Bøker av Warren St. John

A moving account of how a soccer team made up of diverse refugees inspired an entire community here in the United States.   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.   Luma Mufleh, a young Jordanian woman educated in the United States and working as a coach for private youth soccer teams in Atlanta, was out for a drive one day and ended up in Clarkston, Georgia, where she was amazed and delighted to see young boys, black and brown and white, some barefoot, playing soccer on every flat surface they could find. Luma decided to quit her job, move to Clarkston, and start a soccer team that would soon defy the odds. Despite challenges to locate a practice field, minimal funding for uniforms and equipment, and zero fans on the sidelines, the Fugees practiced hard and demonstrated a team spirit that drew admiration from referees and competitors alike.   Outcasts United 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. Praise for Outcasts United   “An uplifting underdog story.”—Kirkus Reviews   “Motivating messages that will resonate with teen readers.”—School Library Journal, Starred Review   Praise for Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman''s Quest to Make a Difference   “Wonderful, poignant book is highly recommended..."–Library Journal, Starred Review   “Engagingly written.”—School Library Journal   “Richly detailed, uplifting … educational and enriching.”—Kirkus Reviews   “Dee"Inspiring...richly detailed...Deeply satisfying...a bighearted book."—Shelf Awareness

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.