The Outsiders Kindle Edition

I have been lately reading a series of young adult books so that when my kids are old enough to read, I will have good selections for them and I will know what is in the books. (Also, I'm going back and reading the books that I never got around to when I was an adolescent.)After I read this book, I can say at at least two things:1. This book will not be on the list of reading material for my sons.2. I don't think I really missed all that much by not reading it as a youth.The problem is that I don't know what the author is getting at.These characters are extremely two-dimensional, and I don't know exactly what lesson my kids should be able to draw from this. Keep in mind that this tendency to have a binary worldview is something that is a very popular mentality among black people (everyone is either black or white and expected to behave accordingly), and this is exactly the mentality that I want to avoid for my two mixed-race sons.The characters are back from the time when Elvis and The Beatles were popular. (Or, I should say back at a time when those two groups were alive and perfoming regularly.)This storyline is nothing in which I think I could interest my kids nor anything for which they will have a framework of reference.There is also the issue that the author is a 16 year old girl trying to write like an adolescent boy, and it just doesn't work. (It has somewhat the same feeling of what it would be like for a 18 year old black man to try and write through the eyes of a 65 year old white woman. And I reviewed many books where an inappropriate author was trying to speak like a protagonist.) Just implausible.I don't think there is a single scene where any of these kids are in school. Yet all of the wealthier children are driving Corvettes and Mustangs. (In small town Oklahoma, no less.)Does that sound believable to you?The characters are bursting into tears every third page -- in spite of the fact that they're supposed to be tough street thugs -- and one of them even has "Gone With the Wind" as a favorite novel. (That is the quintessential chick flick book.)Does that sound believable to you?Verdict: Not recommended.

This book is awful & ironically, the message is to hold on to the golden beauty & innocence of childhood even if you're in a tough place, but it is so violent, the irony is that if you let a child read it, it will do exactly the opposite & take away their golden innocence. here are examples:page 5 - detailed account of being attacked, held down, gagged, beaten32 - boy receives regular beatings from his father (one example was “with a 2 by 4”)32 - a friend is bloody, beat and left for dead in a field56- first hand description of drowning“electric chair” is mentioned a lot (I don’t think Madeline knows what this is yet)59 - references a guy having sex in the bedroom (inference)111 - teen girl gets pregnant, sent to live with Grandma (inference)page 45 - a girl named “Cherry” is sort of made to get in a car with drunk boys & go home with them. …or else there’ll be a fight.115 - a brief image of “leaving little kids to burn to death in a fire”154 - describes briefly how the police bullets hit the body of their friend & he crumples to the ground.also, stealing, smoking joints/cigarettes, “kill myself”, running away, murder, description of death, etc.Awful book that does not make the world a better place.

I grew up in the mid 50’s and 60’s in the Southwest. I was always aware that there were gangs around and that they fought each other and got into trouble, but they never impacted my life. I enjoyed this novel very much because it rang true about life in general during this period and because it was so well written. I was halfway through the book before I learned that it had been written by a young girl. I grew up with three brothers, one older, 2 younger and the novel’s young men felt “real” to me.

So happy to have purchased this. I've read the book countless times and watched the movie a little to much lol. No matter how many times I re read it, I always cry. Just in case I'm not going to go into details, I don't want to be a spoiler now. The back of the book has beautiful illustrations, pictures, and even letters. I got the hardcover so I'm unsure if the quotes are written in the same place, but famous quotes such as "stay gold pony boy" and "things are rough all over" are written in white on the back cover and last page (as well as the front cover page and first page).

Unlike most, I wasn't required to read this in school as a kid. I only read it now based on some recommendations. I wasn't sure what to expect, but found myself pleasantly surprised. It's a story with a lot of heart and well-developed characters. The story took a while to really hook me, but by the end I felt like I had a real connection to some of the characters. I don't tend to read many fiction books of this type (more of a sci-fi or political thriller kind of guy), hence the 4 stars, but this is a story that I think most people should read at some point.

