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adammuly's review
4.0
What an amazing and difficult read. It really makes you think differently about poverty in America and gives a firsthand account of it through the eyes of a child. Too young to have to deal with many of the things he does, Rex also is older than he should be at his age. He’s forced to be strong and responsible and his life stinks. But, he manages to keep hope and to cling to what moments of joy and positivity he can find in the pains of poverty and abuse. It is well written and surprisingly comical in sections. Ogle handles a tough topic with a natural, child-like voice and maintains hope despite the many hopeless elements of his life story.
ellaxiao's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
For 6th grade seminar - heavy read for them but we’ll crafted themes and ideas/messages
danileighta's review
Very intense book, especially for any who have experienced abuse and/or poverty. And, for those who have not, this is a raw story that illustrates just what those struggles can entail. The author has given a lot of himself in this book; hopefully able to release some of this trauma in the writing of it.
If your middle schooler is reading this, I humbly suggest making yourself available for conversations and check-ins.
If your middle schooler is reading this, I humbly suggest making yourself available for conversations and check-ins.
ellytheskelly's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Violence
Minor: Child death
yuze's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.75
rex ogle wrote free lunch because he believes it's an important story to share. while i don't know if it's important or not, i do know that this memoir healed something in me. we may not be poor anymore but the experience of growing up poor will forever be a part of us and im thankful to rex ogle for this book.
brittneyfike's review
5.0
This was a tough book to read at times. But it was a story that needed to be heard and I’m thankful that Rex shared it.
amusinglyuseless's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Religious bigotry
cinnamon_girl9's review
4.0
Everything in this life is temporary. So appreciate what you have while you have it.
bickie's review
3.0
Well-written memoir account of the author's experience starting 6th grade, on the Free Lunch Program for the first time. Novel-like structure (note says author changed names/details and reconstructed conversations as best he could) is appealing, and Rex the student has to navigate changing friendships and a new school as well as poverty and an emotionally and physically abusive home life. As a white woman who has never experienced poverty or domestic violence, I do not feel I can comment on the "plot" or "events." They appear to be unvarnished and raw while also avoiding graphic details of the domestic violence and profanity (for example, he mentions someone using the "f" word). With the knowledge that I don't understand, I do wonder about the ending and the seemingly dangerous implication that . If his family is anything like most families that include domestic abuse, the cycle will likely come back around after the gifts and making up. It would have felt better to have an author's note about this and perhaps an assurance that children experiencing this kind of abuse do not deserve it even a little bit, no matter how much they let their understandable, complex feelings show. Ethan's implying an equivalency of their situations is uninformed (he really does not know the extent to Rex's family challenges) and furthers the feeling that children need to handle this stuff on their own.
Includes domestic violence (not sexual), drug/alcohol use (by kids in neighborhood), mean kids, poverty (pawn shop, government housing/food stamps, food insecurity)
Spoiler
the abuse all stopped when his mom and her boyfriend got jobs and Rex started being nicerIncludes domestic violence (not sexual), drug/alcohol use (by kids in neighborhood), mean kids, poverty (pawn shop, government housing/food stamps, food insecurity)