That Was Then, This is Now

Written in 1971, That Was Then, This Is Now was a big hit for already successful writer Susan Eloise Hinton, primarily known as S.E. Hinton. Many thought The Outsiders would be a hard book to follow but sure enough, Hinton accomplished it with ease. Just four years after writing The Outsiders in 1967, she published That Was Then, This Is Now. It had a similar feel to it as The Outsiders, which is what probably made it so easy to read. It had many of the same elements and even had some of the sam

Written in 1971, That Was Then, This Is Now was a big hit for already successful writer Susan Eloise Hinton, primarily known as S.E. Hinton. Many thought The Outsiders would be a hard book to follow but sure enough, Hinton accomplished it with ease. Just four years after writing The Outsiders in 1967, she published That Was Then, This Is Now. It had a similar feel to it as The Outsiders, which is what probably made it so easy to read. It had many of the same elements and even had some of the same characters. They even made some references to the story of The Outsiders. I think this is why i enjoyed the book so much.

The story starts off with two boys, Mark and Bryon. They are not biological brothers, but they sure did act it. Mark lived with Bryon and was treated as part of the family. While visiting Bryon's mother in the hospital, they met a kid named Mike, who rarely had visitors. They listened to the stories he had to tell. They frequently went to Charlie's bar, even though they were underage. While they were there, they would hustle people at games of pool to make some money. They needed some way to pay off their tab. Bryon was somewhat of a good kid. Didn't get in much trouble. Mark, on the other hand, was usually hot-wiring cars or stealing whatever he needed. After leaving the bar, they would occasionally see their friend M&M. They called him M&M because every time anyone saw him he was always eating M&M's. Everyone forgot his actual name, because everybody, even his family, called him M&M. Throughout the story, Bryon becomes increasingly interested in M&M's sister, Cathy. The first time they went out together, a bit of double occurred.

Bryon invited Cathy to a dance at school, Charlie had let him borrow the car for the night. While Bryon was soaking up all the attention he was getting for his stunning date, he noticed Mark and went over to talk. He could tell he had been drinking but didn't think much of it. They all drank, it wasn't anything new. After a while, everyone heard screams and ran outside. Mark was lying on the ground. Some boy had picked a fight with Ponyboy Curtis, and while Mark tried to help, the boy picked up a bottle that Mark had previously tossed aside, and cracked Mark over the head. This knocked him out. He was completely unconscious. It turns out that Angela Shepard, who had previously dated Bryon, actually told the guy to go after Ponyboy. She was angry because he is the only boy she can't have. He simply doesn't want her, and this made her angry. Bryon rode in the ambulance with Mark. There were no fractures and everything seemed fine. He was released from the hospital that night. Just as they left the hospital, wondering how they would get home, Ponyboy and Cathy showed up. Bryon was angry for a moment, but then let it go and realized it was for the best. Ponyboy had hot-wired the car, which he had learned from Mark. When they got home, Marks medicine started to wear off. He was in a lot of pain. This resulted in them staying up all night talking. They were reminiscing about all their old memories, pranks, fights, and so much more.

Later in the book, much more occurred. Charlie was killed. The two men that did it were locked up. In Bryon's eyes, a trial was a trial, and nothing about it could bring Charlie back. Cathy told Bryon that she thought M&M was smoking marajuana. Bryon got into a fight with the Shepards and had to go to the hospital, where he got several stitches and happened to be worked on by the same doctor that helped Mark. M&M also ended up in the hospital after doing LSD. LSD affects everyone differently, but the doctor assured everyone that M&M would make a full recovery. At the end of the book, Bryon turned Mark into the cops for selling drugs. He second guessed his decision many times, but his mother assured him it was the right thing. There were many suspenseful moments in the book. It was very hard to put down.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Every chapter had at least one exciting moment. I was always kept on my toes, wondering what would happen next. For people who enjoyed The Outsiders, That Was Then, This Is Now should be next on the list of books to read. It was such a good book. It had all the elements you would expect in a typical S.E. Hinton book. I would suggest this book to anyone, but to understand it even better, it would benefit you to first read The Outsiders.