The Outsiders

Hinton, S. (1967). The Outsiders. New York: Dell Publishing.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Intended Audience: Ages 12 and older

Personal Reaction: While I am not sure I would say I would recommend The Outsiders to the entire world, I found myself quite impressed with it.  Perhaps it is my rural upbringing, but having the "greasers" and "Socs" was never a problem in my high school.

The beginning of this novel was difficult to lose myself in, it seemed to start in the middle of the story, which needed more attention.  However, before long I found myself caring about what happened to Ponyboy and Johnny and unable to put it down.  It was hard to watch Johnny having killing Bob, not really meaning to, and having to live with the consequences.

Overall the greatest part I took away from The Outsiders is how much can happen in the span of a week.  Ponyboy and his brothers had a stronger relationship, he and Johnny ran away from the law, two of his friends died and he began writing his story.  While it may seem extreme how quickly events occurred in this novel, when you are only fourteen life does change in such a short span of time.

Author Facts: S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was only sixteen years old.  After writing The Outsiders she had a three year writing block and her boyfriend made her write two pages a day which later became That Was Then, This Is Now.  Hinton now has a dog and a horse, she loves horseback riding.

Author's Website: http://www.sehinton.com/