The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton | Teen Ink

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton MAG

By Anonymous

     Though I usually prefer science fiction and fantasy, reading The Outsiders was a phenomenal experience. The story line is good, but what sparked my interest is how S. E. Hinton, who was 16 at the time she created this, writes. Everything flows smoothly, and with so much detail. You get to know the characters so well it’s hard to believe the story just covers one week of their lives. This book is extremely hard to put down.

The Outsiders is about a gang of “greasers,” or underprivileged teenagers, living on the east side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They are constantly under attack from the rich west-side Socs, and have parties and rumbles all the time. The narrator, the orphan Ponyboy Curtis, pretty much knows what to expect from his day - school, track, homework, football at the lot - until one of his friends takes the greaser-Soc battle too far.

From that point, Ponyboy can barely keep track of what is happening. He goes from hopping a train to escape a crime scene to being in the newspaper as a juvenile delinquent hero. Everything seems to move too fast to handle. To find out the whole story, read the book!

If you like symbolism, this novel has plenty, but the main one is to “stay gold.” The book has a strong message of staying young and innocent. It teaches us not to create a shell to block emotions and the importance of friendship. This is one book you definitely will not want to skip.



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This article has 80 comments.


on Dec. 15 2009 at 5:54 pm
ZombieDanceWithMe SILVER, Rockford, Illinois
7 articles 1 photo 98 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;To die is nothing; but it is terrible not to live&rdquo;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -Victor Hugo

that sounds good accuallly. thanks for the reference!

dragongirl said...
on Dec. 13 2009 at 4:14 pm
haha no its ok im obsessed also :)...we read it in 8th grade, and over the summer i read it again 3 times. i think i can recite the first 5 pages. if you liked the outsiders, check out her other books also, like That was Then, This is Now and Rumble Fish...they're good too. kind of the same theme with really strong characters.

on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:11 pm
FlyleafFreak DIAMOND, Loveland, Colorado
51 articles 0 photos 203 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I have faith in fools;self confidence my friends call it&quot;~Edger Allan Poe<br /> &quot;In this world of infinite insanity, your friends are the best psychiatrists you will ever have.&quot;~Me

This book was amazing! We did a mock trial when Johnny was accused of...well I don't want to ruin the book, but I was defending Johnny and I lost unfortunetly. Lol, now Johnny has 10 years in prison. Anyway, it was a tremedous book! Great review.

on Nov. 26 2009 at 12:37 am
spontaneous09 BRONZE, Dallas, Texas
1 article 0 photos 32 comments
I absolutely ador this book! It was written in older times but it relates to everyone in the present.Though I don't live in a neighborhood quite like that I recognized the emotions of the characters. They're emotions that many of us experience as teenagers. It is amazingly written.

And, I didn't know she was 16 when she wrote this. Man, I need to write a book!

moondrop03 said...
on Nov. 25 2009 at 10:57 am
i was said at the end of The Outsider!!!!

on Nov. 17 2009 at 8:08 pm
ZombieDanceWithMe SILVER, Rockford, Illinois
7 articles 1 photo 98 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;To die is nothing; but it is terrible not to live&rdquo;<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -Victor Hugo

not to sound obsessed or anything but

when i was in 6th grade my english teacher made me read this.

not only did i read it two and a half times after that, attemped(and failed) to write a sequil, still just love it, payed my best friend 20 dolars for her copy, and have now joined the 6th grade class this year so i car re-read it and do all the work. i am also helping my friends who are still reading it with great excitment.

this was a great review, if i were to read this book i would want to read it after this review

:}!!! i love you for writing this:]!!

TrulySecrets said...
on Jun. 9 2009 at 1:30 am
TrulySecrets, West Linn, Oregon
0 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Being the freak that I am...&quot; TrulySecrets

Nice review by the way.

bitchbag800 said...
on May. 19 2009 at 2:17 pm
its a very good review and its jus like da book

whistle said...
on May. 19 2009 at 2:02 am
i,m in 8th grade and my teacher made me read it and i loved it. now i,m writting an essay on it.

on May. 8 2009 at 1:22 pm
it was good....................................it could be better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on May. 8 2009 at 1:21 pm
I thought your book review was good and hope to read the book someday.

on May. 8 2009 at 1:20 pm
it was good it could be better

on May. 8 2009 at 1:18 pm
it was good

imsocoolxD said...
on Feb. 11 2009 at 2:48 am
this book was awesome.



im in 7th grade and my teacher made us read it :)



I LOVED IT



its filled with lots of action and drama.



i cant wait to watch the movie

Fong said...
on Feb. 3 2009 at 9:21 am
Thats nice! good job man. I LUV UR REVIEW PLS TEACH ME HOW TO WRITE ONE!!

dellp said...
on Dec. 15 2008 at 10:21 pm
I loved this book. I remember when my eighth grade english teacher made us read it, it was so hard just to read a chapter or two a day.

I love you review, its exellant!

on Nov. 13 2008 at 11:45 pm
This review was amazing! it really can somehow explain what Ponyboy has to go through. It was a really strong review and i am with you guys 100% about how this book is really great and in a way, inspirational.

baby mama said...
on Nov. 12 2008 at 4:02 am
this is the best book in the world. My sis love fo me to read it to her.LOL

jake said...
on Sep. 22 2008 at 2:23 pm
this was a great interview i personaly loved this book

dannixo93 said...
on Aug. 21 2008 at 12:50 pm
I think this was a really good review. I read this book a few years ago, and I couldn't have said this better myself. good job!