Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town - Hardcover

John, Warren St.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385741944 ISBN 13: 9780385741941

Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers, 2012

Synopsis

For readers who followed Enrique's Journey, Outcasts United is another equally moving account of refugees finding a new life in the U.S.
Based on the adult bestseller, Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference, this young people's edition is a complex and inspirational story about the Fugees, a youth soccer team made up of diverse refugees from around the world, and their formidable female coach, Luma Mufleh. Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical southern town until it became a refugee resettlement center. The author explores how the community changed with the influx of refugees and how the dedication of Lumah Mufleh and the entire Fugees soccer team inspired an entire community.

About this title

Review:

"Not merely about soccer, St. John's book teaches readers about the social and economic difficulties of adapting to a new culture and the challenges facing a town with a new and disparate population. Despite their cultural and religious differences and the difficulty of adaptation, the Fugees came together to play soccer. This wonderful, poignant book is highly recommended..."
-"Library Journal, " starred review
A "richly detailed, uplifting account of a young Jordanian immigrant who created a soccer program in Georgia for young refugees from war-torn nations . . . educational and enriching."
- "Kirkus Reviews"
"St. John hits a trifecta . . . A fascinating and fast-moving account of big-picture politics, small-town sports, and some very memorable people."
"-Booklist"
"Inspiring...richly detailed...Deeply satisfying...a bighearted book."
"-Shelf Awareness"
"As St. John tells it, the Fugees' story is something of a radical social experiment: a test case in 21st-century immigration and identity politics. But it's also a deeply moving example of what men and women of goodwill can do."
-Very Short List
"A brilliant and empathetic depiction of our common quest for meaning and happiness. Warren St. John invites us into the lives of a community of refugees, their bewildered neighbors in a small town, and a Jordanian woman who not only coaches but also mentors, mothers, and inspires some remarkable boys, to createa heartwarming tale about the transformations that occur when our disparate lives connect."
-Ishmael Beah, author of" A Long Way Gone"
"Truly unforgettable, "Outcasts United" offers a stirring lesson in the power of a single person to transform the lives of many. It's an incisive window into the world ahead for all of us, where cultural diversity won't be an ideal or a course requirement or a corporate initiative but a fact of life that has to be wrestled with and reconciled, if never quite resolved."

"Respecting cultural differences, building a global community, and the importance of getting involved are powerful, motivating messages that will resonate with teen readers, not just soccer fans."--Starred Review, "School Library Journal
""An uplifting underdog story that will appeal to readers interested in the immigrant experience and the surprising role sports can play in people's lives."--"Kirkus Reviews
""Exciting youth soccer action blends with politics . . . filled with fast kicks, scrimmages, dribbles, crossses, corners, shots, and misses on the field that will grab kids, as will the harrowing stories of what the families fled from their continuing struggle."--"Booklist"

Christopher Award Winner
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
"Respecting cultural differences, building a global community, and the importance of getting involved are powerful, motivating messages that will resonate with teen readers, not just soccer fans."--Starred Review, "School Library Journal
""An uplifting underdog story that will appeal to readers interested in the immigrant experience and the surprising role sports can play in people's lives."--"Kirkus Reviews
""Exciting youth soccer action blends with politics . . . filled with fast kicks, scrimmages, dribbles, crossses, corners, shots, and misses on the field that will grab kids, as will the harrowing stories of what the families fled from their continuing struggle."--"Booklist"

Christopher Award Winner
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
"Respecting cultural differences, building a global community, and the importance of getting involved are powerful, motivating messages that will resonate with teen readers, not just soccer fans."--Starred Review, School Library Journal
"An uplifting underdog story that will appeal to readers interested in the immigrant experience and the surprising role sports can play in people's lives."--Kirkus Reviews
"Exciting youth soccer action blends with politics . . . filled with fast kicks, scrimmages, dribbles, crossses, corners, shots, and misses on the field that will grab kids, as will the harrowing stories of what the families fled from their continuing struggle."--Booklist

About the Author:

WARREN ST. JOHN is the author of the national bestsellers "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania" and "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference." A former reporter for the New York Times, he has also written extensively for The New Yorker, the New York Observer, and Wired. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama, attended Columbia University and now lives in New York City.

About this edition

• Publisher: Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0385741944
• ISBN 13: 9780385741941
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240