Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference

“If that goal was scored by a young refugee from Liberia, off an assist from a boy from southern Sudan, who was set up by a player from Burundi or a Kurd from Iraq—on a field in Georgia, U.S.A, no less—understanding its origins would mean following the thread of causation back in time to events that long preceded the first whistle.”

The Introduction explains author Warren St. John’s interest in documenting the story of the Fugees, in particular the complicated paths that brought the players together. The interwoven threads identified in this passage highlight the book’s discussion of The Influence of American Politics on International Conflicts that directly result in displacement and the need for refugee resettlement.

“‘For the majority of the time she coached me, I hated her,’ Luma said. ‘But she had our respect. She didn’t ask us to do anything she wouldn’t do.’”

This passage indicates the book’s interest in the importance of emotional connection in coaching. Luma’s relationship with Coach Brown has a significant influence on her own coaching philosophy as an adult.

“This history of persecution and wandering had torn at the social fabric of the Somali Bantu and left them, on the whole, poor, deeply traumatized, and far removed from the trappings of the modern world.”

This passage is characteristic of St. John’s attitude toward the refugees his book describes. Although careful to acknowledge the history of oppression that has displaced the Somali Bantu and led to their collective trauma, St. John nevertheless reiterates the stereotypes used by anti-refugee advocates in Clarkston and beyond.