We had the privilege of speaking with Warren St. John, author of the 2010 One Maryland One Book selection, Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town, to talk about his Maryland book tour, keeping up with the Fugees, and how communities all over America are changing. (more…)

Glennor Shirley, library coordinator for the Maryland Correctional Education Libraries is one member of the One Maryland One Book selection committee who felt strongly about the 2010 selection Outcasts United. Read her comments below.

“I have just finished reading Outcasts United by Warren St. John.  Here are some of the reasons I felt so passionately about this book.”

“First of all, it is the classic American immigrant story. Because this issue is so important, it is sure to inspire dialog among Marylanders. Prejudice is not only felt among racial lines, but also among different social classes, various immigrant groups—and among Africans and African Americans.”

“It is also the story of gender. Luma Mufleh, the woman who coaches the Fugees, is from Jordan, a country and society where women’s roles are prescribed. A woman who defies her culture to explore her own path is a story that will surely inspire readers.”

“It is a story of determination, kindness, caring, and overcoming obstacles. It is a story about young children and adaptation to a new culture. It is a story about resisting and accepting inevitable change in order to survive. It is a story that deals with some of the issues that effect us especially in Baltimore—gangs, for example. It is the story of hope and the quest for freedom and economic survival. (Isn’t that that why people come to America?)”

“It is also a story about women—mothers and daughters who struggle to keep their families together and the obstacles they face in a strange land.”

“So have I convinced you to pick up a copy of Outcasts United today?”

What do you think? Have you read Outcasts United?

Leave your comments below.