Literary Critique of “Outcasts United”

Luma Mufleh, known as Coach Luma, is a 33-year-old Jordanian woman whose coaching efforts are chronicled in this great book about the success of a soccer team composed solely of refugees living in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. The players on Luma’s team, known as the Fugees, are a variety of ages, sizes and abilities. They immigrated to America from Afghanistan, Burundi, Kosovo, Liberia, Somalia and Sudan and most have endured tremendous suffering just to get to America. They do not have much in common apart from their outsider status in America. Coach Luma is at times tough and at other times warm and sensitive. Her program extends beyond soccer as she visits player’s homes, creates a mandatory tutoring program, and teaches the boys about commitment and perseverance. She creates an oasis for the refugees where they find an opportunity to live dreams they never dreamt. The setting for this true story about an amazing woman, is Clarkston, Georgia which has become one of the most diverse communities in the United States. Today, about half of the 7,100 residents are foreign-born. This touching book by Warren St. John is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how community is built.

By Cathy Sheafor