The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton. Speak, c1967. 180 pages.

Plot:

Narrated by Ponyboy Curtis, a shy, fourteen-year-old boy, The Outsiders depicts the rivalry between the Greasers and the Socs (short for Socials), two groups separated by their socioeconomic status. Ponyboy, his two older brothers, and their tight-knit group of friends are Greasers. When Ponyboy and Johnny (his best friend among the gang) are jumped one night by a group of Socs, Johnny winds up killing one of them. The incident opens Ponyboy’s eyes to the fact that the warring groups really aren’t that different.

Review/personal thoughts:

Though The Outsiders was written and takes place in the 1960’s, I consider it an appropriate addition to a core contemporary realistic fiction collection for tweens as the material isn’t dated. Written when Hinton was just sixteen, the novel tackles issues that are still relevant today.  

For example, tweens will relate to the characters’ need to belong. Though Ponyboy and his friends consider themselves outsiders, they find comfort in their “Greaser” label. Hinton’s characters initially define themselves according to their Greaser or Soc status. In the end, however, they begin to recognize their similarities, in spite of their differences; “Socs were just guys after all. Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too” (Hinton, 1967, p.118). 

The Outsiders also touches upon such other relevant subjects as friendship, family relationships, and loss. 

Genre: contemporary realistic fiction

Reading level: ages 10-up 


Awards: 

New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967

Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967

Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975

ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975

Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, 1979