The Outsiders

<>Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 2007. (Originally published in 1967.)

The worlds of two very different groups of young men clash, often with grave results. Friendships and endurance help these the characters make it to each new day.

There aren't many adults in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. This book is about the closeness among young people in a world where adults are mostly absent or uncaring. Deep bonds of comradeship allow these characters – whose story is told by 14-year-old Ponyboy – to survive adversity and adventure. Although set in Oklahoma in the 1960's, The Outsiders tells a timeless tale of pals who stick together in their own world because they don't belong anywhere else. As Ponyboy explains it:

We're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks . . . Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while.

The main characters in this book – Ponyboy, his brothers Darry and Soda, their friends – aren't necessarily nice guys, but they have heart and they watch each other's backs. Written by Hinton when she was 16 years old,

Awards: New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List; Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book; Media and Methods Maxi Award; ALA Best Young Adult Books; Massachusetts Children’s Book Award.

Jacket design by Richard M. Powers, 2007. Scanned April 4, 2009.

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. 2007. NY: Penguin Group. 978-0-670-06251-5. $17.99. Hardcover. (Originally published in 1967.)