Learning America: One Woman’s Fight for Educational Justice for Refugee Children – A Gay Muslim Coach's Story of Soccer, Trauma, and Building Schools That Transform Lives

by Luma Mufleh

“[From] an influential educational leader and activist…an impassioned, penetrating critique and inspiring model for progress.”— Kirkus Reviews , starred review It was a wrong turn that changed everything. When Luma Mufleh—a Muslim, gay, refugee woman from hyper-conservative Jordan—stumbled upon a pick-up game of soccer in Clarkston, Georgia, something compelled her to join.  The players, 11- and 12-year-olds from Liberia, Afghanistan, and Sudan, soon welcomed her as coach of their ragtag but fiercely competitive group. Drawn into their lives, Mufleh learned that few of her players, all local public school students, could read a single word. She asks, “Where was the America that took me in? That protected me? How can I get these kids to  that  America?” Learning America  traces the story of how Mufleh grew a group of kids into a soccer team and then into a nationally acclaimed network of schools for refugee children. The journey is inspiring and hard-won: Fugees schools accept only those most in need; no student passes a grade without earning it; the failure of any student is the responsibility of all. Soccer as a part of every school day is a powerful catalyst to heal trauma, create belonging, and accelerate learning. Finally, this gifted storyteller delivers provocative, indelible portraits of student after student making leaps in learning that aren’t supposed to be possible for children born into trauma--stories that shine powerful light on the path to educational justice for all of America’s most left-behind.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Education, Audiobook, Social Justice, Adult, American

256 pages, Hardcover

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[AndiReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an educator and as someone who works with quite a few immigrants, I was immediately attracted to this book. This is not a boring, play -by- play story where author is less than humble and the immigrants are paraded like show ponies. This is a beautiful telling of the story of the Fugee Soccer team and The Fugees Family Non Profit/schools. It is engaging and informative without lecturing or posturing. You learn about the author, her students and the very beginnings of this amazing program via a well written tale.

Anyone interested in the plight of young immigrants will enjoy this story immensely. Best yet, there are not a series of bad then worse situations. This is a very straightforward, well written success story.

Don't pick up the next top ten non fiction from NYT. Read this book - a true American book. A story of a group of students and a visionary leader (who happens to be a gay female from conservative Jordan). A powerful story of change! #LearningAmerica
#marinerbooks #netgalley #netgalleyreads

[Afaf Finan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book because I knew the author as a high school student at the school where I taught grade school. I knew her then by reputation as an exceptional person and an outstanding athlete! Over the past few years I came across impressive accounts of Luma’s work with refugee children in GA. But nothing I read in the past had prepared me for the extent of her work documented in this book. What started as a game of soccer with young refugee children led to her opening one school and then another to help them get an education not readily available for them in public schools. Her relentless work on behalf of these children is a testament to her gifts that she shared with her students and coworkers. I would recommend this book to everyone, but especially to those with a passion for learning and teaching, and to anyone with compassion for refugees and their plight. Luma, we all knew you were a gifted person; this book shows just how!

[Luisa Gatto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that faces many important topics: the US school system, refugees, learning English as a second language, racism just to mention a few.
The author reports her point of view clearly and did great work balancing her personal experience as a refugee, her experience in the education of those kids, and more broad data and research on the topics.
As an educator, I really liked the book and found many and many foods for thought.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should be required to read this amazing book. Most of us can’t figure out ways to help refugees but this woman started out by playing soccer with a bunch of kids. It led into creating a soccer team and eventually starting schools to educate kids at their level that will lead to success and not leave them behind. So many of the stories brought tears to my eyes. Luma Mufleh and these children along with their families are inspiring!

[Courtney Tucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Important to note there are other sides to this story that have been quieted for far too long. Some good things done but a lot of very harmful, traumatic practices as well.

https://medium.com/@tellusaboutluma/f...

[mib6475654 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read that explores the American education system. In addition to being informative, this books grapples with a lot of important themes and would be great as a learning resource.

[Nidhi Shrivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨✨

Thank you @luma_mufleh, @netgalley, and @marinerbooks for the e-arc and finished copy of Luma’s memoir.

