Synopses & Reviews
A heroic story of friendship and belonging
No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friendstrue friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the Socsa vicious gang of rich kids who enjoy beating up on "greasers" like him and his friendshe knows that he can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down...
Written over forty-five years ago, The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.
"The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world." The New York Times
"Taut with tension, filled with drama." The Chicago Tribune
"[A] classic coming-of-age book." Philadelphia Daily News
"What it's like to live lonely and unwanted and cornered by circumstance...There is rawness and violence here, but honest hope, too." National Observer
A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book
A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Winner of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award
Synopsis
Includes bonus material, a new foreword by the author, and a discussion guide.
Synopsis
50 years of an iconic classic This international bestseller and inspiration for a beloved movie is a heroic story of friendship and belonging.
No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends--true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. 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 on "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect--until the night someone takes things too far.
The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of fiction that laid the groundwork for the YA genre. S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.
"The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction from a genre mostly about prom queens, football players and high school crushes to one that portrayed a darker, truer world." --The New York Times
"Taut with tension, filled with drama." --The Chicago Tribune " A] classic coming-of-age book." --Philadelphia Daily News
A New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Book
A Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Winner of the Massachusetts Children's Book Award Synopsis
Ponyboy can count on his brothers and his friends, but not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids who get away with everything, including beating up greasers like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect--until the night someone takes things too far.
Written forty-five years ago, S. E. Hinton's classic story of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was written.
About the Author
S. E. Hintons career as an author began while she was still a student at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Disturbed by the clashes of the two gangs in her high school, the Greasers and the Socs, Hinton wrote
The Outsiders, an honest, sometimes shocking novel told from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old Greaser named Ponyboy Curtis.
The Outsiders was published during Hintons freshman year at the University of Tulsa and was an immediate sensation. Today, with more than fourteen million copies in print, it is the best-selling young adult novel of all time. The book was also made into a film in 1983, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and featuring budding young stars Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe.
The Outsiders brought with it publicity and fame. S. E. Hinton became known as The Voice of the Youth.” This overnight success also brought a lot of pressure, resulting in a three-year-long writers block. Her boyfriend (now husband) eventually helped break this block by suggesting she write two pages a day before going anywhere. This ultimately led to her second novel, That Was Then, This Is Now, which was made into a film in 1985, starring Emilio Estevez. Ms. Hinton went on to write several other novels, including Rumble Fish and Tex.
In 1988 she was awarded the first annual Margaret A. Edwards Award, given in honor of an author whose book or books, over a period of time, have been accepted by young people as an authentic voice that continues to illuminate their experiences and emotions, giving insight into their lives.”
S. E. Hinton still lives in Oklahoma with her husband, where she enjoys writing, riding horses, and taking courses at the university.