In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton doesn’t just draw a picture in your mind. She draws a story, a friendship, a rivalry and a journey. A journey with action and adventure. The Outsiders is about a fourteen year old boy named Ponyboy Curtis. He has two brothers named Darry Curtis, the oldest, and Sodapop Curtis, the middle child. The Curtis boys are Greasers and are in a gang. Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny and Dally are the other members of the gang. And they have a rivalry against the ‘Socs’, a vicious and rich gang on the other side of town.

 

Ponyboy is a well built kid and is the youngest of the gang; he is great friends with Johnny. His brother Darry is the tough and strong twenty year old who didn’t go college so he could make money for the family after the Curtis brothers parents died in a car accident. The middle child is Sodapop and he understands Pony. He’s a good looking kid who dropped out of high school to work at the local gas station. There’s Johnny, whose parents are alcoholics and fight all the time; they also beat Johnny. There’s Dally who is the bad one of the group. Dally gets arrested and he steals a lot. Then there’s Steve who is Soda’s best bud and he works at the gas station also. And finally two-Bit, he’s a slick guy who steals a lot and is pretty built too. Built, meaning strong or tough.  

 

One night Ponyboy comes home real late, and Darry smacks him, Darry always thinks Ponyboy doesn’t use his head, (common sense). Ponyboy takes off right out the door and meets Johnny in the vacant lot, a local hangout for the gang and other Greasers. So they both run away together. They run until their lungs collapse and stop to take a rest. Just then, a group of Socs pull up in a Mustang and start to harass Pony and Johnny. Some words were exchanged and then it was on. They forcefully dunk Pony’s head into a nearby fountain while two others beat up Johnny, pounding and kicking. Then they all gang up on Pony. Johnny doesn’t like that so he steps in and pulls off an act that changes their lives.  

 

The Outsiders is an overall great book. I love the way Hinton uses the writing style. It’s very unique. She really describes the characters well. Like Ponyboy, I had a picture in my mind the very first time Hinton talked about him. I also like the themes Hinton gets at, like friendship throughout the gang, rivalry between the Socs and greasers, and dedication, like the dedication Darry gives out to support the family. These themes fit great with the story. My passion for the book is the perspective Hinton tells the story in. I don’t want to give it away, but let me tell you, it’s very interesting.      

 

I think The Outsiders was a great read. And recommend it to kids from ages thirteen to seventeen years old. People who like books with a ‘good side’ and ‘bad side’ theme will love this story. I know I loved it.