Summary: It was a wrong turn that changed everything. When Luma Mufleh—a Muslim, gay, refugee woman from hyper-conservative Jordan—stumbled upon a pick-up game of soccer in Clarkston, Georgia, something compelled her to join. The players, 11- and 12-year-olds from Liberia, Afghanistan, and Sudan, soon welcomed her as coach of their ragtag but fiercely competitive group.
Learning America traces the story of how Mufleh grew a group of kids into a soccer team and then into a nationally acclaimed network of schools for refugee children. Soccer as a part of every school day is a powerful catalyst to heal trauma, create belonging, and accelerate learning. Finally, this gifted storyteller delivers provocative, indelible portraits of student after student making leaps in learning that aren’t supposed to be possible for children born into trauma--stories that shine powerful light on the path to educational justice for all of America’s most left-behind.

Thoughts 💭: I was so excited when this beautiful and poignant memoir was suggested to me through NetGalley. Mufleh’s story is one of trauma, healing, belonging, and bringing light to educational justice for those who exist in the margins. As the troubling stories of hate crimes against Asians and Muslims continue to be in the rise, Mufleh’s voice contributes to the important conversations regarding how immigrants and refugees struggle to carve an identity in their host nation. Things are further complicated by Mufleh’s family excluding her from their family financially and emotionally. As the memoir unfolds, we see that her job as a coach is nothing sort of personal. Her encounter with an Afghani mother who is struggling emotionally leaves a mark, as Lume observes that she is kind to a Sunni Muslim. This moment speaks to how diaspora reforms relationships that would not be possible in the countries of origins. If you love memoirs, especially those which are inspirational, Lume’s book should be on your list. It released in April.

QQOTD ⁉️: what was the last memoir did you read?

#Netgalley #MarinerBooks #LumeMufleh #bookstagram #instabook #book-photography #bookporn #igbooks #ilovereading #bookhaul #bookhoarder #bookaddiction #bookstoread #whattoread #fortheloveofbooks #bookblogging #bookpics #weekendreads #bookrecs

[Destiny 4everbooked · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOWWWW!!!!

This book was such an amazing read. The telling of Luma Muflehs story and her journey to where she is today and how she has impacted so many refugees lives for the better is so amazing. This book was a huge eye opener to our American school systems and how so many students, especially those new to our country, are overlooked and go without support. It’s no surprise that there’s a trillion flaws in our school systems but every chapter of this book just goes to show that there are so many things we can do to improve it. There’s no sugar coating in this book, you will know the true struggles of most if not all refugees, and how much they have overcome. I was on the verge of crying numerous times throughout this book, and I’m soooo glad I read it because the stories in here are those that are kept unseen from the public eyes, the stories that can’t be described in a 2 minute news story.

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway and am only a substitute teacher and thought this would be a great read for me. This book will now 100% stay with me forever and be in the back of my mind when I work at the schools. I HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYONE working in the school systems no matter what job/role you play. Luma Mufleh you have my deepest respect for everything you’ve done.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning America is an important nexus of personal experience, refugee politics, sports, and education change.
I had earlier read, as a latecomer, the true story Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town, found on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
Luma Mufleh's book is more focused on education and experience after more years running Fugees Academy, first near here in Clarkston, Georgia, then in Columbus, Ohio, as well. Here's the Fugees Academy website: https://fugeesfamily.org/
I am inspired by the work and the stories told here.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to publisher Mariner Books for sending an Advanced Reading Copy to review.

[Abby Greaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this book. I was hooked from the moment I picked it up.

Luma Mufleh is a gay Muslim immigrant who ended up coming to America to go to college, and decided to stay because it wasn't safe for her to go back home and be who she was. One day she sees refuge boys playing soccer and decides to join in. This one event changed the course of her life. She found that most of these boys did not know a majority of English and how to read. Luma went on to create the Fugee schools, to help other refugee children learn English and know the skills that are needed once moving to America.

When moving to America, many people think that it will be easy, but refugees are not always given the tools that they need to survive when moving here. More often than not, these children are not treated well by peers and by community members. I was ignorant in thinking that refugees coming to America were able to start fresh, but boy was I wrong.

