The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton

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

The Outsiders is the story of Ponyboy, a fourteen year-old boy who is raised in the bad part of town. Ponyboy was orphaned at a young age when his parents died in a car crash, and is supported and raised by his oldest brother, Darry, and partially by the second oldest, Sodapop.

Ponyboy is part of a street gang called the Greasers, who look out for each other and unite to fight off their violent rival gang the Socs. The Socs are from the west side of town and are rich and often spoiled; they “get all the breaks.”  Ponyboy is the youngest of the Greasers and is best friends with the second youngest member, Johnny.

Ponyboy and Johnny are not violent people, but violence is brought to them. Johnny had been viciously attacked by a Soc earlier, and was somewhat traumatized by the experience. They are jumped by the Socs and Ponyboy is nearly drowned. Johnny saves him by stabbing the very same Soc who attacked him earlier.  Johnny and Ponyboy must flee the area to escape the police. The Greasers have to face many more problems as events unfold throughout the story, these bring major twists and tragic deaths. In the end, Ponyboy finds a new, improved future for himself.

The Outsiders is a short but enjoyable read. As you read you begin to understand the characters and why they do what they do, and how they feel about their conflict with the Socs. The book is written in such a way that the reader wants to continue reading for the excitement of the Soc-Greaser fights, but also for what is going to happen to Ponyboy in the way that he wants to be away from the violence. You begin to think of Johnny as the role-model, an example that the Greasers should stop fighting because it won’t do anything to improve their lives, and if anything, make it worse. Ponyboy’s realization that life as a Greaser and a criminal will never let him live up to what he could be is the theme of the story. From the middle to the end, the story is a big priority check with the “stay gold” understanding about maintaining innocence. Ponyboy realizes that life with gangs and violence will get him nowhere in the future.

This book could have been a better story if it was more intense, and a larger amount of different things happened. Everything that happens in this book is very basic and could have been much more interesting if other things would happen in it, things that were more extravagant, or much different from the original story. If the book were longer, maybe Ponyboy could have eventually led the Greasers and ended the Soc’s rein forever, or at least made peace with them.

The book could have been better and longer with a few changes, but I enjoyed it very much anyway. I would recommend this book to anybody older than around 11, it is an exciting story with action, but also is an example of how poverty and violence can ruin people’s lives.

~ reviewed by Jimmy