Status
Available
Publication
Norton Young Readers (2021), 224 pages
Library's review
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021
The companion to Rex Ogle’s award-winning Free Lunch is a searing account of adolescence in a household torn by domestic violence.
Punching Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic
Through 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.
-Amazon Description
The companion to Rex Ogle’s award-winning Free Lunch is a searing account of adolescence in a household torn by domestic violence.
Punching Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic
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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 sister.Through 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.
-Amazon Description
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Awards
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2023)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2024)
CYBILS Awards (Winner — 2021)
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction (Nominee — 2022)
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (Top Ten — 2023)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Teens (Top Ten — Nonfiction — 2021)
Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List (Grades 9-12 — 2023)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
9781324016236