I am thankful to have read this book and learn more about some experiences that refugees have in this country. Though this shows some experiences, it doesn't cover all. Hopefully, more Fugee schools show up so that more children have access to education that will help them thrive in this country.

I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning America by Luma Mufleh is an inspiring account of her route to helping refugee children in America. Mufleh is a Lesbian Muslim woman from conservative Jordan. She was granted asylum entrance to the US after college. What started as a casual soccer match with children in her neighborhood developed into a school for refugee children new to America. She saw the difficulties they experienced adjusting to their new country, learning in school, and recovering from trauma. Local schools could not offer the support they really needed to excel in their new country. Mufleh founded the Fugees Academy to better serve young people in most need. I loved reading about how the school was created and the principles it was founded on. I really enjoyed learning about the communities developed and think Learning America will be especially inspiring to educators.

Thank you and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Deborah Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

As a former ESL teacher immigrant and refugee issues are always on my radar, and can feel insurmountable. It is such a beacon of hope to read of an individual who sees, cares, and makes such an impact on the lives of numerous vulnerable children.

[Jadee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story. I want my kids to go to a school like the Fugees

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned so much about the lives of refugees who come to America. I’m inspired by what Luma built with the Fugees, and the perspective she shared about what is necessary to reform US education.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I borrowed this book from the library. Next, I will definitely be buying it to live on my shelves forever!

[Van Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am going with a 4.5 star rating here. This book identifies some longstanding problems in public education, but she does not dwell on the problems; the author focuses on what they do with their programs for refugees and how the U.S. can do better. She readily acknowledges that some of what they do would not work in most schools, but many of her insights are spot on.
One of the big takeaways for me was that we are failing the refugees that come here. The U.S. has traditionally been the world leader in accepting refugees, but in recent years (meaning 2016 to 2020) we have greatly reduced our lead.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I had literal goosebumps the entire book, especially once she began talking about the kids. This book is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. The story grabbed my attention from the start and was not glorious by any means. Instead, it was raw and honest in a much-needed way.

At one point, the author asks the reader to do a visualization placing them in the shoes of a refugee fleeing their home with an enemy and war on their heels. In that moment, I was thoroughly crushed. I felt the dread sitting heavy in my heart and stomach. I also knew that what I was feeling wasn’t even a fraction of what they have felt. Luma told not just her story but the story of the kids and their community. I am incredibly grateful for and humbled by this story and have a greater appreciation for those who have gone through the asylum process.

Voluntarily reviewed after receiving a free copy courtesy of NetGalley, the Publisher, Mariner Books, and the author, Luma Mufleh .

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved listening to the author read her story. She is an outstanding woman. I need to do more in my life to contribute to making our community better and to help others.

[tripletext · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who works as a high school teacher for immigrant students (some of them refugees), this book was right up my alley. It does a great job of explaining the systemic faults of American public schools, especially how so many students with differentiated needs are so poorly served and often just pushed through the system despite their gaps in education. I've seen the problems these students have firsthand, and I have certainly felt overwhelmed or out of my element when working with students who have barely any literacy. Through stories about actual students, Mufleh was able to truly illustrate what so many students in America experience.

What I really appreciated was the fact that Mufleh laid out what success can and should look like for special populations; while working at her school, she realized that demanding all her students attend college was neither feasible nor realistic for many students - at the same time, plenty of students could find success outside of attending university. With that said, Mufleh didn't exclude stories about students who didn't succeed at her school. It was reassuring seeing my own sentiments reflected in her writing.

I found myself reactively recoiling when Mufleh suggested that charter schools are the answer to public schools. While I agree that many public schools don't serve students who need the most help, I feel like charter schools are just bastardized private schools (many of them incompetently run) that are often profit-driven. So instead of throwing babies out with bathwater and taking money away from state-funded schools, why not just fix the public school system? There are initiatives that could easily replicate what Mufleh has done with her Fugees in a public school setting. I recognize Mufleh's bias towards charter schools, especially since hers seems very successful - and of course I acknowledge my own bias - but the stats show that students from charter schools on average don't perform any better than public schools. In the area where I live, charter schools perform demonstrably worse. Regardless, I could appreciate that Mufleh exactly pinpointed the issues we have within our broken system. It didn't necessarily alleviate my angst as a public school teacher feeling like a cog in the machine, but it was nice to see my own thoughts echoed.

