Critical Review "The Outsiders" by S.

             Hinton wrote this novel while she was in high school, at the young age of sixteen. It was completed in 1967. She has written other novels such as That Was Then This is Now, Rumble Fish, and Taming the Star Runner. .

             The novel, The Outsiders, was written about living in the sixties amid gang rivalries. It is told through the personal thoughts of Ponyboy, a fourteen-year-old who belongs to a gang known as the Greasers, who despise the upper-class Socs (pronounced SO-ches), the West Side Rich Kids. Hinton does an excellent job of describing mild-mannered gang members, society war, and living with violence. Once I began to read this book, it became difficult to put it down.

             The Outsiders, basically, is about the tough, hard life of Pony Curtis, who lives only with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry. Their parents were killed in an auto wreck that left Pony in trust of his brothers and fellow gang members. When his best pal, Johnny, kills a member of the Socs, they must take refuge inside an abandoned church in another town to escape the police. After that, a long chain of violent and dramatic events ensues and puts the boys in the most dreadful situation of their lives.

             The characters in this book are fairly realistic and believable. They may seem a tad different to a kid nowadays, but keep in mind that this takes place in the 1960's.

             S.E. Hinton's plot is not very difficult to understand, since the story rarely gets complicated. It is suitable for readers of all ages, from adolescents to adults.

             The setting of this book is not only believable, but interesting as well. Upon reading it, you probably wouldn't know that it takes place specifically in Oklahoma since the description could relate to any American suburb: the characters go to drive-in movies, Dairy Queen restaurants, and grocery stores.

             As you may have guessed, The Outsiders is written entirely in the first person (Ponyboy).