Emily Whalen

10/30/16
English period 4b
Review- The Outsiders

Book

For my book review I read The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton. A teen gang
in rural Oklahoma, the Greasers are perpetually at odds with the Socs. When
Greasers Ponyboy and Johnny get into a brawl that ends in the death of a
Social member, the boys are forced to go into hiding. Soon Ponyboy and
Johnny, along with Dallas and their other Greaser friends, must contend with
the consequences of their violent lives. While some Greasers try to achieve
redemption, others meet tragic ends. Ponyboy Curtis belongs to a lower-class
group of Oklahoma youths who call themselves greasers because of their
greasy long hair, which they take great pride in. Walking home from a movie,
Ponyboy is attacked by a group of Socs, the Greasers rivals, who are upperclass youths from the West Side of town. The Socs, short for Socials, gang up
on Ponyboy and threaten to slit his throat. A group of greasers comes and
chases the bullies away, saving Ponyboy. Ponyboys rescuers include his
brother Sodapop, a charming, handsome high-school dropout, and Darry,
Ponyboys oldest brother, who assumed responsibility for his brothers when
their parents were killed in a car crash. The rest of the greasers who come to
Ponyboys rescue are Johnny, a sensitive sixteen-year-old; Dally, a hardened
street hood with a long criminal record; Steve, Sodapops best friend; and
Two-Bit, the oldest and funniest group member. This book is about the
division of groups, and how it can affect peoples lives. It is about a group of
teen boys surviving in a harsh world that seems to be out to get them. Its
about a group of friends being more then friends, but family. Always looking
out for each other; helping each other; protecting each other. Even in the
hardest of times they were always there for each other. I really enjoyed
reading this book, and I learned a lot from it. This book teaches many
lessons, like how your friends can be stronger than your family sometimes,

more loving then family at times. They grew up on the outside of society.
They werent looking for a fight, they were looking to belong S.E. Hinton,
author of The Outsiders.