But anyway, this book was a great read, especially because it gave voice to a group of people who are often voiceless. For teachers, this should be required reading.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book by an exceptional woman. I requested this book because I knew about Fugees from friend of the author. We all went to the same college but I don't think Luma and I ever met. What I didn't know is that Luma had gone on to do a Ted Talk and was named CNN Hero of the Year in 2017. Her passion for the education of refugees in America is evident and I love how she gives names and stories to some of her students. I felt invested in them as I learned who they were.

She writes so articulately about the educational system in the US, outside of the impact it has on refugees. It's long been an interest of mine and she outlines many of the issues exceptionally well. Savage Inequalities indeed. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in education in the US or anyone who enjoys reading about an ordinary woman who is doing extraordinary things with her life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

[Dee-Ann Durbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author deftly weaves her unique personal story with the stories of her students and her schools for refugees. This book made me think a lot about how we educate all kids, and what we could do better. A worthy read!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing story

An eye opening look at the challenges faced by refugee students. May we all take a moment to learn how to better a achieve educational justice for every student.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose if I got caught on the details of this book, I'd not get through it, but I'm glad I did. This was an excellent book and an example of why I read from other points of view. I tend to lean right in this crazy world, and Mufleh definitely leans left, but she has a lot of observations about education and the difficulties of refugees in America that are worth listening to and worth noting.

The first part, going through her background and such, was slower for me, though I did appreciate her observations of how difficult it is for refugee children in America. They didn't plan on being here. In many cases they'd rather be in their home country. Sadly the situations in their countries of origins meant many had to flee -- only to find one political party skeptical of them, the other nominally welcoming but unable and sometimes even uninterested in meeting needs of those coming here.

She discusses many of the problems refugee children have in American public schools. She uses a lot of words popular with the political left, but still manages to showcase that there is a struggle (and notably this is a problem in American education overall). Her solution was creating a charter school for these refugee children than can meet their needs and help them with the struggles and trauma of what they've gone through and are presently dealing with.

Honestly, in the end I felt there is more than enough to discover and understand to make it a compelling and worthwhile book. She uses a lot of anecdotes to demonstrate the struggles of these kids, and the stories definitely help create empathy for what these school kids struggle with. Even more I appreciated her own lessons on what the kids need and what goals that are best for the individual student attending.

I like getting alternative perspectives like these, and I applaud her and recommend her work. I wish these kids all the success.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the rare times I just take pictures of one liners from a library book, because they just hit:
“In America, the freedom I had to fix the problem in front of me was an irresistible privilege.”
“What prepares a child more for the world than defiant self-confidence?”
“They weren’t there to save our students, because they knew our students didn’t need saving. They needed an education.”
“I hope my students can’t name one teacher. I hope they name them all.”
“I respect science and hard-won research, but not if they give us an excuse to quit.

From the opening story, I was hooked. I loved the description of just learning all the hurdles refugee children were facing. I loved the powerful narrative of starting a school. I loved a lot of the powerful items to learn from Mufleh’s experience running the Fugees school.
I had some trouble with some of the claims at the end—it started sounding like claims from papers I read in graduate school, but sometimes lacked evidence. One in particular I disagree with, is that we should have limited teacher training programs and have a unified system for teaching them—but not a unified curriculum among students in k-12. What? If we agree that America students are too diverse for a standard curriculum, wouldn’t that mean American teachers are as well? Also… if we had limited teacher training programs, I wouldn’t have made it as a teacher. At least, not without some form of debt.
Sometimes the structure threw me off, because it was making a singular point while going to anecdotes from different eras. I also had a harder time getting excited about the future direction—mostly because advocating for policy change is a lot harder to see major changes.
So, like 75% of the book was a solid 5 stars.

[Morgan Vorwald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book as part of a giveaway!

