Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Sep 07, 2010

karen rated it:

the outsiders is a book about a group of youthful greasers living in oklahoma, and about their struggles to exist in a society that seems designed to dismiss them.

oklahoma is also the name of a popular musical.

draw your own conclusions, or continue reading.

see, i don't know from oklahoma in the sixties. maybe that is a place where street toughs call their little brothers "honey" and "baby" and enjoy sunsets and stars and reading margaret m More...

113 comments like (71 people liked it)

Jun 12, 2011

Joel rated it:

Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.

***********

The Outsiders is a book about sensitive teenage boys who alternately get into gang fights, hug one another, and burst into tears. They also spend more time than you might expect ruminating on how the tightness of a t-shirt might enhance the rippling musculature of a steely-eyed fellow gang member (this is where Stephanie Meyer got the idea for how to characterize Edward). Even though they're always complimenting each other's hair and d More...

18 comments like (36 people liked it)

Aug 28, 2008

Nancy rated it:

I loved The Outsiders when I read it as a teen and again when I read it just a few months ago. S. E. Hinton created a believable and engaging cast of characters who struggle with conflict in and out of their gang and learn the meaning of friendship and family. A very moving and enjoyable story!

10 comments like (35 people liked it)

Oct 03, 2007

Briynne rated it:

I'm a little horrified at myself for not having this book up before now. We had a discussion about it in class today, and I had to write this as soon it was over. I wish there were more stars to give The Outsiders, but five will have to do. I love this book, and have loved it faithfully since I read it in sixth grade - I must have read it a dozen times, and possibly more. I can quote long sections of the book. I was obsessed, and to some degree still am.

It's not a good book by More...

2 comments like (30 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2011

Ryan rated it:

I never read The Outsiders, and I always felt left out because of it.

There are many texts like this in North America. A brief list of stories often taught in grades 7 - 9 might include To Kill A Mockingbird, The Giver, and Romeo and Juliet. Believe it or not, there's quite a controversy over this notion.

Does everyone need to read The Outsiders?

Teachers ask this question quite often, but they're not always given the authority to answer it. Instead, they are ask More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 10, 2008

Cristian Cnca rated it:

What will happen to ponyboy that will change his life? In the story the Outsiders by S.E Hinton ponyboy is a misunderstood, smart, teen that is not like the friends he hangs out with.Johnny is part of the greasers who is treated cruelly at his home.Darry and Soda are pony's brothers ,darry makes pony try his best at school and soda stops a fight when both of them get into a fight.Set at his neighborhood where there is poverty and gang like groups that cause trouble in the neighborhood.Ponyboy More...

1 comment like (11 people liked it)

Nov 25, 2011

Needleroozer rated it:

I read this book when I was 13. It moved me so that as soon as I got to the end, I turned back to the beginning and read it straight through again. Of course, all this reading was accompanied by much heartfelt crying.

I told my mom that it was my favorite book. She told me it was not my favorite book. She really meant it wasn't the most well-written book I had ever read, and she was probably right about that. But no one call tell another person what is or isn't his/her/hir favorit More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jun 19, 2011

Dylan rated it:

One of my favorite novels of all time! What's so amazing is that this is based on a true story! I highly recomend this book! Favorite quote: "Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold..." -Johnny Cade.

Edit: This was even better the second time around. I understood the theme so much more clearly. Nothing but an instant classic.

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 16, 2008

Allie rated it:

This was a great book but I was incredibly disappointed after I found out it wasn't about aliens.

363 comments like (24 people liked it)

Apr 05, 2009

Miguel rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 27, 2012

Leanne rated it:

How likely is it that if you've never read The Outsiders or heard much about it, you would think it's about Greasers who admire sunsets and stars, and read Gone with the Wind to one another, thinking about Pip from the novel by Charles Dickens, and where Greasers do flips and handless somersaults on staircases, and brothers call each other "honey" and "sweetie"? After reading the synopsis of this book and knowing the storm it caused 40 years ago after being published, I didn More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 08, 2011

Kelly rated it:

A man died six years ago, but we didn't know at the time. They found him five days later, huddled inside a car, a junkie's tool kit littered across the seat. He was stamped O.D., self-induced slumber. Had the unfortunate been murdered, the label NHI would have been in there somewhere.

I didn't gravitate to this novel immediately. I kind of threw it around my room, getting to it at some point. After the above occurance, this book sort of found it's way back to me, in a lonely, gri More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 05, 2008

Werner rated it:

While the setting of this brilliant novel is presumably Hinton's native Tulsa or modeled closely on it, and the specific social circumstances of the teen milieu she depicts, with its sharp and often violent class conflict between the spoiled, nihilistic upper crust versus the angry, socially/economically circumscribed white underclass, may (or in some places, may not) have changed since the 60s, the themes she addresses here are absolutely universal and timeless: the universality of human feelin More...

