Outcast United

I started reading Outcast United by Warren St. John the night I received the book at orientation this summer.  Normally when I’m interested in a book it takes me about two weeks at most to read it. This book took me all summer. After I read the first thirty pages at orientation I could tell that it just wasn’t my kind of book. Therefore I devised a plan to read five pages every morning when I woke up until I finished it. Time management I felt was going to be the key to success in getting this book finished. With my long summer nights, I found it difficult to follow my initial plan to read every morning when I awoke.  Eventually, despite procrastinating, I was able to finish the book after what felt like a lifetime. Although overall I did not care for the book, I did like how it demonstrated diversity and the ability to overcome cultural differences. Despite each member of the team coming from different backgrounds with different customs, they were able to all come together and form one united team. This theme shows how one common interest can override numerous differences. I found that this theme relates to Southern and its diverse student body. There are many students of different races, religions, and even different political views yet we all manage to come together and form one school. Although in the end the Fugees did not win, they gained something more and learned to respect others who may differ from them, just as students at Southern do. Though I didn’t enjoy reading this book, I found that I could relate to its message.