The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton

Penguin Group, 1967, 180 pp., $6.99
ISBN 0-14-038572

In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is a smart 14-yearold boy who lives on the east side of town. He is a Greaser, a gang that is distinguished by their grease-filled hair, leather jackets, and their lowness on the economic food chain. To Ponyboy, the gang is his family, but to almost everyone else, they are mean hoods that steal anything they get their hands on. Ponyboy has two brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Other guys in the gang are Two-Bit, Steve, Dally, and Johnny. Johnny is the "pet" of the group; he got jumped by Socs and was scared for life.

In the beginning of the book, it is almost all about them having some fun and trying to stay away from the Socs, an upper-class gang who live on the west side and have fancy clothes and cars; they like to jump the greasers for fun. Part-way through the book, a very unfortunate event is thrust upon Ponyboy and Johnny. They are forced to run from the police and hide-out in an abandoned church.  After a while another unfortunate event injures Johnny. While Johnny is badly damaged, the Greasers and Socs have a huge brawl over turf. In the end some very unexpected casualties take place, causing it to be a sad yet fruitful ending.

I thought the first few chapters of the book were a little boring because it seemed like there wasn't a reason for it, but after I got farther into the book I understood it better. After reading it the second time, (yes that's how good it was) I picked up on a lot of little details I missed before like understanding the characters better and I could imagine the scenery more. I personally liked The Outsiders better the second time because the little things make all the difference. I also loved the way S.E. Hinton wrote this book, she had so many cliffhangers in it I hated putting it down.

The main theme of this book is brotherhood. I think this because the gang is like a family to Ponyboy and they always have each other’s back even in the hardest of times. Another theme of this book is violence because there is fighting throughout the book between the Socs and the Greasers. (Even a little police violence.)

I loved this book. It's the perfect balance of learning opportunities and a good story line. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a very good, yet sad read. Age wise, I would say 10 and up, any gender, and any personality is perfect for this book. Hinton did a great job of merging many aspects of anyone's life into the characters life and even though it’s an old book I'm positive any generation can relate to something in it. A lot of books get this said about them but this book will not let you put it down.

~ reviewed by Ben E.