The Outsiders

A Review by Daniel

First of all, one remarkable detail about this novel is that the author, S. E. Hinton, wrote it when she was sixteen! While we're on the subject, I'll go ahead and give you a little background information about the book and author… The book was published in 1967 and in 1988 Hinton was awarded the first annual Margaret A. Edwards Award, given by the American Library Association in honor of "an author whose book or books, over a period of time, have been accepted by young adults as an authentic voice that continues to illuminate their experiences and emotions, giving insight into their lives."
S. E. Hinton currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband and son.

Ok now where to begin… Well I first read this book, as a school requirement, in the eighth grade. I thoroughly enjoyed it then and we even watch the film adaptation of the book in class. I don't remember much about the movie except that it wasn't even close to the quality of the book (big surprise). I reread this book just a couple of days ago specifically for this review… I had forgotten what a classic this is. Honestly this is one of my favorite books of all time. Ok so one with the story…

Well the story takes place in a suburb and right away the distinction is made that there are two social classes: the Greasers: who are "almost like hoods; they steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once and a while." And then there's the Socs: who are all very wealthy and from the Greasers point of view have it made. The 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."

The main character Ponyboy Curtis (yes that's his real first name, "it even says so on the birth certificate") is a Greaser and lives with his older brothers Darry and Sodapop since his mom and dad did in a car wreck a few months earlier. Now Ponyboy isn't live most Greasers, "Darry would kill [him] if [he] got into trouble with the police."
Ponyboy: "Soda and I stay out of trouble as much as we can, and we're careful not to get caught when we can't. I only mean that do things [description above] like that, just like we wear our hair long and dress in blue jeans and T-shirts, or leave our shirttails out and wear leather jackets and tennis shoes or boots. I'm not saying that either Socs or Greasers are better; that's just the way things are."

So Ponyboy and his two brothers live together and they have several other Greaser friends who often times stay at their place if they need a place to hide.
Now I can't really give too much away because there is one major event that the whole book centers around but I'll just say that a few chapters into the book a very dramatic event occurs. Something that will change the lives of Ponyboy and his friend Johnny and everyone around them forever… Through Ponyboy's experiences in the novel he (and the reader) learns a great deal about himself and gains a better understanding of reality. He realizes that "things are rough all over", not just for Greasers but for Socs too. And he realizes, that he truly wants to make something of himself, he doesn't want to die young like many of his friends. And with the support of his two older brothers and the rest of the gang, Ponyboy'll be able to achieve that goal.

I very highly recommend this book to all of you. No review can do justice for this book, you need to read it for yourself to appreciate its greatness.

Author: S. E. Hinton
Number of pages: 180
Rating: 5/5
Age Recommendation: 13+ (because of mild violence and behavior)
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