Abuela, Don't Forget Me

De: Rex Ogle

Narrado por: Ramon De Ocampo

Rex Ogle’s companion to Free Lunch and Punching Bag weaves humor, heartbreak, and hope into life-affirming poems that honor his grandmother’s legacy.

In his award-winning memoir Free Lunch, Rex Ogle’s abuela features as a source of love and support. In this companion-in-verse, Rex captures and celebrates the powerful presence a woman he could always count on—to give him warm hugs and ear kisses, to teach him precious words in Spanish, to bring him to the library where he could take out as many books as he wanted, and to offer safety when darkness closed in. Throughout a coming of age marked by violence and dysfunction, Abuela’s red-brick house in Abilene, Texas, offered Rex the possibility of home, and Abuela herself the possibility for a better life.

Abuela, Don’t Forget Me is a lyrical portrait of the transformative and towering woman who believed in Rex even when he didn’t yet know how to believe in himself.

©2022 Rex Ogle (P)2022 Recorded Books

Once again, Rex Ogle delivers from the soul

It took me a while to finish this third book about Rex Ogle’s years spent growing up, because it was so moving. I needed to digest it slowly. Each book is a cathartic story of pain, hope and survival mixed with moments of love and tenderness, and to me, this third book is the sweetest of the lot, focusing mostly on his relationship with his Abuela. There are some very short entries that almost seem like diary entries. The book flows beautifully. The author uses the same narrator that he has used in his previous two books, and I think that works well. I enjoy that continuity having taken this journey through Ogle’s life. It’s a read that reminds you of some of the most important things in life…to honor and love the people in your life who love, support, and empower you. Highly recommended.

A pride-worthy true story!

I have binge-listened to three of Rex Ogle’s novels in a row, including “School Lunch” and “Punching Bag” and “Abuela” being the third one. All are so beautifully narrated, practically poetic—despite the cruel and physical abusive scenes being depicted. What a challenging rite of passage Ogle’s life has been! So glad I have listened to these biographical novels during Pride month. I am sure that, wherever she may be, Rex’s abuela/
grandmother is siempre/forever PROUD of him!

The sort of grandmother I wish I had.

Rex and Ramon both are in top form here, though poetry isn't something that often catches my interest, though this is mostly anecdotes. Rex's grandmother was a huge help to him through everything, I can tell. Ramon is perfect as narrator, hitting all the right notes in accents, emotions, and more.

Love this author!

Great writer, read Punching Bag and was hooked-worth using a credit on one of his shorter works!