Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

Road Home is the third and final installment in the outstanding memoirs of Rex Ogle. The books as a collective whole are so powerful and as an educator, I think should be put into the hands of both teachers and students. Road Home follows Rex after he was kicked out by his father, who refused to allow Rex to live at home if he was going to "choose" to be gay. Rex finds himself living on the streets of New Orleans, which of course was difficult at every turn. Road Home is a fantastic book, but did not hit me in quite the same emotional way as Free Lunch and Punching Bag. I think that is likely due to the fact that for most of Road Home, Rex is not being abused by a family that is supposed to love and take care of him, which was so hard to read about in the first two books. The content of Road Home is definitely more mature than Free Lunch and Punching Bag, so teachers should be aware of that and not shelve this alongside Free Lunch in an elementary classroom. Road Home will be an important addition to high school libraries and I imagine a powerful and ultimately hopeful story for students in the LGBTQ+ community.

The thoughtful author's note at the beginning identifies possible triggers for students/readers, which teachers should be aware of even if they have not had a chance to read the book yet.

Thank you NetGalley and Norton Young Readers for the ARC of Road Home by Rex Ogle.

Road Home by Rex Ogle is a heart-wrenching memoir that recounts the author's turbulent journey from being kicked out of his home at 17 for being gay to facing homelessness on the unforgiving streets of New Orleans. The story follows Rex as he leaves Alabama and heads to New Orleans where he reconnects with Russell who he met previously on vacation. After moving in with Russell things steadily go down hill in their relationship culminating in Rex fleeing from Russell's home. This lands Rex on the streets on New Orleans and homeless.

Road Home follows Rex as he grapples with the harsh realities of life on the streets, including the challenges of finding shelter, food, and employment. Ogle's portrayal of homelessness is unapologetically honest, shedding light on the harsh conditions faced by those living on the margins of society. Despite the bleakness of his circumstances, Rex finds moments of connection and compassion amidst the chaos, offering a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Road Home is a book that will touch you and make your heart break for Rex. Rex has a way of pulling you into his story and making you wish you could protect his 17 year old self from the harsh realities of the world. Road Home is a gripping and thought-provoking memoir that offers a poignant exploration of homelessness and the human experience. This is a book that I is vital for everyone to read.

Content Warnings: Homophobia, Sexual Assault/Rape (on page), Homelessness, Drug Use, Violence, Suicidal Thoughts.

This book is an honest, heartbreaking look back at Rex as a 17 year old who is forced out of his family home because he has come out as gay. His deeply religious father can't find compassion for his son, so Rex gets in his truck and drives from Alabama to New Orleans, Louisiana with little more than $100 and a phone number of a guy he met on vacation that also happens to be gay.
When Rex gets to New Orleans, he does find friendship and shelter with that vacation crush for. a time, but when events make it impossible for him to stay, Rex once again gets in his truck and leaves, but this time, there really isn't anywhere to go. For months Rex lives on the streets, and life out on his own is more than challenging, but somehow, he never loses hope. In the end, Rex turns to the one person who has always stood by him, and he hopes his Abuela hasn't forgotten him.

I received an advanced copy through NetGally. Wow. I usually am an audiobook listener but because of the New Orleans setting, I requested a copy of the ebook. I blew through this in just a few hours. Rex's memoir covers a time when he was homeless in New Orleans after being kicked out of his house at age 17 by his father. Although Rex had not had a sexual experience with another boy at the time, he was aware of his attraction to boys and because he couldn't promise his father that he could be completely straight he was kicked out. He made his way to New Orleans and this memoir covers his time in the Big Easy. It was anything BUT easy. Rex's descriptions of New Orleans were authentic. His writing transported me, I could feel what he felt, his state of being during his time there. It was heartbreaking and moving. There is a rape scene and other elements that could be triggering to some. Rex has these warnings at the beginning of the book. He did a masterful job of communicating the pain of those experiences without being terribly graphic. I would put the age for this at 15+

This memoir is tough to read (triggers abound) but it is incredibly powerful. I'm so glad Rex is still with us and sharing his stories with the many young people who can relate to his experiences. The rest of us can become more empathetic from reading his work.

