The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

Book Overview

Over 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

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014038572X
• ISBN13: 9780140385724
• Release Date: September 1988
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Book!

Had to read this book way back in the day in high school (I'm almost 50). Loved it so much my copy (published in 1983) fell apart over the years and had to go buy another, newer copy of the book .

Best book I've read in years

Oh my god where do I start with this book? It's great. It's iconic. It really captures the feelings of being a teen and has aged very well. All the characters are beautifully flawed, and someone is relatable to everyone.

Highly disappointed

Got this to read per my mother raving about reading it in school in the 80's. Big disappointment! Book was not in condition as described. Writings and highlights through out all the book. Highly disappointed! Cover picture was not same as the one I ordered.

Favorite book of all time!

This book is a lovable and realistic book about the struggles of being judged by your appearance. It wasn't overly wordy and was easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book and all others by se Hinton. I'd you like this one o would I d especially recommend rumble fish by the same author!

Wish I could give ZERO stars. Wrong depiction of the book I got

Picture of book, was not the one I received. I want to return for my $ back.

It was wonderful

Some complex themes but I greatly enjoyed reading it. A good coming of age story for teens and adults for reading pleasure

Perfect condition!

The book was in perfect condition! I loved this book when I was young and I can't wait to read it again!

Great book!

Adult and teens will love this is they like rivals

Amazing book

I had to read this book back in middle school and it's been a favorite since. The movie execution is amazing as well.

Such a great book

I loved the way it told a complex story honestly and without filter. It truly showed what life was like then. It showed all of it: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

A timeless classic filled with many emotions

The depth of the characters and their world truly opens eyes - how different it is from our world yet the reality of it can be seen through the lenses of a character.

My Favourite !!!!

Reading this book makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. You’re so encapsulated in your own life and beliefs that you forget the personal lives and experiences of other people around you, or at least, that’s one of the lessons this book taught me.

Read it in high school

Read this book in high school and enjoyed it. Bought it again just to have it on my shelf. If I remember right, the movie basically reads the book like a scripy

A new type of fiction --

n the late 1960's a new type of American literature evolved that spoke straight to the social and economic needs of teens and largely bypassed the sentimental, boy-meets-girl fiction that had largely been the norm before. THE OUTSIDERS (1967) by a new teen author, S.E. Hinton, set the outlook and established the genre. "Young Adult" fiction, as the new writing came to be called, was a hit with adolescents and sympathizers alike. The novel is set in a city based on Tulsa, OK and narrated by "Ponyboy" Curtis who, along with his two older brothers, was left to fend for himself when their parents died in a car wreck. Even worse, material privation is only part of the challenges the brothers face. The town is divided along class lines: on the East Side live working-class "Ponyboy," his family and friends, the so-called "Greasers"; to the West are the middle-class "Socs," the better-off but not necessarily "rich" kids. These two mega-gangs have their own different styles, which author Hinton limns out in great detail: social interaction (Soc understatement versus Greaser passion), transportation (newer Detroit cars versus walking, or beaters), clothes (wheat jeans and Madras plaid versus t-shirts and leather), and of course music (the Beatles versus Elvis -- after all, this was 1967). After a long-anticipated rumble pits Greasers against Socs, Ponyboy and friends decide it's best to go into hiding in another town. But what should have been prudent develops along unanticipated and tragic lines, which I can't go into here. I can say, though, that THE OUTSIDERS put S.E. Hinton at the top of her game, gave legs to a powerful new force in fiction, and even triggered a spate of highly successful movies, not least of them the eponymous feature film (1983) starring Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise. Even if "teen angst" is but a long-vanished memory for most of us, THE OUTSIDERS and its ilk are well worth discovering.

a must read

I had to read this to school, which seems to be somewhat of a universal experience. However, this is kinda a classic that was a great story. This is one of the few books I had to read for school and enjoyed and did not just spark noted.

