The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (YA Fiction)

The Outsiders is a book about the main character Ponyboy Curtis and his gang. The gang is made up of Greasers, the rougher, tougher low lives from the wrong part of town. They are constantly in a turf war with the Socials, or Socs, from the other, better part of town. But one day, the conflict is taken too far. As a result of constant taunting from the Socs, (and a past incident coming back to haunt him) Ponyboy’s friend Johnny has no choice but to kill of one of their more prominent figures. Astounded by what they have done and fearing the consequences if anybody finds out, Ponyboy and Johnny are forced to flee to the countryside. After the better part of a week hiding out on top of a mountain, Dally (a friend) comes to pick them up. They see a group of children in trouble, and so they run to help them. Dally and Johnny hurt themselves in the process and are hospitalized as a result. Now, right about here my description is going to get a bit vague, so as not to give away too much about the ending. Ponyboy reunites with the gang but is still troubled. The united Greasers (not just Pony’s gang) have organized a big fight with the Socs. And as all these events conclude and Ponyboy confronts underlying problems from his life, he starts to ponder the meaning of all this fighting and the actual extent of the differences between the Greasers and the Socs.

I thought that this was an enjoyable book. I liked how the author writes from the perspective of Ponyboy, a gang member who runs around with some pretty bad people, but still has a life that is closer to what we would perceive as normal. This allows you, the reader, to view the story from both a more civilized, “normal” point of view and a more hardened, “Greaser” point of view. You really get to feel for Pony and the gang and start to understand their hatred for the Socs. I think that mostly anybody middle school age or up would like this book, as it is just one of those books that is universally loved and worth a read. Even if you do not usually read this sort of realistic fiction, I urge you to give this book a try. I guarantee you it will make you think, as it touches upon some very deep topics. For one, the difference between Greasers and Socs, caused by money, is reflecting the kind of conflict that is happening all over the country. But, seeing the repercussions that being a Greaser had on his injured friends and talking to some Socs, Ponyboy ponders whether it is all worth it. His thoughts as he narrates the book certainly intrigued me, and as you decode them as I did, I am sure they will capture your mind too.

Reviewed by Connor S. 7th Grade