| Abstract |
For more than ten years, the small town of Siler City, North Carolina, has been at the front lines of immigration, drawing workers form Latin America as well as from traditional Latino enclaves across the United States. When reporter Paul Cuadros moved south to study the impact of the burgeoning Latino community, he encountered a volatile culture clash between longtime residents and the newcomers, one that eventually boiled over into an anti-immigrant rally featuring ex-Klansman David Duke. The bitter struggle imbued Cuadros with a new purpose: to show the growing numbers of Latino youth that their lives could be more than menial work at the local poultry plant. Soccer would be the key to helping these boys find a better place in this world. This book is Paul Cuadros's account of his three seasons coaching "Los Jets" of Jordan-Matthews High School, a team of under-appreciated young Latino soccer players in an all-football town who overcame prejudice, poverty, and the odds to become champions. |
