Soccer

Simon Keith is not only one of the longest-living heart transplant recipients, he is also the first to have ever played professional sports after a transplant.

This is his remarkable story.

It is the story of one of the most talented young soccer players in North America, on his way to playing for his country in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Unfortunately, Simon never made that trip. He was diagnosed with a fatal heart disease and given only a few weeks to live.

Then something extraordinary happened.

Perilously close to death, Simon received the gift of a heart donation. Simon was given a second chance, from the most ironic of donors.

Following his heart transplant, not only did Simon return to play professional soccer becoming one of the best players in North America for the second time, he went on to live the life he always dreamed of having. He has lived a rich and glorious life, from professional and personal success, to the joys of family and fatherhood.

More than 25 years after receiving his new heart, Keith reflected on all he gained and decided to seek out the Fields family in an effort to learn more about their son James who died tragically and whose heart still beats within Simon’s chest.

And to thank them for all he received.

Keith’s story is more than simply about the process of getting a transplant. It’s about the will to survive and the lessons learned from friends and family along the way. It’s about never giving up on a dream and persevering through what some people feel can be overwhelming.

The journey ended at the gravesite of James Fields with Keith and James’ father Robert staring at the headstone, reflecting upon the tragedy that allowed Simon to survive. The incredible coincidences in the lives of James and Simon are simply too much for this to be just a story about overcoming the odds. It is a story that will have you believing in so much more.

Their joyous reunion is enough to warm even the hardest soul, and enrich the lives of all who read this incredible, almost unbelievable, true story.

"I have spent my professional career playing against some of the greatest athletes in the world. Each train hard, have a burning desire for their sport and have inevitably overcome some kind of adversity. I have never met an athlete who overcame Simon’s circumstances. To say the odds of playing soccer again were overwhelming doesn’t even begin to explain what he did."
-Steve Nash, two time NBA MVP

From receiving a yellow card at age eight to scoring an own goal to snubbing an internationally renowned goalkeeper, this collection of short stories, poems and pictures will have you laughing until the final whistle. He is also the author of THE GIFT OF STOPPAGE TIME & THE WORLD NEEDS MORE BELLY RUBS.

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.


From the Hardcover edition.

APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEPTIVE - as Paul Jarvis of the National Football Intelligence Unit is only too well aware. He knows that Billy Evans is no ordinary East End lad made good. He's also a thug, a villain and a cop killer. Jarvis just hasn't been able to prove it... Yet.

So when Jarvis discovers that Evans is putting together a hooligan 'Super Crew' to follow England to Italy, he feels sure he can finally put Evans behind bars - if only someone can infiltrate the Crew and get him the proof he needs.

But nothing is ever that simple. The Crew believe Evans is just out for a full-on riot. Jarvis thinks he's trafficking drugs. But Billy Evans is always one step ahead. He has another plan. And it will be catastrophic for everyone concerned.

EXCEPT HIM.