The Outsiders
Written by: S.E. Hinton
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction, Action, and Adventure
Rate: 10/10
Summary:
Ponyboy (14-year-old) and his two brothers, Sodapop (16-year-old) and Darry (20-year-old) are greasers who are orphans. Even though Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Darry are orphans they have each other and the Greaser community. Greasers and Socials do not get along, socials always start unnecessary fights. When Ponyboy and his friend Johnny have a run-in with a group of socials they end up killing one have to be on the lamb for a few days. Greasers always have each other's backs no matter what, but what will happen to the two of them if they come back? Will the greasers be able to help Johnny and Ponyboy? Will there always be a war between the social outcasts and the socials?
My Opinion On The Book: (Some lowkey spoilers)
I'd heard the phrase "Stay gold Ponyboy"(Hinton, 148) before but I didn't understand exactly what it meant and that's one of the reasons I was interested in this book. I went into this book without really knowing exactly what it was about. I wasn't expecting much, considering it's a book that 8th graders are usually assigned to read. I didn't think "The Outsiders" was going to be an inspiring story, I thought it was just a book that was good to analyze. However, "The Outsiders" was about actual events that happen to people quite often. I never thought about how hard other's lives were, especially those who were "born on the wrong side of town." The phrase "Stay gold" has a deeper meaning for me now than it did yesterday, I hope everyone who chooses to read this will get something out of the story and characters brought to life by S.E. Hinton. This is now one of my top three favorite books.
Fun Facts:
- In 1988 S.E. Hinton received the inaugural Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her cumulative contribution in writing for teens.
- S.E. Hinton wrote "The Outsiders" while she was in high school.
- S.E. Hinton was inspired by her school's socials and greaser rivalry.
- This book was different from the other books being published at the time because it wasn't romanticizing high school and life, it was real and raw for its time.
- The movie adaptation of "The Outsiders" contains many now-famous actors such as Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, and a few others.