To attempt to change the educational system in America is difficult, but advocating for students by pushing back at the long-accepted standards while you are already a minority is astonishing. When I originally listened to Luma Mufleh's TED talk in a class, I had my eyes and ears opened to the difficulties faced by refugees. I had never really thought about how refugees would be disadvantaged by our education system, especially those that don't speak English. Many of these refugees are trying hard to assimilate into an alien country, where many people don't speak the same language and there aren't many people that will dedicate time to help. I first saw this book when I was browsing through some upcoming releases for 2022 and I knew I HAD to read this book.

To me, this book is a call out to the American education system to do better for both the teachers and students that are being failed by the currently unequal system. Reading this book in front of my college peers has started discussions on how our education system disproportionally disadvantages students from minority backgrounds or from impoverished communities with less access to educational resources. It has also led to many of them asking me if they can borrow this book from me to read it themselves.

[Sherry Arp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to start with my review. I don't know what to say that hasn't been said in other reviews. I just can not recommend this book enough to anyone who is involved in education, refugee services, churches with missions/community outreach programs/refugee programs, parents, students or anyone who wants to understand another person's experience.
This is my third book that talks first hand on refugees and their experiences their first few years in America and the same theme repeats itself. We as Americans welcome them in to our country (kind of) and then expect them to just know how to speak the language, understand all the traditions, know all the rules and fit in as soon as they get off the plane. This book is just a stepping stone to how we can start to change things for the better for everyone.
If you put this book down and do not want to make life better or easier for someone, I would be surprised.
I will be suggesting this book to everyone I know who would benefit and maybe just a few who need to see a perspective outside of their own.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought me back to my days of working in refugee resettlement. Rather than focusing on the challenges that refugee families and children face, which are well outlined in this book, I'd like to focus on a much more important message from the book: we should not fixate on refugees' suffering, our sympathy for them, or on glorifying their struggles, but on what they can actually achieve with the right tools. Worth a read if you want to understand why our current education system doesn't work for these populations. One thing I appreciate about this author is that she doesn't propose that the solution is that every major city and region with refugees build a school like hers, because she knows that what makes her system special is the hands-on, very customized nature of it. Long-term, I don't know what the solution is in other communities with large refugee populations, but this is a step in the right direction.

[Jenn Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very informative and insightful read into the needs of refuge and immigrant families and students integrating to American culture and public schools. As an educator who taught in a problematic public school many refuge and immigrant students, I wish this were a book I would’ve read at the beginning of my teaching journey when I was a naive fresh out of college educator who knew nothing about teaching English to students brand new to the country. This book provided valuable perspective and helped process all of the highs and lows of student experiences. I think the work her organization and schools is doing to help change the system and bring success to students is beyond valuable and agree wholeheartedly that the public school systems in this country need major work to meet students and families where they are at. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook and it gave lots to think about.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Very interesting and inspiring book. It is incredible the difference that one person, a woman in this case, can make if she has passion, a vision, and is willing to work hard to see her dream come true. What I felt throughout this book was love - just pure love and caring for children, refugee children in this country, that had no real way to make a better life for themselves. These 11 and 12 year olds were floundering in school because they couldn't read English. Luma, a refugee from Jordan, saw a need and figured out a way to really educate these refugee children living in the Atlanta, GA area. It started with soccer and became several schools in different parts of the country. Every student took art, music and everyone played soccer. Along the way they learned about teamwork, community and helping each other achieve, despite the horrors many had lived through before coming to America. I highly recommend this book.

[Rick Presley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5 stars are not for the brilliance of the writing, but the worthwhileness of the topic. After reading Outcasts United, I had to pick up Mufleh's book about her school. It also helps that she is Columbus-based, making her a local, so it's like I have to read her book. I mean, if I drive by James Thurber's boyhood home every day on my way to work, I have to give due diligence to other Columbusites, don't I?

My teacher's heart was swelling with empathy throughout the book. Mufleh is a tireless advocate for her students and her love, care, and concern for all of them is evident. Fugees Family https://www.facebook.com/fugeesfamily and https://fugeesfamily.org/ and now Teranaga in Bowling Green contain student stories that had my eyes tearing up on multiple occasions. If you care about education. Or if you care about refugee children in the US. Or if you care about anyone at all, this is a worthwhile book to read.