S. E. HintonThe Outsiders

Growing up is difficult. The desire to fit in is pitted against the encouragement to be unique and different. A person’s actions as well as the influence of family, friends, and society helps to form a person’s identity. And, this isn’t all kids need to worry about: they will face and deal with bumps in the road and times where they’re down. Ponyboy in The Outsiders thinks his life is figured out, until one night his world is flipped upside down. S. E. Hinton thoughtfully crafted The Outsiders out of her own experiences. A story written in 1965 is still relevant today and captivates the reader with a youthful, slangy writing style which allows the reader to bond with the characters.The Outsiders, written in 1965 Oklahoma, displays the struggle between two gangs in a town. The narrator, Ponyboy Curtis, his brothers, and friends make up the Greasers. This rag tag group of impoverished guys stick by each other's sides no matter what. They are up against the rich, snooty, Socs. These guys drive around in their expensive cars and jump Greasers to appear cool and intimidate them. In a constant battle between the Socs and Greasers, Ponyboy Curtis discovers there is good and bad in everyone.The story displays a conflict between two gangs who think they are very different: “Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while” (3). On the other hand, “[Socs] jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next” (3). It isn’t safe for a Greaser to walk around alone, for the Socs always pull up in their convertible, hop out, and jump them. The Greasers despise the Socs and the Socs despise the Greasers. This is the case for Ponyboy too until he meets Cherry, the toughest Soc’s girlfriend, he realizes that Socs aren’t all that different after all. Cherry and Ponyboy share many similarities, especially their love for sunsets. With the help of Cherry, Ponyboy realizes the greasers, including himself, misjudged the Socs. Yes, they do get drunk and beat up Greasers for no good reason, but they are human and they have lives outside of how well they can fight. Will Ponyboy get everyone else to see the Socs true colors? Can this ever get better? The conflict remains relevant to society fifty years after it was written because there always seems to be this in-group and out-group.Not only is the story relevant to society, but it also maintains a young, slangy tone that allows the reader to connect with the characters. S. E. Hinton commented that “these characters are really kind of universal without losing their individuality.” The story, written when the author was only fifteen years old, is told from Ponyboy’s perspective. Ponyboy is a fourteen year old kid living with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Sodapop is sixteen and Darry is twenty and has custody of Sodapop and Ponyboy since their parents died in a car crash. Ponyboy’s young and optimistic, so his narration draws the reader in. Initially, Ponyboy feels very self-conscious and vulnerable: “I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman- he looks tough and I don’t” (1) He’s the youngest of the gang and looks up to his older, tougher brothers and friends. Within the first few pages, Ponyboy walks home from the movie theater alone and is stopped by Socs. “Need a haircut, greaser?” they ask him, “How’d you like that haircut to begin just below the chin?”(5) His brothers find him, fight back and save him. In Darry and Sodapop’s eyes Ponyboy is still young and fragile. But, as the story advances Ponyboy fights hard to prove the gang wrong. He grows stronger as he learns to be courageous, defend himself, and later in the process meets death face to face. S.E Hinton said “When I write, an interesting transformation takes place. I go from thinking about my narrator to being him,” and this is also how I felt while reading this. Ponyboy is forced to grow up in order to fit in, and as this happens the reader gets to grow with him and see him both thrive and grieve.With help from family and friends, growing up can be much more manageable and even fun. When reading The Outsiders I could never put the book down. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone looking for an easy read with a timeless story and a powerful message.

I Read first so I could discuss it my Granddaughter, Loved the story easy read very knowledgeable and educational She loved it as much as I did learning the good bad and ugly of human nature I give it a 5 plus Thanks

I bought this for my teenage son. I read it when I was his age. I think he will like it and get something out of it.It's about loyalty and friends that are like family. It's about teenagers and gang violence. It's about learning, growing,and going from child to man. It was also written by a 16-year-old kid, and I think he will like that, too.He just started reading it the other day, and he is still reading it. Good sign.It's a classic for a reason. It's timeless. Whether it be the 1960's or today.

This book is absolutely amazing and changed my perspective on life if you were to buy one book it would be this one it will make you cry it is amazing also I recommend watching the movie as well!!!

This book came out when I was in high school (1967). I know I was aware of it; one of my teachers had mentioned it. She might even have mentioned it was written by a teenager, which would have made it all the more interesting to me. I don’t know why I never read it until now.The Outsiders has the reputation of being the first book for young adults that addressed issues. Hinton said she wrote it because she “desperately wanted to read something that dealt realistically with teen-age life.”I read some reviews of The Outsiders written by modern teenagers who thought this book was hokey. As someone who is Hinton’s contemporary, someone who was in the book’s target audience, I did not find it hokey at all. I was dating a “greaser” at the time it was written, but he was a greaser in style of dress only. He was not a hood, not in a gang that participated in rumbles. He came from a working-class family, as did I. I had been groomed for college all my life; he had not. He experienced discrimination at my school. A teacher had told me he was beneath me. I didn’t care; he paid attention to me.The main character in the story, Ponyboy, is the youngest of three brothers whose parents have died. The oldest, Darry, is 20, and he works instead of going to college so he can take care of all of them. They are greasers by default; if you’re affluent, you’re a “soc.” It’s important that none of them get into trouble, because if they do, they will likely be sent to foster homes. They belong to a gang, because all the kids do, either a greaser gang or a soc gang.The gangs fight. It’s often the soc gangs who start it. They come across a greaser on his own and beat him up. This has happened to all of them over time. Once, when Ponyboy and his friend Johnny are hanging out together, they get targeted by a soc gang with disastrous results.I think The Outsiders still has relevance today. My sons recently told me about all their friends and acquaintances from high school who have died violent deaths, several of whom were killed by police while high or drunk or running away from the scene of a crime. It broke my heart.

I first heard this story on audio book in middle school. I can still hear the reader's voice almost ten years later. The story is gripping, funny, stocking, dramatic, and it leaves a mark on those who read it. The characters are real people with wants and needs, trying to achieve what they want and live their lives. I will always be a reader of this amazing novel. Worth every page and penny.

My daughter is obsessed with these books lately. They are easy to read and usually have a movie to watch after so I'd recommend these.