The Outsiders is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for “social”) has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he’s always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers–until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy’s skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.
THE OUTSIDERS
S.E Hinton
(1967)
Narrated by: Jim Fyfe
I have had this book on my imaginary TBR for a long time. For as long as I can remember.
THE OUTSIDERS was written in 1967 and is about a group of young boys called Greasers. Our main character Ponyboy Curtis is fourteen years old and a part of the Greasers. Greasers are a subset group of young adults, mostly men, who put grease in their hair, wear white t-shirts, and blue jeans, are a tough crowd, and cause a lot of trouble.
But just as everything in life is varied so is Ponyboy, He is not the usual Greaser. He loves to read novels and would rather go to the movies than cause trouble. He is very thoughtful, appreciates the replacement family the Greasers provide, and will do anything for his “brothers”.
I appreciated the story of THE OUTSIDERS and have not been spoiled by the movie. It was all new to me. It’s a story about family, birthed or found, learning your place in the world before you learn your value, what is right and what is wrong, and what side of the line you fall on.
The themes are simply put making it appropriate for a wide range of readers and the lesson carries through time making it still applicable to today’s youth.
I gave THE OUTSIDERS four stars and I’m glad I finally read it.
Have you read THE OUTSIDERS yet?
THE OUTSIDER…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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