The Outsiders

The Outsiders

S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. 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 world to crumble, and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

The Outsiders is sweet and simple. Most of the beginning of the story revolves around Ponyboy and Johnny. They are the best of friends, and poor Johnny seems to have it bad no matter which way he turns. His parents treat him bad, he sleeps outside most of the time and he got a very bad beating from the socs. That's what they do, cruise around and find a greaser or two alone and gang up on them. They nearly beat Johnny to death, and all of the other friends rally around him and try to protect him from things. I can see why this has stood the test of time. The story is easy to get into and keeps your attention throughout. It seems like any person, young or old, rich or poor, popular or outcast could empathize or sympathize the themes. Finally, the key climax points are done very well and hit you right in the feels!

Grade Level: - Suggested: 6th-8th - Advanced: 6th - Genre: Realistic-fiction - Key Elements: Socs, greasers

- Possible Themes: Everyone is different

Overall Rating:4/5 Happy Reading! -The Book Lover- If you like more details about the book or would like to request something for me to read, you can contact me at thebooklovercontact@gmail.com