The Outsiders in Retro Chapter Chicks

Aug 27, 2016 Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, own

I have watched this movie over and over when I was younger and I still have it today and love it just as much. I will admit I was in love with Dallas and had a crush on Sodapop but Dallas was my man =)

I just can't believe it took me this many years to read the book! And the book was so close to the movie it is almost unreal. Maybe it was due to the fact that S.E. Hinton was on set helping with the movie, I really don't know. I just love that I can read a book and watch a movie and there not be t ...more

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May 31, 2023 Brina rated it really liked it

Shelves: novella, fiction, western, young-adult, classics

It seems like The Outsiders is a popular choice as an 8th grade novel this year. I have subbed in multiple schools and a few selected Hinton’s debut as their last quarter book. My two middle school daughters have also become enamored with the book and movie, so I couldn’t resist reading it while on one of my subbing assignments. I’m still torn as to whether the book has become a cult classic because of the movie starring multiple 1980s heartthrobs or because the writing was outstanding for a six ...more

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May 23, 2014 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: movie, family, coming-of-age, 20th-century, young-adult, audio, concierge, library, social-commentary, friendship

Recorded book read by Jim Fyfe

From the book jacket: In Ponyboy’s world there are two types of people. There are the Socs, the rich society kids who get away with anything. Then there are the greasers, like Ponyboy, who aren’t so lucky. Ponyboy has a few things he can count on: his older brothers, his friends, and trouble with the Socs, whose idea of a good time is beating up greasers. At least he knows what to expect – until the night things go too far.

My reactions
What an extraordinary coming-of Recorded book read by Jim Fyfe

From the book jacket: In Ponyboy’s world there are two types of people. There are the Socs, the rich society kids who get away with anything. Then there are the greasers, like Ponyboy, who aren’t so lucky. Ponyboy has a few things he can count on: his older brothers, his friends, and trouble with the Socs, whose idea of a good time is beating up greasers. At least he knows what to expect – until the night things go too far.

My reactions
What an extraordinary coming-of-age novel. Hinton started this novel when she was only fifteen, and when it was published in 1967 she was eighteen. Like Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye it was a novel that touched a nerve in a generation eager for relevant literature.

Ponyboy and his friends are outcasts of a sort, but proud of it. Most come from what we would today call disadvantaged backgrounds. Ponyboy and his older brothers – Darry age 20, and Sodapop age 17 – live alone since their parents died in an automobile accident; they are a tight-knit family unit and know that the only way they can stay together is to stay out of trouble. Ponyboy is only fourteen, and he’s a good student, but his dress and hairstyle mark him as a greaser and troublemaker. His best friend is Johnny, whose mother ignores him unless she’s angry and whose alcoholic father routinely beats him. “If it hadn’t been for the gang, Johnny would never have known what love and affection are.” A serious altercation results in a death that will change everything for the boys involved – Socs and greasers alike.

I loved Ponyboy. His outlook is positive despite all that is against him, yet he is very realistic. He wants desperately to be recognized for the individual that he is, not for the label attached to him. He can be thoughtful and philosophical, as well as rash and impetuous.

One of the best things about the novel is also one of its major faults. It is written in the genuine voice of a teenager – emotional reaction supersedes rational thought. The characters see only a small portion of the puzzle and plunge headlong into the fray before considering consequences or other possible interpretations of the facts. Still, Hinton did manage to include a true “coming of age” epiphany at the end; a realization that things are not destined to stay the same; adults are not always the enemy, “nice boys” can be cruel and hoodlums can become heroes.

The audio book was capably performed by Jim Fyfe. He really brought Ponyboy, Johnny and the rest of the gang to life for me.
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Nov 06, 2012 Kris (My Novelesque Life) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4 STARS

"According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a so ...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Kelly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-and-children-s

It seems like I was the only one my age who had never read this book, for pleasure or for English class. I'm glad I got caught up because I enjoyed this book immensely. I find it amazing that it was written by a 16-year-old, a 16-year-old girl nonetheless. S.E. Hinton sort of defined the "young adult" genre and came out with this book at a time when teens were rebeling outwardly toward adults. What I found so interesting about this book and its main character, 14-year-old Ponyboy, was that he di ...more

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