Free Lunch

Description

Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout. Winner of the 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. Outstanding, gracious writing and a clear eye for the penetrating truth. A mighty portrait of poverty amid cruelty and optimism. With candor and vivid detail, Ogle’s debut captures the experience of chronic poverty in the United States…Ogle’s emotional honesty pays off in the form of complex characterization and a bold, compassionate thesis. Heart-wrenching, timely, and beautifully written, this is a powerful and urgent work. Ogle’s engrossing narrative is rich in lived experience. US

Additional information