Kings by Ferdowsi in the tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab.