Book Review: The Outsiders

The Outsiders is a classic novel, and with good reason! Set in the 1970s in a town with Greasers and Socials, differences between social classes are targeted.

The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

Ponyboy is a Greaser, the dredge of society, with grease-slicked hair, leather jackets, and a sour demeanor.  On the other side of town live the "Socs" (Socials), those people with money and potential to be great people in the community with that money.

Ponyboy used to be proud of being a greaser, and was always willing to participate in rumbles and the overall annoyance to the Socs.  But after a terrible night, when his friend Johnny kills a soc, the duo is on the run, leaving Ponyboy questioning who he wants to be in life.

Ponyboy is a lovable character--you WANT him to succeed, to pull out of the muck that is the Greasers and do better for himself.  His oldest brother already had to sacrifice college to take care of Pony and his other brother Soda, when their parents are killed in a car crash, but Pony wants to avoid that fate for himself.

The inner struggle for Ponyboy is real.  Who is he? Does being a Greaser mean he will always be a Greaser? Do Greasers automatically mean that these people are sub-par, inferior, unable to think intelligently and do the right thing?

While this story is set 50 years ago in a different time and culture, the coming of age struggle is still relevant today.  Who you are now is NOT who you have to be--it's up to you to figure out your own future.  Stay the gold in Frost's poem--don't let Frost be right when he says "Nothing Gold can last." It can.  You just have to make it last.

I encourage everyone to read this story about turf wars, society, prejudice, murder, and growing up.