A small group of Somali refugee girls struggle to put the distrust and animosity of war behind them as they create a new life in America. A dedicated middle school principal is challenged as an educator, a leader and a peacemaker.

What could it possibly be like to be a teenage Somali Muslim girl in the United States? An exile from war and famine plunged into a country you don't understand. For the teachers and administrators at Portland's Hosford Middle School, these refugees presented an immediate crisis. How do you teach algebra when your students don't speak English or have never held a pencil? Even worse, tribal rivalries could erupt into hallway fights - the ultimate form of vengeance being the scar of a deep bite to the other girl's face. Something had to be done, but what? LESSONS OF BASKETBALL AND WAR chronicles a year in the life of these new students and the educators attempting to help them to become successful Americans.—Anonymous