Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Ola Fona?

"Not all Socs are like that". Although the two social groups in The Outsiders hate each other, they do not realize they are alike in many ways. In her book, S.E. Hinton tries to show how some people, even if they seem remote, are still real people.
The genre of The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, is probably realistic fiction, but it contains many exciting parts, making it also an action/adventure book. The story is narrated by Ponyboy, a 14 year old teenager. When I first looked at the book, I thought it was quite boring, but remember, never judge a book by its cover. Once I read the first chapter, it became evident that it would be very exciting.
The main characters of the book are Ponyboy, Darrel and Sodapop Curtis. The three brothers live alone in one house on the east side of town. Ponyboy is more of an intellectual type. He enjoys reading, school and movies. I liked Ponyboy because he enjoyed beautiful things in life, for example sunsets. His brother, Soda (16), on the other hand is a drop-out and even thought he's very friendly and always has a smile on his face, its very hard for him to watch his younger and older brothers argue. Soda was my favorite because he has a great sense of humor and is always positive. Darrel (20) is very responsible. He's always looking after his brothers and trying to make some extra money. Unlike Soda, Darry graduated from school but never went to collage. He and Ponyboy get into fights quite often. What I lfind interesting about Darry is that he takes his parents role as a guardian of his brothers. The other two important characters are Johnny Cade (16) and Dallas Winston (24). Johnny is a shy, quiet and sensitive abused teenager. I like Johnny because he's more calm than his friends. Dally however, is the toughest, meanest and probably biggest member of the gang. Dally is more of a wild character that follows his own paths. That's what makes him so special. The setting takes place in the 1950's in Windrixville.
The book starts when Ponyboy gets jumped by a bunch of Socs, a gang made up of rich kids. After his brothers and the rest of the greasers, the other main gang in which all the main characters are in, rescue him, he, Johnny and Dally go to the "Nightly Double", a drive-in movie theater. There they meet two nice Socs, Cherry and Marcia. After enjoying himself and staying out late, Ponyboy comes home. Darry gets so mad at him that he hits him. Terrified, Ponyboy runs away to find Johnny. Together they walk around in the park and talk. While they're sitting on a bench chatting, a bunch of Socs attack them and Johnny turns up killing the leader, Bob. He and Ponyboy now have to leave town and their future is at stake.
A positive part of the book was that it included lots of action. It was also easy to follow because of the slang and teen-like speech. It also goes really in depth, which is a good thing. A negative part of the book is that it only contains one characters opinion and almost all the character's are guys, so girls might not like it that much. Some of the vocabulary can get hard and there are moments when it is a little boring. It also isn't suitable for all ages, and I would only recommend it to teenagers.
The Outsiders was a book I really enjoyed, but wouldn't have chosen as my independent reading book. Although it was very interesting, I don't think many people would like it at first. What I noticed about "The Outsiders" is that while reading the book you can relate to it. Maybe you didn't murder someone, or your parents haven't died, but don't you sometimes feel like an outsider? I recommend this book to all teens who have ever felt like they didn't belong somewhere.