Join us to hear author Rex Ogle talk about his new teen memoir, Punching Bag. Registration required.

Click here to register. Registration required.

The event is presented in partnership with Elliott Bay Book Company. This event will be recorded, captioned and then posted on SPL’s new Teen YouTube channel after the event.

About the Book:

Punching 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 middle school 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.

About the Author:

REX OGLE was born and raised (mostly) in Texas. He moved to New York City after college to pursue an editorial career, interning at Marvel Comics before working at DC Comics, and later at Scholastic and Little Brown Young Readers. He championed over a dozen NY Times Bestsellers on major brands such as X-Men, Justice League, Star Wars, LEGO, Power Rangers, Transformers, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But writing for himself was always the ultimate goal. Now, he lives in Los Angeles where he writes full-time—when he’s not outside hiking with his dog Toby, playing MarioKart with friends (and losing terribly), or reading.

View in Catalog: Punching Bag by Rex Ogle

ADA Accommodations: We can provide accommodations for people with disabilities at Library events. Please contact leap@spl.org at least seven days before the event to request accommodations. Captions are available for all recorded Library programs.

Podcast: This event will be recorded for podcast.