Road Home is the final installment of Rex Ogle's memoirs based on his childhood through young adult years. His first memoir, Free Lunch, focused on his middle school experience and is an excellent book to share with middle schoolers. Punching Bag, his second memoir, focused on high school, Road Home focuses on the summer after high school after being kicked out of his dad's home for being gay. This book is raw and graphic and heart-breaking.

This is an very emotional read and readers should be warned that there are triggers for sexual assault, homelessness, and abuse. Like his other memoirs, I read this in a day or two. His writing is very readable. This is a book that was a "window" book for me. I am better for having read it. Thanks to Norton Young Readers and Netgalley for this ARC.

Wow!
What Rex Ogle chronicles here in this memoir of his coming out is so real and raw and devastating, but Ogle chooses to hold on to every shred of hope he can find. I hope that the readers I serve will never have to endure such rejection and abuse.

Really hard to read despite being quite short. This is a day by day account of surviving after being kicked out at age 17 for being gay. Rex survives, but barely, and with scars.
I haven’t read the authors two other memoirs and I’m not sure I want to. This was painful, not because the writing was bad—it wasn’t!—but because it is so damn sad. I can imagine it as an assigned book for a college class but I can’t imagine picking it up for fun.

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Rex Ole has been telling teen and tween readers about his difficult childhood in many of his books including Free Lunch , Punching Bag, Abuela, Don’t Forget Me even the hilarious graphic novel Four Eyes. The final edition of these memoirs of his difficult adolescence will be released in May and let me tell you! It is the most emotional read I have had in a long time! After being outed at age 17 to his family, he father gives him an ultimatum to either stop being gay and start going to church, or be gay and leave. After being kicked out of his Alabama home, Rex quickly found himself in a relationship with a compassionate though somewhat older man in New Orleans. Sadly, that situation became very toxic and Rex bravely left.
The thing about memoirs is that you know that the author eventually heals at least somewhat from their circumstances. But Ogle’s story makes you realize how quickly life spirals out of control for those finding themselves unhoused.I just kept thinking.this should not be happening - one thing leading to another until he is just another one of the invisible and ignored trying to survive on the streets.
Road Home is the heartbreaking final in a triology of memoirs by Rex Ogle about coming out, being kicked out, and repeatedly knocked down in the 1990s.

Once I got into this book, I couldn't put it down!

This memoir explores the harsh and heartbreaking reality of life on the streets and forces the reader to question the prejudices they may have.
Sadly, I'm sure there will be many young people out there who relate to Rex in terms of his fears about coming out to his conservative father and the harsh, life-changing consequences of this.

I'm so happy that Rex has overcome so much and is turning his struggles into something truly beautiful- sharing his story in a book which would evoke empathy and instil compassion in even the coldest of hearts. This raw and painful account of the reality of life on the streets should be read by everyone. If it was, I'm sure the world would be a much better place.

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Road Home. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A heartbreaking, but powerful memoir about the author's troubled early life. This book overflows with so much emotion. I admire the courage and restraint the author undoubtedly required to revisit this part of his life.

It is a reminder for anyone that even if life can be cruel, there is always a glimmer of light.

This final installment of Rex's story is powerful, heartbreaking, alarming, and just like his other books, honest, real, and raw. In this memoir, Rex is kicked out of his dad's house and finds his way to New Orleans. Living on the streets, Rex experiences what I think is a typical "life on the street." It's horrifying, yet Rex perseveres and powers through some pretty awful shit as an unhoused person. This is a story about being true to yourself, while understanding that truth is hard.

I couldn't put this book down -- and I was reading it on my phone. I hate reading on my phone, but I found myself drawn back to reading this time and time again. This story has mature themes as one would expect for a story about a 17 year old living on the streets of a city and Ogle doesn't shy away from what happened to him. He addresses it all.

