Description: Punching Bag Description Review "Readers will see themselves in Rex and appreciate the hope he offers: life can get better.... This should be widely available to anyone who needs it." ― Booklist (starred review)"Though the subject matter is 's message throughout is focused on survival and hope. Highly recommended for all middle and high school collections." ― School Library Journal (starred review)"[A] vivid, emphatic memoir.... A beacon of hope to readers trying to survive their own childhoods." ― Publishers Weekly Product Description A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021The companion to Rex Ogle’s award-winning Free Lunch is a searing account of adolescence in a household torn by domestic Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lunch, here describes his struggle to survive; reflects on his complex, often paradoxical relationship with his passionate, fierce mother; and charts the trajectory of his stepdad’s anger. Hovering over Rex’s story is the talismanic presence of his unborn baby it all, Rex threads moments of grace and humor that act as beacons of light in the darkness. Compulsively readable, beautifully crafted, and authentically told, Punching Bag is a remarkable memoir about one teenager’s cycle of violence, blame, and attempts to forgive his parents―and himself. From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up-"Your sister is dead, and it's your fault." This haunting declaration sets the tone for the author's life when, at age seven, he returns from a three-month stay with grandparents in another state to be forced by his frantic mother to look at photos of his stillborn sister Marisa. In this follow-up to Free Lunch, his 2019 memoir about childhood battles with poverty, Ogle details years of merciless violence-emotional, psychological, and often physical-as mom and stepdad Sam brutalize each other and each of them attacks him. He recounts how, when the police show up at their apartment, he feels pressure to lie to keep the family together for younger brother Ford. Throughout, he is advised and comforted by a fleeting dream of Marisa. Despite all this, Ogle shows a remarkable empathy for his parents, both of them victims of severe domestic abuse in their own childhoods, as well as for his mother's struggle with mental illness and Sam's with alcohol addiction. Frequently coarse and profane language may be off-putting for sensitive readers. Instances of homophobia and anti-Hispanic bigotry (Ogle's mother is Mexican American), amplified by derogatory epithets, nonetheless serve to frame his social isolation. The volume closes with a list of resources for suicide prevention and combating domestic violence, as well as a Q&A with Ogle from earlier this year. Though the subject matter is harrowing and it is at times difficult to continue reading, Ogle's message throughout is focused on survival and hope. VERDICT Highly recommended for all middle and high school Hassett, Luther Jackson M.S., Falls Church, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. About the Author Rex Ogle was born and raised mostly in Texas. He received the 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award for his memoir Free Lunch. His second book, Punching Bag, was a New York Public Library Best Book of 2021. He lives in Los Angeles, California. About Us We are uniquely positioned to offer the best prices on thousands of America's most popular items. 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Price: 23.49 USD
Location: Denver, Colorado
End Time: 2025-02-04T20:57:39.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
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MPN: Does not apply
Type: ABIS_BOOK
Book Title: Punching Bag
Number of Pages: 224 Pages
Language: English
Publisher: Norton & Company, Incorporated, w. w.
Topic: Sociology / General, Social Topics / Homelessness & Poverty, Social Topics / Physical & Emotional Abuse (See Also Social Topics / Sexual Abuse)
Item Height: 0.9 in
Publication Year: 2021
Genre: Social Science, Young Adult Nonfiction
Item Weight: 13.5 Oz
Item Length: 8.6 in
Author: Rex Ogle
Item Width: 5.8 in
Format: Hardcover
