Learn Persian with Chai and conversation, Raising Nim Brunez, a conversation with Adib Choram.

Hello and welcome to this Rais Nim-Runiz version of Learn Persian with Chaiing Conversation.

I'm your host, Leila Shams, and today's interview is with Adip Horaam, the award-winning author of Darius the Great is not okay. The story of a half-Iranian, half-American teenage boy,

his experiences, and his first visit to Iran. So in addition to writing about the experiences

of a Nimruni boy, Adib is in Nimruni himself, so he had a lot of perspective to share

about growing up with an Iranian father

and an American mother. So with that, let's get on to the interview. I'm talking here with Adib

Horam on this raising Nimruni's edition of Learn Persian with Child Conversation. Adib, thank you so

much for talking with us. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, and congratulations on your book. Darius the Great is Not Okay. And I just finished reading it this week, and I really loved it. And I'm sure you get this a lot, but I wish that this book had been around when I was growing up. There was just so much relatable content in there. I think I would have really enjoyed reading it as a teenager, not just an Iranian

teenager, but in general. So thank you for writing this book. Thank you for saying that. I kind of very

selfishly did write it for kind of the teenage Adib that was still inside and also wished that I could

have read a book like that instead of like Rime of the Ancient Mariner. And this is actually my first interview with an actual Nimruni, which is what I'm calling half-Iranians, but I see that in your book you call yourself a fractional Persian. I haven't heard that before. Is that a common term, or is it something that you came up with? As far as I know, I came up with it as Darius's own way of kind

neurotically grappling with his heritage, I myself usually just say either half Iranian or just

say Iranian because in America, and particularly growing up post-9-11, that was all that really

mattered. Right. Well, can you tell me about your background then? I guess from your name, obviously, your father is Iranian, right?

Yes. He and his whole family grew up in Yazd, and at various times, most of them left Iran and moved to North America.

My dad moved actually before the revolution and came to the states to study, and then when the revolution happened, he just didn't go back.

And post-revolution, most of the rest of his family left and settled in Vancouver, British Columbia.

But he settled in Missouri and met my mom, who is white, and got married and had kids.

Do you have brothers and sisters, or is it just you?

I have one older sister.

And so what was your experience growing up being half Iranian?

...