Search - The Outsiders

A wonderful comming-of-age book that deals with peer pressure, loyalty and growing up. I would greatly recommend this book to young and old readers alike.

Overview: Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. AT least he knows what to expect - until the night someone takes things too far.

Review: S.E. Hinton has a knack for telling stories about inner-city life for teenage boys. This is her first novel and probably her best. A classic - read this and then watch the movie.

Just finished this book and can finally see what the fuss was about.

I'd seen the movie and knew the plot and was even a bit put off by the first chapter. The narrator, Ponyboy, had a voice that initially felt unrealistic for a 14 year old boy. Particularly one coming of age in the early to mid 60's. However, once past the early descriptions of everyone, the dissonance pretty much disappeared and the final chapters make up for all of the disparity and even explain it to a degree.

There is a brilliantly conflicted duality to Ponyboy. We get indications of it in his enjoyment of sunsets and reading but its only toward the end when we see him breaking a bottle to threaten some socs then after they leave picking up the glass so no one gets a flat tire, that we really see just how different the two natures that are vying for his soul truly are.

The early chapters all build to this denouement but they had more of the feel of a dystopian novel translated to a 50's youth gang vernacular. If I'd been asked to characterize the book half way through I'd have grouped it with The Cross and the Switchblade and West Side Story and such stories.

But the family dynamic that surfaces in the last few chapters makes it much more than that. This book truly deserves the popularity that its attained.

Great book! Read it years ago. Got it for my 7th grade son's LA class. Re-read it myself. Gritty and honest life of the haves and have-nots.

Great book! Awesome condition.

My daughter stated this was a really good book.