Thursday, Feb. 18

Outcasts United A Refugee Team, An American TownWarren St. JohnWarren St. John

9:35-10:50 a.m.

Saville Theatre

Outcasts United A Refugee Team, An American Town is the story of a refugee soccer team, a remarkable woman coach and a small southern town turned upside down by the process of resettlement for scores of families from war zones in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan. A reporter for The New York Times, Warren St. John’s first book, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Journey into the Heart of Fan Mania (2004), was named one of Sports Illustrated’s best books of the year and ranked No. 1 on The Chronicle of Higher Education's list of the best books ever written about collegiate athletics. St. John was born in Birmingham, Alabama and attended Columbia University in New York City, where he lives with his wife Nicole. His talk is part of the One Book, One San Diego activities sponsored by the San Diego Public Library and KPBS.
 

Featuring:

Benson Athiin Deng

“Our village was attacked by our government when I was seven years old. We fled a thousand miles across Sudan to Ethiopia on foot. The traveling was always by night and I hated this very much because we were not allowed to sleep and when I stepped on unidentified things in the dark like thorns, twigs and sharp stones, my feet were sore all the time. But I was not the only one, about twenty-five boys my age shared the same hardships. This stopped me from any complaints or crying. I was not wearing any shirt or jacket, just only my underwear all the way to Ethiopia.”

Benson Athiin Deng began to learn English by writing the alphabet with a stick in the sand in Ethiopia. When he was driven from there, he and his brother, Alepho, were captured and put into a camp called Natinga. Alepho fell seriously ill and there were no medicines, clinics or anyone to care for him. Their lives were in danger and Benson’s friends wanted him to escape with them. Risking his own life, Benson stayed behind for his brother and nursed him until a few months later. Near death, Alepho was finally transported to a refugee camp for treatment. Benson later escaped and made a treacherous desert crossing that not everyone survived. When Benson reached safety in Kenya, he began his education again. Upon his arrival in America, Benson, with his brother, Alephonsian Deng, and cousin, Benjamin Ajak, wrote a book about their life in Africa called They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan, which is edited by Judy Bernstein.

For more info on the book, visit http://www.theypouredfire.com/

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