The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Date: April 2006
Page Count: 180
Reading Level: Ages 13-17
BOOK DESCRIPTION: According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser. This classic, written by S. E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, is as profound today as it was when it was first published in 1967.
MY REVIEW: Ponyboy Curtis has been living with his brothers Sodapop and Darry ever since their parents died in a car accident. Although their family may not be in the best situation, they have another type of family; a gang. Dally, Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Two Bit, Steve, Dallas, and the gang’s “pet brother”, Johnny, make up the gang who undertake the many difficulties of being Greasers. This especially applies to the arrogant and wealthy Socs (Socials). When a Ponyboy and Johnny are confronted by a group of socs in the park one evening, everything goes wrong and someone is left dead. Such sends the lives of all of the Greasers into a whirlwind that will influence them forever.
To many, S.E. Hinton has hit home with this novel. No one lives their life without experiencing or observing any kind of resistance between different social factions. Since Hinton began writing The Outsiders while in high school, she withheld fresh knowledge of the situations like that between the greasers and the socs. Being close to the subject matter you want to write about is vital to the development of a truly authentic novel. With the turn of each page, the reader becomes that much closer to each individual greaser, making the novel’s close even more emotional and touching. I suggest The Outsiders to young teen readers and beyond. This one left me thinking as I’m sure it will leave you too.
RATING: ++++
SERIES: No
BOOK SOURCE: Owned.
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