Meet the Author

Warren St. John

Warren St. John has written for the New York Observer, The New Yorker, Wired and Slate, in addition to his work as a reporter for The New York Times. 

 St. John was born in Birmingham, Alabama, where he attended The Altamont School. He studied English literature at Columbia College in New York City, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

 You can follow him at Twitter at http://twitter.com/warrenstjohn.

 

His 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 number one on The Chronicle of Higher Education's list of the best books ever written about collegiate athletics. In Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, St. John immerses himself in the world of extreme sports fandom. He buys an RV, joins the Alabama Crimson Tide caravan for an entire football season, chronicles the lives of some die-hard fans, and, along the way, forays into the deep roots of humanity's sports mania (did you know that tailgaters could be found in eight-century Greece?), the psychology of crowds, and the surprising neuroscience behind the thrill of victory."  (www.rammerjammeryellowhammer.com/)

 

His second book, Outcasts United: An American Town, A Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference was published in the U.S. in April 2009, and subsequently in the U.K., The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and China. 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.