Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Dell, 1989. Print. 0440967694; paperback; $4.50 USD.
S.E. Hinton's debut novel, The Outsiders, is well established as a classic young adult text. Hinton tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis, an orphaned young teenager being raised by his two older brothers. Ponyboy is smart, athletic and does well in school, but him and his brothers are Greasers, a gang from the rough side of town. The Greasers are involved in a constant struggle with a more privileged gang, the "Socs." A scuffle ensues over Ponyboy's association with a girl from the Socs at a movie one night. When one of the Socs end up murdered, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny fearfully flee town and try to figure out what to do. As they deal with a series of tragedies, the Greasers lean on one another like a close knit family.
Hinton wrote the book when she was a teenager herself, and this shows through in her realistic description of Ponyboy's struggle to understand what is going on around him. Hinton calls into question the tough, hard stereotype image gang members, and shows their vulnerable, teenage side. Although written several decades ago, the themes of family, friendship and social strife will still resonate with teenagers today.
Check out this book trailer with an interview by S. E. Hinton:
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