15 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 13, 2007

Julie rated it:

This book, which was written in the 1960's, may have well been written today. It describes the many conflicts between gangs, social groups, family violence, and friends. Many emotions and thoughts surround the patrogonist, Ponyboy, who describes ganglife in the city. The book goes into many depths to develop the personality and emotions of every single character, and even from the view of the main character, you know the intellects of every little character. Every emotion is very sicere and well More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Sep 30, 2007

Sara rated it:

The Outsiders is very similar to The West Side Story, it talks about 2 gangs however, in th is story, it’s about the relationships and gap between the rich and poor. The two gangs named, The Greasers and The Socs, are common enemies in their society. However, the love part is very similar to Romeo and Juliet, where one person from each of the gangs or the enemies falls in love with each other. Cherry from the Socs falls in love with Ponyboy and Johnny, Greasers. Like in Romeo and Juliet, it ca More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 01, 2009

Bryan rated it:

This book is very great. Even though the 2 strongest characters in the book go away.I like this book because it shows a social life from the two gangs Greasers and Socs. This book makes you get much deeper into the thoughts of S.E.HINTON...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Feb 13, 2008

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it:

I LOVE this book. I don't know why I find it so good. The whole thing just seems so real. It's really exciting, and the characters are all really believable. I like how the story was written by a young author who really knew what she was writing about--she based it partly on the experiences of her friends. It's like people say--"Write what you know." And S.E. Hinton did just that, and did an excellent job. The book does have some corny parts, and is one of very few books that actually More...

3 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2009

Ana rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Oct 23, 2011

Michaeguyton rated it:

Michae guyton
Survey LT.
Mr.Topel
P:2,3
october 21,2011
The book I'm currently reading is "THE OUTSIDERS" it's a great book by S.E. HINTON. So far I have read that Ponyboy is the narrator and main character of the book, he's a great smart kid, who's of course a Greaser. He lives with his two older brother's [darry,and sodapop].They lost their parents and depend on their gang ,trying to live and survive day-by-day.

I pred More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 02, 2008

Bridgit rated it:

this book was alright.
it was my father's favorite when he was younger.

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 08, 2011

Destiny rated it:

The Outsiders is a young adult book based on the teen life that the author, S.E. Hinton, was surrounded by every day. She wrote a powerful story using fictional characters. This author takes your breath away with vivid descriptions of each character that walks onto the scene like "movie star looks". The book is about two gangs on two separate sides of town that has lots of tension between them. One of the gangs are the greasers (mostly known as the town's gangsters). The other gang is More...

6 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 19, 2011

Kathy rated it:

I read this book when I was a kid, and I remember I absolutely loved it--so much, I wanted to immediately re-read it. I just reread this book again as an adult; this book left me with the same emotions that I had when I read it as a kid. The book is told in the first person from the perspective of a 14 year old boy, and the narrative is so genuine and real...he speaks and thinks like a real 14 year old--not over-edited by an adult editor. From the first page you are sucked into this kids world, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 03, 2011

Vincent rated it:

This is my book review:

Dear Potential Reader,

The book The Outsiders is a very good but very active and kind of not appropriate book for all ages. This book is about 2 gangs that live on the opposite sides of town but have a history with each other. The poor gang or the “Greasers" and the rich gang that lives in the rich part of the town are called "Socs." These 2 gangs have done damage to each other before but not lik More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 25, 2010

Kelly marked it as to-read

I finally got the book from the library and have just started it. I'm incredibly impressed that this was penned by a kid in high school. It's very well written. There are bits that feel like a teenager wrote it, but that's a good thing because too often lately I've been reading children's books that feel like a 42 year old wrote them. While it's not bad to be 42 and write for kids, I'm 42 and do so, you don't want to sound 42.

I'm also bored. It's not Hinton's fault at all. I'm sure w More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 27, 2010

Amber rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

16 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 01, 2010

Karen rated it:

I was at work the other day and a 7th grade student came by with this book. She has to read it for school! Remember when we read it for fun? I told her I read it in 8th grade because EVERYONE was reading it. She found that hard to believe. In 20 years will they make kids read "Twilight" and write book reports on it? I remember the movie coming out and not being allowed to see it because of all the "violence", which by today's standards is minimal. But I don't think they had P More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 26, 2010

Jackie rated it:

I am currently 15, and my aunt gave me this book when I was about 12. When I got the book, I put on a happy face and said I as excited to read it. But honestly I did not want to read a book about boys in a bad part of town and about street fights. But my aunt kept asking me if I read it, and after a few months I picked up the book, and from there, I couldn't put it down. This book was so inspirational and great. I loved every one of the characters. My favorite characters were definitely Johnny a More...

4 comments like (8 people liked it)

Nov 07, 2008

Oriana rated it:

Everyone has problems, everyone one has to survive from something or someone, the worst is when it is both. The "Outsiders by S.E. Hinton" made me feel about what a great life I have. I mean imagine... you having to defend for your life every single day, knowing that if you aren't careful you can lose your life in a heart beat. That frightens me because of how unsafe not just our streets are but how unsafe our world is.

The "Outsiders" shows people the difference More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 10, 2009

Conor rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Aug 23, 2008

Sue rated it:

This is the book that truly made me understand the pleasure of reading. I read it for the first time in high school, and was completely caught up in the characters and storyline. S.E. Hinton writes with a rawness and emotion that is unique - she wrote this book when she was 16 years old; it began as a short story for her English class, but her teacher apparently saw the potential and lucky for us, was able to help her get it published (her initials were used because she thought the publishers More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

reviews