Review: Free Lunch

Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the true story of Rex Ogle’s life as a young boy living in a low income family.

Rex spends a lot of his time caring for his younger brother, Ford, and trying to protect him from the violence in this broken, desperate family.

Starting 6th grade, his mother tells him he’s on the free lunch programme and his first thought is of shame. He tries his best to hide this from his friends at every lunch time.

At home he is often hungry, his mother’s boyfriend beats her, she in turn beats Rex, leaving him with bruises and black eyes. My heart broke for this boy who just wanted a little love.

This memoir is brutal and brutally honest, told from a kids’ view of the world and the shame he felt at the situation he was existing in.

It’s well written, packed with emotion and really should be on every school reading list. It gives an insight to a world some kids have no choice but to live in.

Heartbreaking and utterly compelling. A MUST read.

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

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