The powerful and inspiring tale of a refugee youth soccer team and the transformation of a small American town.
Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical southern town until it was designated a refugee settlement center in the 1990’s, becoming the first American home for scores of families in flight from the world’s war zones. The town also became home to Luma Mufl eh, an American-educated woman from Jordan, who volunteered to coach a youth soccer program for Clarkston’s refugee children. They named themselves the Fugees.
Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees and their coach as they miraculously coalesce into a team against considerable odds and begin to transform the town into a haven for its diverse new arrivals. Driven by the fast-paced chronicle of a single season, this is the complex, inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking tale of a small town in confrontation with the world, the resilience and hope of a refugee community, and the ingenious and complicated ways we build community in a changing world.
The Author
Warren St. John is a reporter for The New York Times and author of the national bestseller Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer.