Literally one of my top 3 favorite books

When people ask me what kind of books i recommend, i instantly say the Outsiders. I personally love the 60s and that vintage feel with drive in movies and old gas stations. You pity the characters and their horrible back stories, so FYI this book may destroy you. I was so surprised when the author was on only 15 years old when she started this book because it was so well made. You wont be sorry for reading this

Amazing book but they sent me the wrong one

I ordered a hardcover book specifically with the more modern cover art displayed on the page when I clicked for that option, and they sent me a completely different book cover. In fact, they sent me a library binding book when that is not what I ordered. The story itself is amazing and timeless but beware of ordering for specific covers, they're probably not going to send you the right one.

Emotional intelligence before it ever had that term... what a great read

A friend told me this was his favorite book growing up, and I can see why—easy to read, beautiful character development, so much vulnerability and raw emotion—this is a timeless story

Great book!

Great book!

Unreadable

My copy came covered in filth. The cover was sticky and had things falling off, while the inside had pages stock together. Not satisfied with my "Good"

Not "like new."

Just gonna start off by saying that I LOVE this book. By far my favorite. I ordered a copy to give to a friend. Online it said that it would be "like new." It wasn't. The cover was bent and there were notes all over the inside. Pen and marker making stupid no duh remarks about the plot and underlining things and doodling all over the margins. It's terrible. It would be fine if I had ordered a lesser copy, but I specifically ordered the one that said it was "like new." Not happy at all.

Amazing book, be sure to have a tissue!

I had to read this book for school and i wasnt even mad about it. If that doesnt tell you its a good book then i dont know what will

Great story for adults and young adults alike.

The story of the poor kids-the greasers- and the rich kids-the Socs- and their senseless battles. A great story line with some great characters and heart felt moments.

4Real!!!

Expectations scare me. I had heard so many wonderful things about this book. And it’s never a good idea to expect too much, because that’s such a big opportunity for disappointment. So I always prefer to know the least amount possible about any book I’m interested in. However, the insurmountable praise for The Outsiders has always been tough to evade. It’s everywhere. I found that the quality of this book was perfectly evidenced by the fact that the immense expectation and build-up accumulated throughout the years were so well met by the actual classic worthiness of the story and the way it was told. Loved the simple, original narrative. Great, real, well-developed, relatable characters. This book is heartwarming and heartbreaking... so prepare your heart for the exercise.

One Of My Favorite Books

I read this book in seventh grade, and have read it so many times since. I highly recommend it if you want a story that makes you think, and realize that people aren't always what they seem to be.

Never evah remembered any other co-authoring this Book (i.e, Jodi P)

Was my favorite book after reading Judy Bloom's Are you there God, it's me Margaret. Is this some kind of Mandella effect going on? Very weird. Other than the above, great writing by S.E. Hinton; loved all those books.

Excellent

My daughter had to read this for her summer reading list. She absolutely loved it and was trhough it in no time.

The Outsiders

Have you ever read The Outsiders before?I have and man was I vexed when the book came to halt.It just popped up with such bewildering events,describing details,and fantastic characters that I just couldn't put the book down. If you're up for something bewildering, you can always count on The Outsiders. When you start reading the first page, you can't help but to become interested.Then you start getting reluctant to put the book down, until you just read and understand everything.It just gets better and better, once you read chapter by chapter. When it comes to detail, you can always look up to The Outsiders for an example.Each word in every sentence has such describing details that you can see the moving images inside your head.Sometimes,each paragraph with another event and character, makes you feel as if you're a character yourself who watches everything happen,as you read the book.As when there was a rumble between the Socs and the Greasers or when Pony and Darrel got in a fight. You can just feel the tension! The greatest thing I love about the story of Pony,the Greasers and the Socs,were the characters!Each character was different in their own way, with their own attitude that helped the story move along.I rooted each character until the very end. Even though I have read every phenomenon event,every describing paragraph,and the chapter that told me what happened to the characters, I still feel as if I'm attached and being pulled to the exciting story of The Outsiders.

A book that can affect your life

The outsiders is a book about two gangs and their rivalry. It presents the friendship and love of the people in the gang. It's unique because it changed the teen books about crushes, prom queens, and cat fights into a truer, darker side of the world.

Greasers will still be greasers and socs will still be socs.

A book about life in a U.S. city told through the eyes of a teenager, Ponyboy, who lives with his two brothers in an environment where two classes - the rich Socs and the poor Greasers - fight, and die.