The Outsiders--S.E. Hinton

Submitted By: Jesse Grell
School: South Sioux City Middle
Grade: 8
Title: The Outsiders
Author: S.E. Hinton
Rating: 3 stars
Review:
S.E. Hinton's novel of class conflict, choice and determination, set in 1950s Oklahoma, creats empathy for characters who live on the periphery of society. Hinton's protagonist, Ponyboy, along with his fellow "gang" members, including Two-bit, Dally, Darry and Johnny, are all "greasers". Outwardly, they are an unsavory lot. They wear their hair long and greasy, wear jeans , t-shirts and, if they can eat chocolate cake and soda for breakfast, live in unfashionable homes in poor neighborhoods and are generally doomed to poor-paying jobs. They do little to endure themselves to those who are not of their group. For instance, at the drive-in movie, they "introduce" themselves to some girls through uncouth behavior. The average greaser's nemesis is the "soc". The soc comes from a rich family, wears fashionable clothing.

Hinton, through a series of plot elements, presents the greasers as the misunderstood heroes of the book. For instance, Johnny, the least aggressive of the greasers, kills a soc. However, the killing is clearly presents as a case of self-defense. Further, we understand that Johnny had previously been savagely beaten by the very same soc who, on this occasion, without question, had intended to kill Johnny. Johnny later suffers fatal wounds when he rescues a group of children from a burning church- the same building in which he and Ponyboy had been hiding out subsequent to the killing of Bob.

The toughest greaser also is Dally. He ends up being shot by the police after he attempted armed robbery. Dally doesn't seems like a threatening figure. Ponyboy reveals that Dally's gun did not hold and bullets; Dally desperate act is attributed to his inability to cope with Johnny's death.

I like this book because it is about teens, wrote by a teen, for teens. This is my favorite book because it is about things that effect my life. Like gangs, fighting, and other stuff I don't like.

S.E Hinton was only 16 when she wrote the Outsiders. She won the MAE award in 1988 and 18 other awards for four other books. Like the ALA best book for youth adults, Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, Massachusetts Children's Book Award, and other wonderful awards.