{"product_id":"9781324016236","title":"Punching Bag","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eA New York Public Library Best Book of 2021\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe companion to Rex Ogle’s award-winning \u003cem\u003eFree Lunch\u003c\/em\u003e is a searing account of adolescence in a household torn by domestic violence.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePunching Bag\u003c\/em\u003e 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 \u003cem\u003eFree Lunch\u003c\/em\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough 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, \u003cem\u003ePunching Bag\u003c\/em\u003e is a remarkable memoir about one teenager’s cycle of violence, blame, and attempts to forgive his parents—and himself.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Norton Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47045292818672,"sku":"9781324016236","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781324016236_p0.jpg?v=1763708002","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781324016236","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}