Learning America One woman's fight for educational justice for refugee children

Mufleh--founder of Fugees Family, a network of schools devoted to educating refugees--chronicles in this magnificent debut how a pickup soccer game transformed her life. When, in 2004, a "wrong turn" brought the then-soccer coach to a Georgia refugee settlement community where six boys were kicking around a ball, Mufleh was immediately reminded of her childhood in Jordan. "To me," she writes, "there was nothing strange about... asking to join their game." What unfolds is an incredible story that follows Mufleh as she ushers these boys into YMCA leagues and works to establish a national network of schools for refugee communities, one far better than the schools they had to navigate--"systems that ha no idea what to do with them." Mufleh also nimbly tells the "redemption story" she struggled to fashion after coming out to her family while attending college in the U.S. in the '90s and applying for asylum--"as a gay woman, it would have been dangerous... for me to return to Jordan." Most inspiring, though, is the powerful conviction with which Mufleh writes about supporting those, who, like her, are still fighting for their American dream: "As we continue to turn a blind eye to the huddled masses at our door, it's not their humanity we're betraying, it's our own." Readers will be stunned. (Apr.)

Mufleh, an award-winning educator, combines her unique personal story with the astonishing narrative of how she built a successful school network for refugees in the United States, first in Georgia, then in Ohio. Her vision was for a school that would support and engage traumatized refugees; ultimately, she also identified broader values missing from the U.S. education system. Faced with ongoing inequality and inadequate funding, too many schools in the United States fail to meet the needs of their students, the author shows. She argues that her students thrive in contrast, because her schools emphasize providing a safe space, recognizing cultural diversity, encouraging high standards, and focusing on community. Mufleh's book works well as a vivid tale of the author's personal growth--from coaching a diverse group of children and understanding their needs, to building the school that allows them to thrive. VERDICT This is a beautifully written memoir of one woman's commitment to equality and respect for displaced people in the United States; her schools' achievements are impressive evidence. Highly recommended.--Elizabeth Hayford

A moving portrayal of the continuing plight of refugees. Founding director of the nonprofit Fugees Family, an organization devoted to educational justice for refugee and immigrant children, Mufleh makes her book debut with an absorbing account of her journey from a Jordanian immigrant to an influential educational leader and activist. The author grew up in Amman, where, at the age of 17, "I was held at gunpoint and terrorized by a police officer who had found me kissing a woman in the park." Although she describes herself as "a gay Muslim Arab American and refugee" as well as a middle-class, college-educated English speaker, her circumstances as an immigrant were far different from those of the ragtag group of boys that she encountered one day playing soccer in a parking lot in Atlanta. Impulsively joining them, she soon became coach of "the Fugees," and in a few years, she had three teams and about 60 boys. As Mufleh became involved in the boys' lives, she was stunned at the lack of support available to refugee families. They struggled economically and socially, and their children went to overcrowded, underfunded schools where their needs were not addressed. Besides offering vivid portraits of refugee families, the author engenders empathy in readers by asking them to imagine themselves in a frightening scenario: caught in violent conflict, fleeing with children, wrenched from home and community, and interred in a refugee camp, facing an inhumane immigration system "that assumes victims of war and atrocities are liars." The rare few granted asylum would soon find that Blacks, the poor, and gay people "were othered and ostracized" and refugee kids left to languish. Seeing a dire need for remedial education for those kids, Mufleh started Fugees Academy in Atlanta, garnering nonprofit status from the IRS. Its success led to several more schools in other cities and well-earned acclaim for Mufleh. Nevertheless, she sees the schools as "the anomaly" in a system that needs profound change. An impassioned, penetrating critique and inspiring model for progress. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.