Outcasts United

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

By: Warren St. John

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe

The extraordinary tale of a refugee youth soccer team and the transformation of a small American town.

Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical Southern town until it was designated a refugee settlement center in the 1990s, becoming the first American home for 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 colors playing soccer in any open space they could find. The town also became home to Luma Mufleh, an American-educated Jordanian woman who founded a youth soccer team to unify Clarkston's refugee children and keep them off the streets. These kids named themselves the Fugees.

Set against the backdrop of an American town that without its consent had become a vast social experiment, 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 center of the story is fiery Coach Luma, who relentlessly drives her players to success on the soccer 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.

©2009 Spiegel and Grau (P)2009 Random House

Critic reviews

"Lincoln Hoppe brings a smooth flow to a true story full of struggles. With even tones and seemingly effortless pronunciations, Hoppe introduces the various young immigrants who come together from all over the world, from a multitude of traumatic backgrounds, to form the Fugees soccer team. Hoppe also voices the dreams and disappointments of Coach Luma Mufleh, herself a refugee from Jordan, who is tough enough to create a bond among her disparate members; take on the prejudices of Clarkston, Georgia; and help the story’s young adults fight their way to victory over poverty, the temptations of gang life, cultural differences, and learning difficulties. Hoppe melds the story of these challenges as beautifully as Mufleh brings together her team and her community." (AudioFile magazine)

"Wonderful, poignant...highly recommended." (Library Journal)

Great Story!

This story inspires me to help be the change I want to see in the world.

Wonderful!

This book is a artfully written text that incorporated everyone, not just soccer players or refugees, but seeps into the feeling everyone has had I being outside the crown, and the journey to find family in a new world. The story focuses on a town or resettled refugees in America and shows the difficulties and prejudices that must be traversed in the modern age. Like I have stated before it hones into the common feeling of wing displace and finding a family. I would recommend this book to college students, as a student myself I have just come into this challenge and this book has aided my odyssey. In addition it is a wonderful success story that draws you in quickly and compels you to keep reading, added bony is the movie coming out!!!

Don't let the name full you

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was an easy listen but not a fun story.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The coaches were not spared from showing their flaws in their personalities.

Which scene was your favorite?

The kids giving money for their trip

Did Outcasts United inspire you to do anything?

Be a standout in a crowd full of nay sayers

Building community

A great story about how the acts of kindness of one person can impact so many. Luma may not have changed the world but she changed what she could.

great book

i love this touching story. You can really feel the connection between the team in this book.

Great book

I loved this read! Definitely worth my time! Reccomend you watch! Thanks so much amazon!

Simply amazing!

The stories of these kids and their coach are both heart wrenching and inspiring. We can all learn from the simple acts of the people in this book.

Good story, awful narrator

I am not quite finished listening to the book, but it's a good thing that I kept on listening to it after the first 15 minutes. Lincoln Hoppe has the most monotone voice I have ever heard. He puts very little, if any, inflection or emotion to his narrating. If it weren't for the interesting story, I would never have listened to it.
The title itself is a bit misleading, because it really is not the whole story of the Fugees. Yes, their story is told, but amidst a lot of history and information about the conflicts and wars in Africa. The Fugees story seems to be secondary to this.
Overall I gave the book four stars because of the content, but certainly not for the narration.

Wonderful eye opening story

I’m grateful to the author for the time spent to detail the events for those of us who would otherwise have NO IDEA of the refugee situation in that part of GA. So happy I spent the time with my 14 yr old son to listen. We are both forever changed for the better and want to find more little ways to help people in need.

great story, lackluster narration

Would you try another book from Warren St. John and/or Lincoln Hoppe?

I would read another by this author, I would avoid this narrator. His narration was only bearable at 1.5 to 2 times the regular narration speed.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Truly inspiring, informative story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Lincoln Hoppe’s performances?

No.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Please redo with a different narrator.