Book Synopsis:
The extraordinary story of a refugee football team and the transformation of a small American town.
Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical Southern town until it was designated a refugee settlement centre in the 1990s, becoming home to scores of families in flight from the world's war zones—from Liberia and Sudan to Iraq and Afghanistan. Suddenly Clarkston's streets were filled with women wearing the hijab, the smells of cumin and curry, and kids of all colours playing football in any open space they could find. Among them was Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian woman who founded a youth football team to unify Clarkston's refugee children and keep them off the streets. These kids named themselves the Fugees.
Outcasts United follows a pivotal season in the life of the Fugees and their charismatic coach. Warren St. John documents the lives of a diverse group of young people as they miraculously coalesce into a band of brothers, while also drawing a fascinating portrait of a fading American town struggling to accommodate its new arrivals. At the centre of the story is fiery Coach Luma, who relentlessly drives her players to success on the football field while holding together their lives—and the lives of their families—in the face of a series of daunting challenges.
This fast-paced chronicle of a single season is a complex and inspiring tale of a small town becoming a global community—and an account of the ingenious and complicated ways we create a home in a changing world.
My Review:
4/5 stars. This was a really interesting and uplifting story, but it felt a little all over the place and disconnected at times. I liked the story and got invested in the team, but sometimes the way the added historical information was presented felt jarring. I was also reading the "adapted for young people" version, though, so maybe some of that was because it was a shortened version.
Similarly, the author shared a lot of different player's life stories throughout the book. While I loved learning about each one, there also wasn't much transition between these. A few times, it went from one person's story to a completely different one in the same chapter and not even with a line break.
As well as reading about everyone's unique stories, I loved how many quotes were included in this book. By hearing directly from people involved, it made it more personal. These quotes enhanced some parts of the story. Also, even though this isn't a Christian book, some of the players and their families were Christian, so there were small mentions of God and His goodness, which was nice.
One aspect of the story I have mixed feelings about is the coaching methods of the coach, Luma. Her approach involved of yelling and punishment, pushing them to do better by making them feel bad about their abilities. At one point, she even called one of her teams "idiots" and "a disgrace of a soccer team." While I don't think athletes should be given participation points and never be pushed to improve, I think a much better approach would be encouragement and positivity.
Because it's a book all about soccer, there are a lot of descriptions of the actual games and all the plays being made. Having played soccer myself, I really enjoyed reading those parts. Some people who aren't into sports might get bored, but I thought it was exciting and I could picture what was happening.
The ending of this book wasn't a triumphant one. It makes sense, though, since it's about a real life story. In real life, things aren't always going to work out right away. One of her teams that made it far enough to go into a Cup didn't end up winning, and that's where the story ends. There is an epilogue that has good news and updates about the teams and the organization after the events of the book, but the main ending is kind of anticlimactic.
Content Guide:
Language: None
Sexual Content: None
Violence: Someone gets beaten and mugged, and a kid gets shot in a gang shooting, but neither of these things are described in detail
Drugs and alcohol: None
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