The Outsiders

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The Outsiders

• S.E. Hinton

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They grew up on the outside of society. They
weren't looking for a fight. They were looking to
belong.

• Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his
  friends. 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 Greasers like
  Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect-until
  the night someone takes things too far.

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First Novel

• Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was only 16
  years old after a friend was attacked by a rival
  gang. She felt young adult literature did not
  portray an accurate picture of teenage life and
  wanted to provide a dose of reality.

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The Reality

• The characters Hinton created were a mixture of
  Greasers and Socs she knew and herself. While she
  was not a member of either group, she was able to
  represent both sides realistically.

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The Response

• Teenagers responded immediately and
  enthusiastically to The Outsiders.
• Many adults said the book was too violent and
  that a teenager could not have written it.

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Why S.E. Hinton?

• Hinton did not think boys would want to read a
  book about gang life if they knew it was written
  by a girl, so she used her initials instead of
  her name.

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A Continuing Tradition

• The Outsiders has been a popular part of teenage
  literature for almost 50 years.
• Many of your parents may have read the novel when
  they were your age.