Only got this because my daughter needed it for 8th grade Language Arts. She didn't like it. Wasn't one of favorite books to read either when I was younger. Language Arts needs to pick better books. Sucked 30 years ago still sucks today

I had some serious concerns about teaching this novel to my students. Mainly, I was worried my students would not be able to identify with the characters in the novel. This could not be further from the truth! I have been able to incorporate some great informational texts regarding Greasers and the evolution of gangs, social class inequalities, the 1960s...there is so much that can be done in terms of instruction with this novel! It is an absolute classic - a compelling story with strong use of language and engaging to teens and adults alike.My students are 8th graders at an urban middle school, predominately black and Hispanic and they are obsessed! Even my most reluctant readers are enjoying this novel. They're all excited about seeing the movie too!

I’ve never read an SE Hinton book before; I’ll admit that until I read the introduction of The Outsiders that I didn’t even realise that Hinton was female. I assumed that a book about teenage boys and gang culture was written by a male writer. This was the first of many shocks; good shocks but ones that made me realise that I had a prejudice in me that I wasn’t aware of. Another surprise is that a book of such high acclaim could be written by someone so young. Hinton wrote her debut novel at the tender age of 17. Impressive – there is not much else to say on that matterThe Outsiders centres on two rival gangs the ‘Greasers’ and the ‘Socs.’ The ‘Greasers’ come from the wrong side of the tracks, have no money, work hard but for very little and they have little chance of bettering themselves. As opposed to the ‘Socs’ – the middle/upper class people of society who get away with whatever they do because they have the money to back them up.Things get out of hand when greaser Johnny kills a Soc when trying to save his friend (and the protagonist of this story) Ponyboy. This causes an out and out war between both gangs and the results are fatal.It would be fair to say that nearly 50 years on from its publication date that the slang in The Outsiders is dated but the intention and the thematic resonance of the book is still extremely powerful and relevant in modern society. There are still gang related crimes happening everyday; there are still young children playing at being grown-ups with no worry of the consequence. SE Hinton’s debut novel is still as potent and as readable today as it would have been when it was first released.What I will say is that as a book reviewer it does take a lot to impress me and whilst I do really like a lot of the books that I read it does take something special to have be finish it in one sitting. That is exactly what happened with The Outsiders. This book is a classic for a reason.The Outsiders by SE Hinton is available now.

I don't understand how this book escaped my reading list for all these years. Thank god I accidentally stumbled upon it and read it. The Outsiders is a beautiful and heartbreaking story of 14 year old Ponyboy Curtis, his two older brothers and their gang, and their struggles to get by, living on the 'outside'.“They grew up on the outside of society. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to belong.”“...people get hurt in rumbles, maybe killed. I'm sick of it because it doesn't do any good. You can't win...even if you whip us. You'll still be where you were before - at the bottom. And we'll still be the lucky ones with all the breaks. So it doesn't do any good, the fighting and the killing. It doesn't prove a thing.”

I first read this book as a teenager and couldnt quite believe it was written by someone only a few years older than me - how I envied her! This book is a masterpiece, and I have now given it to my 13 year old son to read. I love the different characters and the portrayal of their problems and how they each deal with them in their own way. I'd be really surprised to meet anyone who didnt like this book. Every home should have a copy.

First read this book in my high school English class when I was about fifteen and was blown away by it's honesty and insight. Seventeen years later, I still love it.Been dyslexic, as a kid, made reading hard for me, but thanks to books like this, I never gave up on books and I'm so glad I didn't. I love to read and usually have 2-3 books on the go at the same time.I'm a fan of the film too.Would recommend both to everyone.Happy reading!!

I read this as a young teen and it has stayed with me ever since. A truly amazing book of teens from the poor side of town and the rich, of hardships, growing up and teenage angst. Full of laughs, tears and tragedy and a lovely poem. I bought this for my 12yr old daughter to read and it has stood up to the test of time, she totally loves the story. Highly recommend this book.