The short chapters and compelling narrative make this book accessible to all readers. I see this book, like his others, as great recommendations for both our undiscovered upper middle school and high school readers and those who are constant readers. Highly recommend!

Road Home by Rex Ogle is a powerful conclusion to his memoir series, delivering a gut-wrenching yet ultimately hopeful account of his journey through homelessness after being forced out of his home due to his sexual orientation. Ogle's simplistic yet deeply emotive writing style captivates readers from the very first page, immersing them in the harrowing realities of his experience. With raw honesty, he navigates the pain of rejection from his conservative father and the struggle to survive on the unforgiving streets of New Orleans.

As a fan of Ogle's previous works such as Free Lunch, Punching Bag, and Abuela, Don't Forget Me, I found Road Home to be a poignant addition to his body of work. His ability to infuse every word with raw emotion is unparalleled, leaving a lasting impact on readers long after they turn the final page. Through moments of despair and resilience, Ogle's narrative is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the enduring power of hope. "Road Home" is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeply moving exploration of identity, survival, and the quest for acceptance.

Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Rex is gay and is forced by his father to choose between living at home or living his life as himself alone with no familial support.
His descriptions of life in New Orleans are raw and emotional and filled with little details that point to someone who is a keen observer. While this book was difficult to read at times, solely because of the graphic traumatic experiences depicted, I’m eager to read his earlier works.

Road Home is the third and final memoir from Rex Ogle. This one was heartbreaking. From being kicked out due to homophobia, to being homeless in New Orleans, the chapters got more and more challenging to read. However, as always, Rex found a way to persevere and find hope in hopeless times.

I was a bit frustrated by the ending because it was wrapped up so quickly. the afterword summarized so much, and I wish it was multiple chapters offering an update into Rex’s life. Like, he went on to work for some big companies after college- how did this come to be? I’m so intrigued by his adult life and wish we got more.

i felt so much with this. i rarely read memoirs but i felt ogle's story like a kick to my chest. it broke my heart and pieced it together. the ending was superbly tragic and i actually felt so sad. but i loved this and would recommend it to anyone who's at their lowest and feels like they need to Get up. to Do something.

In the age of book bans and "Don't Say Gay" and all kinds of conservative backlash, these are exactly the kinds of books we need to read. All kids should have access to books like these, because this is real life and real talk and LGBTQIA and questioning teens deserve access to our stories. I appreciate the author's visceral and honest take on his experience as a homeless queer teenager. A recommended read! Thanks for the ARC.

Road Home, the final chapter in Rex Ogle’s memoir series, provides the utmost closure that any reader who has followed Ogle’s story through Free Lunch and Punching Bag could ask for.

I refuse to say that Road Home ends with everything wrapped up perfectly, sealed with a big shiny bow, because the memories shared in this final installment are anything but shiny. However, Ogle reminds us that there is always a glimmer of light, a glimmer of hope, and that is what we must hold on to.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley

When a book has the power of recalibrating your empathetic response to human suffering, you know it is one not only worth picking up, but spreading for others to share in the impact. Rex Ogle has accomplished just that in Road Home.

Growing up in Alabama & having a younger brother who is a New Orleans transplant, I related to the places & faces that Ogle generously depicts. Yet there are so many parts that are Ogle’s story to tell. As a reader, you could feel the measure of care, control, ownership, & restraint that he took in gifting others with a peak inside trauma that no young adult should have to endure when coming into their own person. It is exactly this strength that not only helped carry him through that time, but also carries him through a look back that undoubtedly required courage.

No Mushu luck needed to see that this man’s humble talent deserves his flowers. I can think of young — and old — people who will benefit tremendously from this gift & perhaps begin to see that no matter the past (or present) there is life yet left to live.

This was an exceptional book written with heart and honesty. As painful as it is read, it is a story that needs to be shared as many readers will be, unfortunately, able to relate to Rex's experiences.