5 Questions With...Rex Ogle!

Photo provided courtesy of Rex Ogle

Written by Ava M.
Grade 8

Welcome back to a new round of 5 Questions With, where members of the Teen Book Guild have the chance to ask five questions of a favorite author. Recently, I had one amazing opportunity to connect with Rex Ogle, author of Road Home, a memoir, When We Ride, a YA novel written in verse and many more! He writes many different types of books such as graphic novels, memoirs, books in verse and of course YA! 

1. When you first decided to pursue a writing career, what was the most difficult thing to overcome?  

REX:  The amount of people saying "NO" that I wasn't prepared for.  And actually, there were a lot less "NO's" than just agents and editors never replying.  Or even replying and then ghosting me.  But now I believe that is par for the course when choosing artistic endeavors.  It's so hard to break in, but once you have one, it's easier to get another and another and so on.  But that first one?  That's the hardest.  Though it took me a long time to realize I shouldn't think of a "NO" as defeat but instead as a badge of honor because I put myself out there.  And if you never take a swing, you're never gonna hit the ball.   

2. When creating the characters of Diego and Lawson, were any of the character elements based on people or events from your own life? 

 REX:  I'd say the book is about 70% based on true life events. My senior year, my best friend was in fact a drug dealer, and there were times when i drove him to drug deals and did my homework in the car.  They say "write what you know".  I always found that difficult when i wrote fantasy and sci-fi and horror, but for this book it came quite naturally.  

3. If someone reads your novel When We Ride, what message would you want them to take away after reading it?  

REX:   My main focus is that they realize kids who do bad things aren't bad people.  Teen drug dealers aren't failing society.  Society is failing them.  If they hadn't been put in a situation where they have to help their parents pay bills or provide food, then they wouldn't be doing something dangerous to earn money.  Sometimes good kids do bad things for good reasons.  We shouldn't look down on them. 

4. Are there any details in the novel that a reader might overlook but that play a crucial role in the plot's development? 

REX:  I can't think of any.  Writing in verse, there's so little to read, which means the story itself is delivered in a very concentrated format.  There are fewer words, so each one means so much more.  

5. This book is told mostly from Diego’s perspective, with Lawson’s perspective appearing at the very end. If you could write from another character’s perspective, whose would it be? 

REX:  Every character in everyone of my books has a larger story.  But I always choose who I think would be best to tell the story.  In this situation, it has to be Diego.  If it was told from anyone else's perspective the story would be completely different.  If I had to choose one though, it would be Lawson.  It would be intersting to see his perspective.  But I always think it's wonderful to see circumstances through different eyes.  It helps all of us develop empathy that is much-needed in our world, especially now.  

A huge thank you is in order to Rex Ogle! We highly appreciate all of your considerate responses. 

You can check out When We Ride and more of Rex's work at the Winter Park Library! 

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole

Reviewed by Kate D.
Grade 11

Have you ever felt as if you had no choice? Have you ever been called a monster by your peers? Have you ever painted yourself red with poison and blood? Have you ever felt like a little rabbit? Have you ever lost a friend because the two of you were too different? Have you ever been caught by that one male teacher after school when everyone else has gone? Have you ever met a wolf wearing human flesh? Alicia has.

Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole is exactly what it sounds like if you are familiar with Greek mythology. Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple, and—despite her pleading and cries that she was raped—Athena found Medusa guilty. Medusa, the victim, was punished and turned into a monster. Alicia faced similar peril. Teachers, coworkers, and peers were all fine with painting her as promiscuous and a monster as they took off her clothes. After finding out, her best friend joined those who criticized her for being abused. She never told her family for fear of rejection. In addition, she preferred women over men, but did the men care who she liked? Of course not. As her life twists and turns, she writes letters to Medusa, Poseidon, and even her own brother. Alicia was alone, hidden in her cave and “dares the world to follow.”

This book is written using a verse novel format. Each “poem” takes up anywhere from a third of a page to two full pages. There is no rhyme scheme or complicated wording. Within Dear Medusa, there are characters from many different cliques and backgrounds. Some of the characters are described as “bottle of sunshine I sip from in the gloom of night” and “a new penny” while other characters are described as wolves and rabbits.

Dear Medusa is a good read for any teenage girl, no matter the race, class, or “purity.” Just be warned, there are a great many sensitive topics within such as rape, pedophilia, descriptions of lost flesh and drugs. The main plot seems to be Alicia mentally running from the colonel, yet very few chapters are focused on the colonel, weakening the focus of the book. The subplots have a tendency to overwhelm the main plot but compel the reader with their attraction. Definitely worth a read for any teen girls who need to feel that they aren’t alone in their rage against the world.

  

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Reviewed by Maansi C.
Grade 10

In the book, Long Way Down

by Jason Reynolds, the author explores the thoughts of a young man before seeking revenge.

Long Way Down explains the thoughts of a character named Will seeking revenge for his brother who has been shot. All the thoughts that are explored in this book are all the thoughts he is experiencing in the elevator on the way to get his revenge for this brother. His brother was part of a gang, and that is why he was killed. It is written in a series of poems and poems correspond to the different floors that he is reaching in the elevator on the way to get revenge. He is also visited by the ghosts of other people that he knows that have died telling him he probably shouldn’t do it.

Jason Reynolds, the author, writes this book in a series of poems so that the audience can understand what is going through Will’s mind at the time. It is interesting to see what goes through this teenage boy’s mind on the way to get revenge. This gives you a better understanding of what happens when people in a gang die and other people want revenge for it.

I would totally recommend this book to anyone. I read it in one sitting because it was so interesting to read the thoughts of his teenage boy. Jason Reynolds does a really good job relaying his thoughts through the poems in the book.

Ebook available through Overdrive.