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The Outsiders
The Outsiders
Author: S. E. Hinton
According to Ponyboy, you're either a Greaser or a Soc. Coming from the wrong side of town, he's a Greaser and his high school rivals are the Socs, the kids who have the money, the attitude and can get away with anything. The Socs love to spend their time beating up the Greasers but Ponyboy and his friends know what to expect and stick t...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780142407332
ISBN-10: 014240733X
Publication Date: 4/20/2006
Pages: 208
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 37

4.5 stars, based on 37 ratings
Publisher: Speak
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

GowerMeower avatar reviewed The Outsiders on + 179 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
One of my all time favorites. Read this first in grade school, which inspired the budding reader in me to keep on reading. I had read everything by S.E. Hinton before I had even finished middle school, and the Outsiders remains the best of all her novels. A fantastic tale of social cliques and the bonds of friendship and family.
havan avatar reviewed The Outsiders on + 138 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
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.
reviewed The Outsiders on + 40 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
The classic movie from the 80's. A must read if you love the movie!
reviewed The Outsiders on + 34 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great reading about raw teenage life, friends, and loyalty.
hoopridge avatar reviewed The Outsiders on + 252 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
If you were a teenaged girl in the 1980s, you undoubtably read this book and saw the movie with the all-star cast. Heck, you may have even had a poster with The Outsiders on it in your room next to your Duran Duran and Stray Cats ones.

The story, far from being a fluffy "teen read," is a deep one about class, violence, abandonment, family, and loss. When a lower-class "greaser" kills an upper-class "Soc," he and his friend go on the run, leading to a chain of events that end tragically.

I used to teach this to ninth-grade students and they all loved it, boys and girls included. It's hard to believe the author was only 16 when she wrote it!
Read All 65 Book Reviews of "The Outsiders"

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reviewed The Outsiders on + 5 more book reviews
Excellent book. Timeless. I LOVED the ending, it goes a step farther than the movie.
abbykt avatar reviewed The Outsiders on + 113 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book. I thought it had really good insight into the world of social classes as portrayed by Ponyboy. I especially enjoyed his interaction with his oldest brother, Darry. I could definately see that Darry was working hard to fill the parent role and the reasons that Ponyboy resented him. I was glad to see that eventually Ponyboy understood what he was doing and how much he cared. I think I enjoyed the characters' insights the best. They each understood something about themselves and their lives and they way they effect others by the end of the book.
pamsylvan avatar reviewed The Outsiders on + 4 more book reviews
One of the few people who never read the book in High School, watched the movie, and was a little confused. Much better to read the book, because the movie looses some of the relationship dynamics.
reviewed The Outsiders on
This is a great book. If you have seen the movie you should read the book!!
reviewed The Outsiders on + 71 more book reviews
A total classic. Never going out of style. Made me want to name my future kids Ponyboy or Cherry just because I loved the characters so much. ;-) Here's another book where the movie was just as great.
reviewed The Outsiders on + 34 more book reviews
A great story about growing up. They made me read this novel in middle school. I'm glad they did.
reviewed The Outsiders on + 60 more book reviews
A good, classic book.
reviewed The Outsiders on
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.
moosesue avatar reviewed The Outsiders on + 28 more book reviews
My daughter stated this was a really good book.
joyfilledspirit avatar reviewed The Outsiders on
I first read this book when I was 13 years old. To this day it has a special place in my heart. I agree with the reviewer that said this book is a classic. I read this book growing up so many times I lost track. A must read!
reviewed The Outsiders on + 93 more book reviews
This was my favorite book in highschool.

Book Wiki

Common Title
People/Characters
Ponyboy Curtis (Primary Character)
Johnny Cade (Major Character)
Dallas Winston (Major Character)

Genres: