Post review of The Outsiders as a comment. To do this, simply click on the word “comments” under the post and write yours there.
Be sure to write what you want to say in a Word doc first. Think this through carefully, as posting your words online offers them up for the world to see.
Please make your post before the first day of school!
Amelia Stern
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was very enjoyable to me. This book is about a boy named Ponyboy, who is from the wrong side of the tracks. He is part of a poor gang of teenagers called the Greasers. Ponyboy, his friends, (Johnny, Dally, Two-Bit and Steve) and his brothers (Darry and Soda) are always getting beaten up by the Socs. The Socs, on the other hand, are a gang of rich and privileged teenagers who the Greasers have a lot of fights and conflict with. One night, a Soc tries to drown Ponyboy and Johnny kills the Soc in order to save Ponyboy. As a result of Johnny killing the Soc, Ponyboy and Johnny both have to run away. This leads to many more conflicts and problems throughout the story. I liked this book because it was exciting and it taught me a very good life lesson.
One of the reasons I enjoyed this book was because it kept my attention throughout the story. There is a lot of conflict which makes the book exciting. Some conflicts occur among the Greasers. For example, one conflict is when Darry gets mad at Ponyboy and makes him feel as though he doesn’t care about him. Other conflicts are between the Socs and the Greasers. There are numerous fights and rumbles between these gangs throughout the book. These conflicts add tension and suspense to the story. This book was never boring and it was very hard to put down.
Another reason I liked this book was because it taught me a very important life lesson. That lesson is not to judge people by their appearances. It was like reading in the news about “bad” people smoking and being violent, but in this book, you really get to know the other side of those peoples’ lives. The Greasers had a terrible reputation and most characters in the book treated them badly without knowing why they did the things they did. Ponyboy and his brothers were all very nice boys who just had terrible things happen to them. For example, when Johnny killed the Soc, anyone who didn’t know the story would think that Johnny was a bad kid. Really he was just trying to save his friend’s life. It helps you understand what people in this situation are going through and feel like.
I also think that the Socs and Greasers would get along better if they understood each other more. Not only were the Greasers misunderstood but the Socs were too. Most Greasers thought that all Socs were just snotty, rich and privileged kids who wanted to jump and hurt them. But that wasn’t true. I think Ponyboy realizes this when he meets Cherry Valance. She helps him understand that not all Socs are bad. If only every Soc and Greaser could make an effort to get to know each other and not judge them by their group, there wouldn’t be nearly as many fights as there were in the book. This book was very helpful for me to understand that there is an inside to every story and not to judge a person on appearance or social status.
I would definitely recommend this book to other kids our age and up. I think it is an all around great book. There is something in this book for everyone. It has action, suspense, a little romance and a great message. There was nothing I didn’t like about it. I would not recommend this book for younger kids in elementary school, though, because some of the themes are hard to understand and it has mature material, such as poverty, smoking and gangs. I hope everyone who reads this book will enjoy it as much as I did.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLucas Loaiza
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review
The Outsiders is a book filled to overflowing with suspense, drama, comedy, and action. Ponyboy’s gang continues to amuse and amaze in epically told scenes like The Rumble, and Dally’s spectacular save at the church. I think that this book is amazing, though, sadly, some scenes might be too disturbing for younger kids. Vividly told settings stick to your memory, yet confusing things the characters say befuddle the mind. All in all, The Outsiders is a keeper that will make readers beg for more.
Sasha Cassidy
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders
The Outsiders was a thrilling book by S.E. Hinton. Every page described in detail the adventures and dangers of fourteen- year- old Ponyboy Curtis and the other members of his gang. Ponyboy’s gang, the Greasers, live their life by robbing stores and getting jumped and beaten up by members of a rich, haughty gang from the other side of town, the “Socs”. The Socs were always looking for trouble and were ready to fight. Clashes between the Socs and the Greasers were often occurrences. When Ponyboy and his friend Johnny (a Greaser a well) are out in the middle of the night, a couple of reckless Socs come. One tried to drown Ponyboy, and Johnny killed him to save Ponyboy. The two ran away and were incognito for days, just to keep Johnny away from the police. Poor Johnny died from an injury, and a strong Greaser, Dally, was shot.
One reason I really enjoyed this book was because helped me understand how people in gangs, or at least how the Greasers, lived in depth. I saw another side of the people who I thought just lived by beating up people, smoking, and doing drugs. For example, Johnny killed the Soc as an act of self defense, and although it was a bad habit, Ponyboy smoked to relax himself. Dally, one of the strongest and most violent Greaser, had been through an incredibly hard life and became very tough.
Learning about gangs and their lives showed me that you should never judge people on how they look, because there is a lot more to a person than just their looks. For instance, Johnny had killed a Soc and him and Ponyboy fled from the scene. They ended up saving children’s’ lives. This shows that someone who killed another could also be a hero to many.
This story, along with being exciting and suspenseful, taught me some very good lessons and I learned a lot about people that lived in a very different lifestyle than I do. I really enjoyed The Outsiders because it kept me interested throughout the whole book, and included some very significant messages.
The Outsiders
ReplyDeleteMonica Juan
In my opinion “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a quality book. It shows different people in many difficult situations. The story teaches many life lessons. This book talks about people that live in completely different worlds, one richer and one poorer. These separate groups discriminate against one another. The poor side never understands how hard it can be when you have everything you wanted and no one is there to say no and or to stop you from doing something that will hurt you. However, the richer side never understands how difficult life can be when you cannot have the basic necessities such as, school, food and shelter. At the end some people from each group start to understand one another and start to get along. Unfortunately, injuries and even death occurs prior to them making the attempt to understand one another. By getting along they were able to stop many other terrible things from happening. The Outsiders is a thrilling and touching book, a must read.
Wells Costello
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review
The book "The Outsiders" is a book packed with action, humor and tradgety. The main character, Ponyboy, and his his gang, the Greasers, are no-good kids roaming the streets just looking for trouble. Their rival gang, the Socs also known as the Socials, are bent on fighting, framing, and making the Greasers look like the worse gang, when in reality, the worse gang is the Socs. When Ponyboy's brother yells at him, Ponyboy runs down to the empty lot where he meets up with Jonny. Jonny is what you would call a gangs pet. He is the weakest of the group and kind of just tags along with the rest of the gang. Jonny and Ponyboy decide to run away so they catch a train and head out to the country where the live in an abandond church for a while until the church catches on fire. There where kids playing in the church when it caught on fire so Jonny and Ponyboy go in to save them. This part of the book was full of suspense that made you sit on the edge of your seat as you read. After Ponyboy gets out he hears a loud cry as a burning block of wood falls on Jonny's back, breaking his back and eventually killing him as he rests in the hospital. This was the most tradgic part of the story. It made me feel sorry for Ponyboy. He lost his best friend while he was being a hero. This made the Greasers angry and it pumped them up for the big Rumble that was soon to come. The Greasers eventually won the Rumble. The Rumble was an action packed fight between the Greasers and the Socs. Over all, I thought this was a terrific book and a must read for anyone that enjoys action, suspense, comedy, and tradgedy.
Matt Joss
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review
"The outsiders" by S.E. Hinton was a very intriguing story of a young boy growing up with his two older brothers in a very tough town. The east side of town was very poor and busy trying to find jobs and get more money. They were recognized by their long black hair filled with grease and commonly called greasers. They were very proud of their style and strength and believed that they should be treated equally. The west side of town, also known as the socials or the Socs, thought that they were better than the greasers and would occasionally beat one of them up when they had some free time. Ponyboy must live through these hard times with only his friends to help him. One night he gets so frustrated with his brothers that he runs away with his friend, Johnny. They were thinking about just going around the park and then back home, but right then a gang of Socs came roaring up to them in a mustang. They tried to drown Ponyboy in the fountain, but Johnny wouldn’t take it any more. He pulled out his switchblade and had no choice but to kill him. After every one runs away the boys know they can’t go back home now. So they grabbed some money and a gun and run off to the mountains. One thing that I liked about this book was all the changes in the story. S.E. Hinton ended most of the chapters with cliffhangers, so I always wanted to know how they ended. At some points the objectives of the main characters were unclear to me. Personally I didn’t enjoy the book so much because of how depressing it was. If I were to write a book, I would have it be funny, or at least have a happy ending. People who are okay with this much gore and violence would enjoy this book because it’s a great written story, and it’s got a great moral to it.
Jack Lambert
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders
The book, “The Outsiders” , by S. E. Hinton, is an inspiring and beautifully written story. It is about good kids in a bad part of town. The “greasers”, who are poor, are always having trouble with the “socs” which are the rich class on the other side of the town. Ponyboy Curtis, who is a greaser, never really wants to get involved with all the fights. He prefers reading and watching the sunset. Unfortunately, Ponyboy stumbles into fights often because he hangs out with the greasers. The book is very dark and depressing but is still a favorite because the story shows how different types of people deal with each other.
My favorite character in the book is Dally, a member of the greasers. Although he is often wild and has been in jail, I believe he redeems himself when he helps save the kids in the burning church. Dally is a likeable guy when he isn’t getting into trouble. I think he really goes crazy when Johnny died from his burns. He doesn’t think it is fair that Johnny loses his life saving others’.
My favorite part of the book is the rumble. The greasers deserve to win because the socs are acting like they are the better gang. The greasers show the socs that they can be just as strong – they fight back for every time the socs ganged up on a greaser. I think the fight ends most of the conflicts between the socs and greasers.
I recommend this to everyone who enjoys reading good books.
Grace Costello
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a captivating story containing intense drama, exciting twists, and inspiring moments. This thrilling story is about a young, lower-class teenager named Ponyboy Curtis who tragically lost his parents when he was younger. Now his only family is his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Sodapop, who is naturally kind to almost everyone, is constantly showing his love for Ponyboy, but Darry, the oldest sibling, keeps his love for Ponyboy hidden throughout the story. He expects so much of Ponyboy and is always yelling at him, and throughout the story Ponyboy questions if Darry actually loves him. Ponyboy and both his brothers are members of a gang of other lower-class teenagers called “Greasers”, who are also struggling to survive in life. They are like one big family, and care for each other as if they were brothers. Each of the Greasers (Ponyboy, Sodapop and Darry and their friends Johnny, Steve, Two-Bit and Dally) have different personalities making each of their characters unique and interesting. They are all mortal enemies with the Socials, or “Socs” for short. The Socs are a group of rich teenagers who believe they are better than the Greasers because of their wealth. This constant rivalry between Socs and Greasers causes many fights between the two groups and makes The Outsiders thrilling and suspenseful. One night, when a group of Socs try to drown Ponyboy, Johnny, a small and innocent Greaser considered as the gang’s “pet” steps up and kills Bob, who was among the Socs that were attempting drown Ponyboy. In attempt to avoid the police after committing murder, they run away with the help of Dally, who is a tough, cold-hearted Greaser. Throughout the rest of the story Johnny and Ponyboy encounter a number of conflicts and events that keeps your eyes glued to every page. In the end, after much experience, Ponyboy finds that the controversy between the Socs and the Greasers is pointless, since they are really the same, just in different worlds. They both have problems of their own; both of their lives are not perfect, and the constant feud between the two groups is unnecessary and just causes pain and trouble. I specifically enjoyed this book because the spirit and excitement of this story is always making you want more. Also, the details of each character give the story life and personality. The intense fights between Socs and Greasers create an action-packed story. The story also gave you a sense of the love that the Greasers have for each other, making The Outsiders not only a story with action, but a heartwarming story as well. Filled with action, adventure, love, drama, and inspiring moments, The Outsiders is a must read, and an overall amazing story.
The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton is an amazing story about one boy named Ponyboy who lives in a city that is segregated into two groups, the “Socs” and the “Greasers.” Both groups avoid each other to some extent, but when they come together a fight always occurs. Ponyboy live with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry and is a member of a little Greaser gang.
ReplyDeleteThe hardships in Pony’s life are unbelievable! Ponyboy never wants to get into the fights, but somehow when the gang is involved they all feel like it’s their responsibility to look out for each other. Him and his friends get into terrible crimes without meaning to and they always need to find a way to stay away from The Fuzz (aka the policemen). I think that even though both groups pretend to despise each other they secretly want a truce so that the violence will stop.
The story made me very sad and scared for the future of the boys, but that was what made it a thrilling page-turner. The fear pulled me into the story and kept me wanting to read chapter after chapter and never stop. It defiantly opened my eyes to a new world and I would highly recommend it as a must read book.
By: Lane L.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders Comments
I thought that The Outsiders was an inspiring tale of rivals understanding each other’s similarities rather than just thinking of their few differences and pride. The two sides of the rivalry are the Greasers (kids that live on the poor side of town) and the Socs (rich kids from the Westside).The two sides are always fighting and false reputations formed causing Greasers to think certain things were true about all Socs and vice-versa.
Many of these accusations and mislead thoughts were reversed when two Greasers named Ponyboy and Johnny went on an adventure that helped them uncover the other part of the Soc’s lives. It all started when they met two girls at a movie theater that told them how not all Socs were at all like they were thought to be. They explained how many of Socs lives were similar to the Greasers and many of the things they did and felt were the same. Later that night, Ponyboy and Johnny were jumped by a car full of Socs and Johnny in self defense had used his switch blade on one of them and killed him. Both of them fled to an old barn where they stayed hidden for days. When a friend of theirs, Dallas, showed up and they went to a restaurant the barn had gone up in flames with a bunch of children inside. On their way back both of them went in to save the kids. Ponyboy made it out ok but Johnny on the other hand was barely rescued by had Dallas and had extremely severe burns and injuries. When Ponyboy got home from the hospital he met Randy, one of the Socs who had jumped him and whom was a good friend of Bob (the murdered Soc). Randy told Ponyboy all about the great times Bob and he had enjoyed together and how even though it seemed Socs had everything it didn’t mean they did. There was a terrible sadness in Randy’s voice at the loss of his friend and more feeling in it than Ponyboy thought a Soc had. A few days later Johnny past away and Ponyboy realized just how similar he and Randy felt about the same thing. Ponyboy could also connect that to everything else Greasers had in common with Socs and their lives. If there had been more to the story I bet the rivalry could have worked its way to a truce.
Overall this was an incredible story that was definitely lots of fun to read and I would recommend for someone who wants a heroic and exciting read.
Shayanna Ahuja
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review
The Outsiders was an inspiring, yet devastating story of Ponyboy Curtis's life as a greaser. This book shows us the dark side to life, and how sometimes happily-ever-afters don't exist. In Oklahoma there were 2 separations of society. There were The West Side Socs, who were know to be wealthier and worthier, and more powerful than the others. There were also The East Side Greasers, who were known for their long greasy hair, and lack of "sanity". They were very poor compared to the Socs. Greaser was just a name to describe how these people lived, where they lived, and what they looked like, not who they were inside.
This book is about children just like us, having to work incredibly hard to be where they are, and and sometimes even being too scared to walk across the street on their own, afraid that someone would jump them. In this book Johnny and Ponyboy kill a Soc (for self-defense), and end up having to run away, afraid that someone might catch them, and they would end up getting in a lot of trouble. A lesson this book taught is that you should truly be proud of what you have and who you are , and honor it instead of complaining, because there will always be someone in a worse situation.
People always say to never judge a book by its cover, but sometimes, I still do. People also say to never judge a person by their appearance, and now I know not to. Ponyboy and Sodapop may not have that much money and no parents, but they still have a good heart and wouldn't intentionally try to hurt anybody.
I think S.E. Hinton wanted to show how children just like us were treated, and show it from her point of view, when she was growing up. I would definitely recommend this book. Its filled with suspense, sorrow, and contrast and variation of lifestyle.
Justin Cardozo
ReplyDeleteS.E. Hinton’s “The Outsiders” is a thrilling tale of a 14 year old boy named Ponyboy Curtis. The story takes place in a small town divided into two sides due to rivalry between the “Greasers” and the “Socs.” After the death of his parents in a car crash, Ponyboy lives with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry. After a dispute with Darry, Ponyboy runs away with his friend and fellow gang member Jonny Cade. The two boys find themselves in a lot of trouble when a few Socs jump both Jonny and Ponyboy and Jonny accidently kills one of them. The two boys find themselves on the run and the plot takes an exciting turn.
S.E. Hilton does a great job in this must read tale of heroics and friendship. He really gives you a feel for the characters and leaves you feeling like you have known them all your life. S.E. Hinton really brings you to the small town and makes you feel for Ponyboy and the harsh life that has been thrust upon him. You can practically see Soda’s reckless grin, and feel Jonny’s shock in killing Bob. Each chapter leaves you wanting more. I would highly recommend this book.
Outsiders Review
ReplyDeleteFrances Ho
The Outsiders By S.E. Hinton was a moving and suspenseful book. Every page was filled with adventures and many tragedies about Ponyboy and his gang The Greasers. The Greasers were poor and not very well educated. The Greasers spent their life robbing stores, smoking, and getting into violent fights against The Socs. The Socs, on the other hand, were wealthy and powerful. The Socs idea of a good time would be beating up a Greaser. The Socs and The Greasers never got a long. One night someone took it too far. When Ponyboy and Johnny were out in the middle of the night, a couple of Socs came. One of them attempted to drown Ponyboy, Johnny took his switchblade and killed the Soc to save Ponyboy’s life. After that event, Johnny and Ponyboy were forced to run away to hide from the police. The two became closer friends. A few days later, there was a fire and Johnny and Ponyboy risked their lives to save some kids who were stuck in the building. Unfortunately, Johnny died from an injury from the fire. All the Greasers were stunned. Even Dally who was the strongest of all the greasers was emotionally upset when Johnny died. Soon after Dally was shot. Throughout the whole book Ponyboy had great adventures, conflicts, and memorable events with his friends and family.
I enjoyed this book because it made me realize something important. You should never judge someone by their appearance. “Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then and won’t judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore. It was important to me.”(Pg. 179) This means that people should not judge the Greasers based on what they hear or see. Most people have heard the saying “You should never judge a book by its cover”. The two quotes mean the same thing. This means that you shouldn’t judge someone or something by how it looks. You should judge someone or something by its personality and what’s inside. I think this book is for people who like adventures and surprises. I recommend this book for people our age and older. This book is not for kids younger than me because some topics would be hard to understand, such as drugs, smoking and gangs. Overall, The Outsiders was an exciting, suspenseful, and gave a significant message.
Marco Papadoyannis
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E. Hilton was a fantastic book! The action and drama made me feel excited and constantly wondering what’s going to happen next. Greasers are known for their bad reputation of destruction and causing trouble on the streets. When one Greaser does something wrong, the bad reputation builds and builds. Ponyboy who lives with his two brothers, Soda and Darry, are Greasers, except Ponyboy does not act like one. He is gentle, calm and very much the pacifist. When Ponyboy comes home every night, it’s always the same thing. He gets yelled at by Darry and then comforted by Soda. One night when Ponyboy and his friend Johnny go on a walk, Pony gets jumped by a couple of Socs. The Socs almost drown Ponyboy in an ice-cold fountain, but Johnny comes to his rescue and ends up killing Bob, the misguided Soc. I know it was wrong for Johnny to kill Bob, but I felt he was just trying to defend himself and his friend.
My favorite character was Johnny. He is the gang’s pet and nobody in the gang would ever hurt him. So when Johnny, the quite, shy guy kills someone, it’s really surprising. I was shocked when he did it. I’m sure when Ponyboy and Johnny were running from the police, they were terrified what would happen to them. I wished that they had turned themselves into the police rather than live on the run. If they had done the right thing, Johnny would still be alive.
I also like the rumble near the end of the book. The Greasers finally got revenge for all the mean things that the Socs did to them. In my opinion, the rumble was a turning point in power and showed that it’s not always the rich kids who win, and the underdogs can prevail. I highly recommend this action-packed classic.
Kevin
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a great book packed with action and adventure. The Outsiders is about a 14 year old boy who lives with his two brothers , Soda and Darry, after both of his parents died. This story takes place in a small town that is divided into two different sections one belonging to the “Socs” and the other belonging to the “Greasers”. Ponyboy and his two brothers live in the poor side of town with the Greasers. After plenty of hardships with the Socs, someone finally takes it too far. After getting into a fight with his older brother, Ponyboy runs away to find Johnny, his friend and fellow gang member in the park. After a while in the park, a car filled with Socs shows up and the Socs pile out. The Socs advance on Johnny and Ponyboy and with nowhere to run, the Socs grab Ponyboy and start drowning him in the fountain. With nothing left to do, Johnny takes out his switchblade and stabs the Soc killing him. Johnny and Ponyboy are now two wanted criminals. I would recommend this book to people who like adventures. All in all, I think this book was a page turner leaving the reader wanting to know what happens next.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOutsiders review
ReplyDeleteMichelle
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a book that you can experience the adventure, suspense and tragedy of a fourteen year old boy’s life. This boy’s name is Ponyboy. He is a “Greaser”, which is what their town calls all the teenagers who are poor. They smoke, steal, some dropped out of school. All the greasers are really close and they help each other out. Also in this town are the Socs. They are like the opposites of greasers. They have fancy cars, nice clothes, and live on the nicer side of town. They are rich; they think they are above the greasers. That’s why the beat up greasers.
One time when Ponyboy and one other greaser named Johnny were running away, they got jumped by Socs. One Soc tried to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. Johnny got nervous and scared, and killed one of the Socs. They then had even more reason to run away from home. They ran all the way to another town, where there were no such names as greasers or socs. Ponyboy and Johnny found shelter in a church, and while smoking in there, it catches fire. Ponyboy and Johnny go back in there because kids are inside. They save the kids but get hurt while they are in the burning building. The newspaper writes an article about them titled “Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heroes”. I think that they didn’t just turn heroes; they had that in them all along. Just because greasers are born into families that don’t have much money, they are judged and everyone thinks they are bad people. If some greasers were born into a rich family, they could be just as good as socs, or nicer. The socs were also misjudged. The soc that Johnny killed was drunk that night, but he was usually a very kind and special person. The greasers only saw the side of him that hurt people, but the people who knew him well knew that inside he was a sweet and loving guy. This shows that many people are judged just on simple things, but people don’t actually know them well. They could be a great person.
S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when he was 16. S.E. Hinton didn’t just write this story. He lived it. That made it much more relatable. There might not be the same people in our lives, and maybe not even similar events, but we can all relate to the message of this book; people may be judged by appearances, ethnicities or wealth, but that will never be all of who they are on the inside.
Nika Kunwar
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a captivating book with drama and tragedy. The main character is Ponyboy and he lives with his brothers Soda and Darry. Ponyboy’s parents died so his brothers take good care of him. Soda is always makes people laugh and in very kind. Darry the oldest of the family, has to work and give up college to take care of his family. This makes him upset and he doesn’t always show his love for Ponyboy, this causes fights in the family. Ponyboy, his brothers and his friends Two-Bit, Johnny, Steve and Dally are all “greasers.” The Socs are the rivaling gang and they are rich and snobby. Greasers think the Socs always have it better, but after Ponyboy meets Cherry, he understands both sides. Johnny’s parents don’t care for him, so the gang is like his family. They would never hit him and because Johnny’s life has so much drama, no one ever hurts him. One day after Darry unexpectedly hits Ponyboy, Ponyboy and Johnny take a walk. They both get jumped by the Socs and they are about to kill Ponyboy. Suddenly, Johnny kills one of the Socs and they have to run away. The drama really starts when they change their identity and hide in a church. My favorite part was when Johnny and Ponyboy save some kids in a fire at the church. I thought it really showed their selfless characters. Ponyboy, Johnny and Darry end up in the hospital where Johnny dies. Darry commits suicide because he is unhappy. Ponyboy ends up trying harder to make something of himself and takes his schoolwork more seriously. I would really recommend this book to kids our age or a little bit older because of the themes of drugs and fighting. This book was amazing and I hope that everyone who read this book would like it as much as I did!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePayton Mack
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. White was an interesting book clearly portraying segregation between social groups. The Socs were a higher class and treated in this case The Greasers meanly and unfairly. These two gangs got in a lot of physical and violent conflicts. These usually resulted in injury, the growth of hate, and sometimes even death. It was occasions like Johnny being beaten almost to death to Johnny stabbing a Soc that made them rivals.
Despite all that goes on between the Socs and Greasers they were not the only gangs in the town there were the Timber Street Tigers and the River Kings. All four of these gangs met in one spot to have “rumbles” which were basically just fists fights but were considered a big deal and did not happen very often. The different gangs would just fight until there was only one gang standing.
“The Outsiders” was a great book that portrayed sadness, action, and adventure. I not recommend this for younger readers, but definitely a book I enjoyed.
Alyssa Chao
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders Review
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a surprisingly breathtaking novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis growing up in the West Side of town in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1965. He is labeled as a ‘greaser’ with his buddies and brothers, Darry and Soda. One day Pony and his friend, Johnny, get beat up by some Socs as punishment for talking to one of the Soc’s girlfriends, Cherry Valence. As self-defense, Johnny stabs and murders the boyfriend, Bob, causing the pair to run away to the country.
What I admire about Ponyboy is that he doesn’t just judge people on what they are labeled as or how wealthy they are, but he views them upon their actual personality and their actions. It is easy to tell that Pony is obviously not the regular Greaser that strangers mark him as. He also knows that he is not going to grow up to be some old hood like Tim Shepard and his band, but he’s going to get somewhere other than the awful neighborhood he was raised in and do something with his life. Ponyboy did not believe in enjoying fighting like his fellow gang members, only to fight for self-defense. He also thinks that neither Socs nor greasers are better than another, that’s just the status-quo.
Hinton not only created the atmosphere of her life at fourteen beautifully, she portrayed a greater message of misjudgment, labels, and love for the true meaning of family. I can tell Hinton’s perspective and feelings of the fates of characters in her book by the drive and passion of her words in certain scenes.
When Johnny died as a result of saving some kids in the church fire, he whispered his last words to Ponyboy, “Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…” His remark was accompanied by his letter in the copy of Gone with the Wind. It was that mix of sadness, deepness, and sincerity that just wrenched my heart out.
Now that I have finished this book from cover-to-cover, I am slightly astonished to say that I would recommend it to any mature reader who enjoys adventure, loyalty, tension, and excitement. This is a truly touching book that I would support any day.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteS.E. Hinton’s book is filled with taut tension, incredible suspense, and uncontrollable humor. The story revolves around two malicious, blood thirsty gangs, both notable for being juvenile delinquents, and for being a general disgrace to society. One of the gangs is known as greasers; non accountable hoodlums who drive run down cars, hold up gas stations, and occasionally look for a street fights. The checkered – shirt, wild, jet set, West side kids is known as the Socials or Socs. For kicks the Socs have sky-high beer blasts, jump greasers, and damage property. Fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis is a greaser along with his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Despite being a gangster, Ponyboy is a quiet, soft, and sensitive boy who loves football and watching the sunset. He also loves a good gang rumble. As the youngest member of the gang, he can always count on his brothers, and friends for amusement and protection. He seems so sure of everything until the night his brother slaps him across the face. Filled with lava like hatred Pony sprints like mad out the front door. He wakes his friend, Jonny Cade, and together they disappear into the night. On the way, Jonny and Pony are engaged by the drunk gang members of the rival Socs. A couple of minutes later a Soc gang member ends up murdered. From this point onward, Pony doesn’t know what to expect and the story embarks on a depressing, but heroic adventure.
ReplyDeleteS.E. Hinton did a terrific job in writing this book. Each page is filled with suspense. Many hearts are broken over love and companionship; people die giving authentic hope for those who were with the dead almost every moment of their lives, knives and fists were displayed several times to create intense action; and each character gains a moral understanding of what it’s like living in the streets. All of these factors made the story so real; you could visually see what was happening in the book.
The little criticism I have of this book is that it does not authentically represent social class and crime. In reality, there are few rich kids who end up as gangsters along the lines of the Socs. Despite the critique, the book also did an excellent job of telling many crucial life lessons yet, in an amusing way. From the beginning to the end my eyes were glued directly to the words that were being spoken. For those who love a good thriller to brighten their day I would highly recommend this book.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe book “The Outsiders” is filled with lots of drama, action, suspense, and even some humor. In Oklahoma, there were two gangs that each controlled either the west or east side. On the east side, there were the “Greasers,” and on the west side, there were the “Socs.” The “Greasers” were recognized by their long greasy hair, and by how poor they were. They liked to steal things and jump people. They would always get into fights with the “Socs,” which controlled the west side and were pretty much the exact opposite of the “Greasers.” The “Socs” had nice clothes, nice cars, and were a lot richer than the “Greasers,” but in my opinion, they were a lot ruder and reckless. For fun, they beat up the “Greasers” all the time. This is a story about the hardships that the “Greasers” have to face at home and outside, but especially about two boys named Johnny, and Ponyboy Curtis. One night, after getting slapped by Darry, his older brother, Ponyboy decides to run away from home, and brings Johnny along. After running for a while they ran into some “Socs.” The biggest soc started to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. Johnny panicked and took out his switchblade and killed one of the “Socs.” I was surprised that Johnny would even go that far, since he was always so gentle and scared to fight. From that moment on, the two of them knew that they had to run away, or Johnny would be executed. I wished they just turned themselves in, because maybe the punishment wouldn’t have been so bad. But instead, they ran far away, and even changed their looks to try to escape the police. They faced many hardships along the way, but overcame them by teamwork, friendship, and hope. I also enjoyed reading about the big rumble at the end of the book. A rumble is a big fight between two or more gangs and ends when one side runs away. It was the east side vs. the west. For once, the “Greasers” had a chance to get their revenge and prove that the “Socs” were no better than they were. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who is looking for a good action-filled story.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders was a book that made your heart beat fast and your mind fill up with questions and guesses as to what would happen next. At the beginning of the book, you are introduced to the main character, Ponyboy, and his family and friends including, Darry, Sodapop, Johnny, Dally, Two-Bit and a few more. For a longtime, Ponyboy’s friends and him are referred to as the Greasers-the folks who live on poorer side of town. The Socs’ are the rich kids who are constantly terrorizing the Greasers and the town whose reputation is always changing from the worst kids on earth to the town’s pride. Life goes on just fine as he continues to avoid the Soc’s, not get into legal trouble, do well in school (for himself and to please his oldest and very strict brother, Darry), and go to movies with friends. One night, when Ponyboy and his friends are at the movies, they run into two Soc girls who find the gang’s company delightful and start to talk to them. Sooner than they realize, the movie is over. When they realize that the girls need a ride home, Two-Bit offers them a ride home in his car. When they are all in the car, the Socs’ famous blue Mustang comes to a halt beside them. Preparing for a fight, Two-Bit steps out of the car but Cherry quickly interrupts and she and Marcia leave with the Mustang. The gang didn’t realize that the Socs’ were going to strike back- a lot harder. One late night, Darry loses it at Ponyboy and smacks him hard so in reaction Ponyboy runs away with his best friend Johnny to the park. Later on that night, the Socs’ blue Mustang starts to circle the park. The Socs’ were furious that the greasers took their girls home from the movies. One of them, Bob, instructs David, another one, to “give the kid a bath” which in reality meant that he twisted Ponyboy’s arm and tried to drown him. Seconds later, Ponyboy is on the ground, gasping for air and looks up at Johnny, who looks unusually disturbed. Then Ponyboy looks towards one of the Soc’s to see that Bob is laying there unconscious with a crimson pool of blood dripping all over the park’s cement. Johnny is holding his switchblade, soaked with a dark liquid. They both realize that the police will be there soon, so they go find Dally for money, a gun, and directions on how to escape. After an epic train hop, they get off and find directions to old church at the top of a hill. Ponyboy and Johnny stay there for a week, living on the bare essentials. Then one day, they decide to leave with Dally and turn them selves in when the abandoned church catches on fire with small children trapped inside. Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally all quickly ditch the car to go save the children inside. When they all regain consciousness, they are in the hospital, and just days later Ponyboy and Dally are let out but little Johnny is in intensive care because of all the bad burns from the fire. Many reporters showed up to interview Dally, Ponyboy, and Johnny and the “crook gone well” was an article in a majority of newspapers. After lots of fighting to live, Johnny can’t fight anymore and dies. Dally, who wants to die satisfied with life, then commits suicide. I recommend this book to anyone who is thirsty for adventure or interested in the them “rich vs. poor”. The Outsiders was an incredible book with lessons on life, love, and just plain courage.
ReplyDeleteTench Coxe
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, is a thrilling and poignant story about one boy, Ponyboy Curtis, told against the background of two rival high school gangs. The two rival gangs in this story are the “Greasers” and the Socials or “Socs”. The Greasers live on the poor, dirty east side of town, while the Socs live on the wealthy west side of town.
PonyBoy Curtis lives with his two brothers and no adult supervision, because his parents have died. He is a good student, and he belongs to the Greasers.
The heart of the story starts when Ponyboy, his best friend Johnny, and one other of their gang members go to the movies and meet two girl Socs, who tell Ponyboy and Johnny that all of the Socs do not have life as easy as the Greasers thought. That they had problems to, and that many things that they did were similar to the Greasers. After the movies that night, Ponyboy has a fight with his older brother Darry. PonyBoy decides to run away and convinces Johnny to come with him. Later that night, they get jumped by 5 Socs. One of them, Bobby, tries to drown Ponyboy- but Johnny pulls out his switchblade and kills him. After that PonyBoy and Johnny asked for help and advice from a fellow gang member named Dallas, who tells them to go and hide out in an old abandoned barn in the hill. And that later he would come to help them.
When Dallas arrived 5 days later, the boys had decided they would turn themselves in. First, they go out to a restaurant with Dallas. They head back to the barn to get their stuff, and see that the barn is on fire. The old barn had gone up in flames while a bunch of children were exploring in it. Ponyboy and Johnny sprint up to the barn to rescue the children. Ponyboy comes out of the barn with only a few minor burns, but Johnny is not as lucky. While rescuing the children one of the beams in the barn fell and broke his back, and he was also badly burned. They were both taken to the hospital for treatment. When Ponyboy got out of the hospital, he met some of his gang members who told him that since the death of Bob (the murdered Soc) things had been heating up between the Greasers and the Socs, and that there was going to be a big fight in a few days.
Between that day and the day of the fight, Ponyboy met up with the girl Soc from the movies who was also Bob’s girlfriend. She talked about how he had only seen the mean and drunk Bob but he could be really nice and sweet when he wanted to, and so could all of the other Socs. Later that day, Ponyboy’s friend Johnny died in the hospital, and he knew how it must have felt for the girl Soc to have lost Bobby, someone she loved
I thought this book to be sad and hopeful. It was sad because it showed how rough life can be for some people in the world. It was hopeful because it also showed that people can learn and change.
Lila Gornick
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders Review
S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders is one of a kind, action packed, and drama filled. The tale is about a fourteen-year-old boy, living on the Eastside. Ponyboy is called a “Greaser,” as all of the kids that live on the Eastside are. The rich kids live on the Westside and are called the “Socs”. In this novel, Ponyboy gets caught up in a murder of a Soc, and ends up having to flee to the country with one of his buddies, Johnny. Ponyboy grows immensely as a person and realizes things about himself, and important things about others that he never understood before. When Ponyboy suffers a grave loss he understands just how important his buddies are too him. He also grasps the fact that he can do something good and worthwhile with his life and that being a greaser doesn’t mean that he can’t be something.
I would recommend this book, and I think it is perfect for seventh grade readers. I believe this to be so because some of the writing may be a little heavy for younger kids, but I think that it shows what really goes on in places we have only seen from the outside. I also think this because I know that seventh graders can really appreciate the depth of the story and comprehend it well. The book would be manageable for younger children to read, but I do not think that someone younger would really appreciate the book as much.
My favorite character is Soda. I like him a lot because of how lively and reckless he is. He is carefree and fun, but sensitive and kind. I really like spending time with people that are nice and also love to have fun! Soda is also a good listener and that seems like a perfect friend for me.
I really liked The Outsiders. The author describes the characters with much embellishment so you can really understand them. In the book you can comprehend very well what Ponyboy thinks of all the other characters, their actions, and how much he learns about them, and himself. I also thought it was really interesting how Ponyboy, who is only two years older than me, is on his own a lot, in such a violent neighborhood with only his friends. For example, in the very beginning of the book Ponyboy is walking home from the movies alone and he gets jumped by a bunch of Socs. Also, a little later in the story, Ponyboy is walking with Johnny in the park, and a big group of Socs pull up and jump the boys. Ponyboy is almost drowned to death, and Johnny is forced to take drastic measures and kill a member of the group. I liked The Outsiders very much and I think anyone that reads this will enjoy it.
The outsider by S.E Hinton was an amazing book. This book is about a kid named Ponyboy. Ponyboy is a greaser who lives on the wrong side of New York. Ponyboy is in a gang of greasers with his two brothers Darry and Soda, and his friends Johnny, two-bit, Steve, and Dally. The Socs are the rich kids on the other side of the town. The Socs have fun by beating up all the greasers.
ReplyDeleteOne night, five Socs jump Johnny and Ponyboy. One soc drowns Ponyboy in a fountain and Johnny, remembered all the times he has been jumped and decides to murder the Soc. Johnny and ponyboy leave the town and stay in an abandoned church. The church somehow was set on fire and Johnny and Ponyboy save some children trapped inside. When they get back to the town the greasers and the socs have a rumble because of the murder. Later Johnny dies from the fire and Dally gets himself killed because Johnny was all that he had left and Johnny died.
Overall the book was very interesting. I never wanted to put the book down, except the part where Johnny and Ponyboy were staying in the church. That was a slow part and was kind of boring. My favorite part was the night where Johnny kills the soc. That part of the book was exciting and scary and that’s what makes the book fun to read.
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is an extremely compelling and suspenseful novel. The main character, Ponyboy, lives with his two brothers Darry and Sodapop. Ponyboy, and his friend Johnny are good kids in a bad environment because they are part of the Greaser gang who are poor and don’t get a fair chance. On the other side of things there are the Socs who are the rich gang and who benefit from society’s assumptions. These two gangs have a rivalry that, one night, goes too far and the result is the death of one of the Socs. On that night Johnny who has had some bad experiences with the Socs stabs one of the Socs because he is about to drown Ponyboy. The two of them were so apprehensive that they ran away to an abandoned church where eventually Johnny suffered an injury trying to save some kids in a fire. But, that makes the public realize that they are heroes for saving these kids. There were many reasons why I enjoyed this book. A main reason was because it helped me to look at different social classes and privileges from different perspectives. The Outsiders make me think about these issues from new angles, and it did this in a captivating way. I would highly recommend this book to any middle schooler.
ReplyDeleteClaire Phibbs
ReplyDeleteBook Review of the Outsiders
I thought that the Outsiders written by S.E. Hinton was a very well written book and very enjoyable to read. The Outsiders is about a boy named Ponyboy that has no parents but two loving brothers named Soda Pop and Darry and a best friend named Jonny. Jonny, Soda and some of Ponyboy’s other friends like Dally, Two-Bit and Steve are all part of a gang called the Greasers and they are a poorer gang. On the other hand there is a gang called the Socs and they are a richer gang in the town. The Socs think that they are so much better then the Greasers just because there family is richer. There are many conflicts some more attention grabbing then others but all of the conflicts in the book make it very interesting. One day some of the Greasers are hanging out and Cherry Valance comes along with some of her Girl Soc friends. This is when Ponyboy is thinking he has met his match. When Cherry comes along I think that Ponyboy also realizes that some Socs are nice even if they are a girl and not a guy it still counts. After Ponyboy and Cherry meet the become friends and start spending more and more time together.
One of the really large conflicts in the book that won’t let you put down your book when you get to it is when Ponyboy and Jonny get attacked. Before they get attacked Jonny had already gotten attacked so he had been carrying a pocket knife ever since just to be safe and to have protection for whatever he had coming so he had a knife but Ponyboy had nothing. The night that Ponyboy and Jonny get attacked they an both see the blue mustang which is the same car that the Socs used when they attacked Jonny coming up the street and then it stopped right in front of where they were. The Socs got out and started talking and one of them started to drown Ponyboy in the fountain near by and the other Soc was attacking Jonny but Ponyboy could not see them because he was being drown in the water. When the other Soc that was drowning Ponyboy saw what Jonny did he ran and drove away in his blue mustang. When Pongboy finally got out of the water he saw the Soc that was attacking Jonny lying on the floor stabbed, he was dead. That night Jonny and Ponyboy decided to run away because they didn’t want to go to jail for murder. That is one of the reasons that I liked the book because of some of the very detailed and well-described attention grabbing conflicts.
Another reason why I like this book is because of how well she had described all of the big and very small situations. When Jonny gets beat up the whole time even how the friends care for him after Hinton described everything in such detail and descriptive words.
The last reason why I liked this book was because of the lesion of how not to judge a book by its cover. You can’t just assume someone is bad or weird because of how he looks. Also, Cherry knew to give the Greasers a chance, which is why, and how he met Ponyboy.
Overall I thought that this book was great. I would recommend this book for ages 10 and up just because of some of the violence and some things that not everyone could understand.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hilton is a good story about a kid named Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy’s parents are six feet under due to a tragic event so he lives with his two brothers named Sodapop and Darry. They and their gang (the greasers), Steve, Two-Bit, Dally and Johnny live in a dangerous, poor suburb and are constantly getting jumped by rich kids known as the soc’s.
ReplyDeleteOne night Pony and Johnny are out late at night walking home when a car pulls up, soc’s get out and start to drown Pony. Johnny seeing this pulls out a switchblade (he keeps in his back pocket for times like these) and knifes the one restraining Pony. After that they end up fugitives, running from the law in fear of getting charged with a homicide. That night they hitch a ride on a train and find an abandoned church where they camp out for the next week. Dally comes up to get them figuring the fuzz have stopped searching for them. In the car they look at the church and see that it’s on fire (started by one of their smokes) so they head back up. They learn that there are kids in the church so they risk their lives to save them. Johnny gets crushed by a burning log and later dies in the hospital. Dally unable to live without Johnny goes off and gets himself gunned down by the cops. Later Pony gets called to court for a trial but never gets convicted and goes back to living the way he did before.
Overall, I liked this book because I liked the book because the characters were lifelike and their actions could easily be represented by real people. Through all the fights and burning buildings they stood up for each other and stuck together no matter what. I thought the author did a great job creating unique settings and characters. That is why I would recommend this book to all people looking for an exciting book.
The Outsiders was a very powerful story written by S.E. Hinton that I think contained strong bonds between the characters that helped shape the story. Ponyboy has long greasy hair, wears jeans and leather jackets, and lives in a poorer neighborhood. Ponyboy is a greaser. Greasers spend their time robbing stores, smoking cigarettes, and fighting with the Socs. The Socs were the snotty rich gang who always jumped the Greasers. One night a fight goes to far making Johnny and Ponyboy run away and hide so the cops don’t catch Johnny. The go missing for days until they our discovered after saving kids from a fire. Johnny sadly dies from the fire. There is a big rumble when they go back home and The Greasers win but Dally gets shot by the police afterwords.
ReplyDeleteI like the book cause the whole book was shaped around the relationships. For example Dally dies cause all he ever cared about and lived for was Johnny and when Johnny dies from the fire he doesn’t know a reason to live. Also Ponyboy always thought his oldest brother hated him because he never said anything nice to him and just yelled at him how he could to better. But when Ponyboy goes runs away with Johnny, Sodapop sends a letter about how much Darry was worrying about him.
I also like the book because it showed me how people in gangs don’t only care about hurting people, robbing stores, and smoking. They also have feeling and care about others. The reason Johnny stabbed the Soc was not cause he just wanted to kill someone it was because he cared about Ponyboy and was trying to protect him and save him from dying. And when you read about Dally at first you never would think he would care about someone enough to not want to live if they died. All you would think is that he is a big strong Greaser who like hurting Socs.
One thing I learned from this book is just because one person does one thing you shouldn’t judge them from that one thing. I learned this from how Johnny kills that Soc but than goes and risks his own life to save the children’s lives. If you judged him from that one act you might think he is the worst person in the world with no heart. But really he has a huge heart and cares about everyone else more than he cares about himself.
I think people would like to read this book because it pulls you into the excitement, the friendships, and also the love that the characters share.
By: :Lucy Heneghan
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E Hilton was an exciting, action packed book. The narrator of this book, Ponyboy Curtis, is part of an unfortunate gang group called the greasers. This gang continually has fights and starts trouble with the richer gang on the other side of town, the Socs, short for the Socials. One of the earlier occurrences between the Socs and the Greasers in this book is when Ponyboy and his Greaser friend Jonny are out one night, and they run into a couple of Socs. Before you know it, Ponyboy’s head is being held underwater and he falls unconscious. Although Ponyboy is unconscious, action is still going on in the scene. Then once he finally regains consciousness, he wakes up to find Jonny, but he also sees Bob’s dead body. Jonny explains to Ponyboy that Bob was going to kill Ponyboy, so he beat him up in order to spare Ponyboy’s life. Although Ponyboy is happy about his life being saved, both of the boys are terrified because murder has been committed. They then run to Dally, who tells them to go hide in an abandoned church. A couple days later, Dally checks on Ponyboy and Jonny and informs them about the rumble to settle things between the greasers and the Socs. Sadly, soon after Dally comes, Jonny is hurt from the roof falling on him while saving children from a fire, and then later dies due to this injury.
I really liked this book because it showed me deeper into the life of a gang member. Before reading this book, I always thought that people that were in gangs were really bad people, but after finishing it I realized how judgmental that was. Although they might do some bad things, I never really realized how loyal they are to each other, and they would do anything to keep each other safe. Reading this book brought to my intention how quick I was to assume something about a person I had never met before. Although I really enjoyed reading this book, I don’t think that this book would be appropriate for a younger child to read. Some of the main events in this book such as death, fighting, and gangs, should only be read by a mature reader. Even though events in this book were upsetting, I really had a great time reading this book, and I would defiantly classify it under a list of must-read books.
By: Daria Sprague
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was about the relationship between the Greasers and the Socs. The Greasers came from the poor community on the other side of town. The Socs were the rich teenagers who didn’t get along with the Greasers. The story focused on Ponyboy, who was also the narrator. Ponyboy’s life was filled with sadness because of the deaths of his parents, Jonny, and Dally. However, he had someone who cared about him: his brother Sodapop and, in the end, Darry. The beginning was boring because it didn’t draw me in but just described the characters. If I didn’t have to read the book I probably would have stopped at that point. Fortunately, the book picked up.
The Outsiders was exciting because of what happened. I didn’t know certain events were going to occur, like the fire and Dally dying. Dally committed suicide, which was sad and unexpected. I would get to a good part like the fire and then it would lead to other events. S.E. Hinton described the characters well, so I felt like I knew them. For example, I could feel Darry’s fear when Pony Boy came back and ran out again. When Pony Boy left, Darry didn’t know if he was coming back, and Darry was scared to lose another person. Overall, it was really a suspenseful book. Everything was wrapped up in the end, and it didn’t leave me wondering about anything. It was sad for the Greasers because they lost both Johnny and Dally in the same night, but having that happen made it a better book.
Even though this book was written in the 1960s, the things that happened then still happen now. People still die and rob stores, there are still gangs, and people still fight each other. Some parents neglect their children and don’t care about them, and kids run away. There will always be a rich part of town and a poor part of town no matter where you live, whether it’s 1960 or now. Emotions don’t disappear over time; there will always be happiness, sadness, and fear. A reader in modern day America can relate to some of the things that happened 50 years ago in The Outsiders because some things never change.
The Outsiders Review
ReplyDeleteBy: Davis Rich
The Outsiders is a book by S.E. Hinton about two rival groups, or gangs, that have misconceptions about each other. The gangs are the Greasers, who control the East Side, and the Socials or Socs, who control the West Side. The Greasers are named after their hair, which is notoriously slathered with hair oil. The Greasers are hoodlums who mainly come from poorer families and some even drop out of school. The Socs are rich kids who get whatever they want. They enjoy jumping Greasers, and like to drink alcohol. Ponyboy, the main character, is a Greaser who lives with his two older brothers. His parents died in a car accident, so his oldest brother, Darry, has to take care of him, even if it means not going to college. Ponyboy’s other older brother, Sodapop, dropped out of high school to work at the gas station to make money for the family. Besides living with the fear of being relocated to a foster home, Ponyboy and his friends (Johnny, Two-Bit, Darry, and Steve) and brothers are worried about getting beat up by the Socs. One night, Ponyboy comes home too late and Darry hits him. Ponyboy is infuriated and grabs Johnny so they can run away. But Ponyboy changes his mind and they decide just to go to the park to cool off. But a carload of Socs arrives and they attempt to drown Ponyboy because he talked to one of the Socs’ girlfriend. In an act of self-defense, Johnny stabs one of the Socs to death. Johnny and Ponyboy have to run away, so they ask one of their Greaser friends, Dally, to tell them where to go. He gives them a gun and money and tells them to go to an abandoned church in the hills. After a few days there, Dally comes back, and the boys decide to turn themselves in. But after going to a restaurant, they drive by the church again, and see it is on fire with children trapped inside. Johnny and Ponyboy rush in and save the kids. Ponyboy escapes with only minor injuries, but Johnny broke his back when a flaming crossbeam hit him. Johnny is in the hospital for a long time, and sadly, after the big Soc vs. Greaser fight, he dies. The whole gang is traumatized and Ponyboy starts thinking if he really wants to fight anymore after the best friend of the dead Soc says it isn’t worth it anymore. Ponyboy realizes that not all Socs are bad and that the ones that jumped him were drunk. When Johnny dies, Dally is so upset that he robs a grocery store and accidentally pulls out a gun on the police and is shot. Ponyboy finally figures out not to judge people by who you think they are, but who they really are. At first, I had a hard time realizing that this horrible turn of events could happen to anyone. But it made me realize that you can’t take anything for granted, and that we are very lucky. I would recommend this book to any middle schooler who likes action and drama. The Outsiders was a very good book.
By: Paige Pietrofesa
ReplyDeleteIn the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, Ponyboy a greaser lives on the other side of the tracks with his gang. The Greasers are the poor people and are known as the bad people. The rich people are called the Socs. The Socs always jump the Greasers and get into fights. One night a Soc started drowning Ponyboy but his good friend Johnny killed the Soc to save his life. Johnny and Ponyboy run away and stay in a church to hide. They spent some time there until Dally came to get them to take them to get food. Johnny decided to turn himself in and as they drove by the church where they had stayed earlier they saw it burning down. There were kids inside the burning church so Johnny and Ponyboy decided to save them. They saved the kids but in the process were severely injured. They were rushed to the hospital and Ponyboy and Johnny stayed there for some time. Ponyboy got released from the hospital and the night he got back there was a huge fight between the Socs and the Greasers. The Greasers won but immediately after it was over Dally and Ponyboy went to the hospital again to visit Johnny. Johnny said a few last words to Ponyboy and then Johnny died. When Ponyboy returned, he and his brothers found out that Dally was chased by the police and was shot and killed for threatening them. When Ponyboy returned to school he wrote an assignment telling other people what his life was like and what life for a greaser was like. In the end he realized that his brother Darry loved him and he felt that his two brothers and him had finally formed a family.
The Outsiders is a good book that was filled with excitement, suspense, and action. It also has a good message. One of the messages is don’t judge a book by its cover. I think that because everyone thought that the Greasers were bad people but when Ponyboy and Johnny saved the kids from the burning church it proved that they weren’t bad people because if they were bad people they would’ve just ignored the fact that they started the fire at the church and then the kids would’ve died. They also risked their lives for the children and Johnny actually died because of that so he donated his life to the children. Also Johnny and Ponyboy decided to turn themselves in so if they really were bad people they wouldn’t have done that either. Another message in the book is things are rough all over. I think that because not only the Greasers are the “bad people” but also the Socs have done some bad things too. The Socs jump the Greasers, are really rude the Greasers, and are also very racist and think that all Greasers are bad people. Also the Socs are always thinking of ways to get into trouble and are always up for a fight. Another bad thing that a Soc did in the book was when Bob drowned Ponyboy. Also the Greasers do bad things too like smoking, robbing stores and other things like when Johnny stabbed Bob. But Johnny only stabbed Bob to help Ponyboy live. I think the Outsiders is a good book and many people should read it but I think younger kids like in Elementary school should not read it. I don’t think those ages should read it because of what is in the book. There are a lot of things in this book that you need to be mature to read like smoking, stealing, and killing. Younger kids might be scared and worried about the all deaths in the book and the stabbing and killing. I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to others.
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton, is an action-packed novel, with exciting, new action every chapter, leaving you hanging on the edge of your seat in suspense. This is one of the reasons I think The Outsiders is a great book. The second reason I think the novel is excellent, is because the character descriptions are outstanding. As readers reach the end of the book, they are bound to feel as though they have known the characters their whole life.
ReplyDeletePonyboy, a smart, 14-year-old who lives with his brothers, Darry and Sodapop, is the main character in the novel and is in a gang called the Greasers, named after their especially “good-looking” and greasy hair. In the novel there is a rivalry between two gangs, the Socs and the Greasers. Many times while the Socs are drunk, they find Greasers to fight, and some of the Greasers get hurt badly. The Socs tend to have more money and live on the West side of town and most Greasers are poor. Some of the Greasers other than Ponyboy include Darry, a tough man who fights with Ponyboy a lot and is hard on him, Sodapop, an attractive guy who stands up for Ponyboy, Steve, a tall Greaser with thick hair, Two-Bit, the oldest and the funniest of the Greasers, Johnny, a sensitive Greaser who is also quiet, and Dally, a tough and wild Greaser. The Outsiders allows you to explore Ponyboy’s adventures after a fight one night that changes his life.
The Outsiders is a fast-paced book. I wanted to read more and never wanted to put down the book. This book might not be excellent for people who are looking for a love story or a humorous book, yet enjoyable for readers who are looking for action. The Outsiders also might not be great for younger children because there are many intense fights and injuries in this novel. In The Outsiders I’m not sure who learned lessons from Ponyboy’s teen-age adventures, the characters in the book, or myself.
Denna Nazem
ReplyDeleteThe Outsides
I really enjoyed reading the book Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It was about a boy, Ponyboy Curtis, who lives in a city in Oklahoma with his close friends and brothers who are all a part of the same gang. They gang consist of seven members, Darry and Soda Pop (his bothers), Steve, Dally, and Two Bit. This gang is apart of a larger community called Greasers. They are the poorer hood people who earned their nickname by their heavily greased hair. The other part of town belongs to the Socs. The Socs are the more powerful and rich people. They are constantly beating up the Greasers. For example, in the beginning of the book, the Socs beat up Ponyboy on his way back from the movies. The two groups were always having fights and conflicts.
This book had many lessons to learn from. One of which was that you shouldn’t judge people just because they are a part of a group that might be your enemy. An example of this is when Ponyboy and Johnny met two girls (Cherry and Marcia) at the movies. The girls were Socs but they weren’t like all the other Socs the boys had met. These were nice and considerate girls who were not always picking fights and discriminating against the poorer gangs. They told the boys that not all Socs are bad and most of them are just like any Greaser but with fancy cars, houses, and clothes.
Another thing that Cherry and Marcia said was that people like their boyfriends had more too them than just beating up Greasers and fighting. They were nice friends and had special attributes. An example of this was after the boys met the girls they were walking them back to their house and the boyfriends saw them. Later that night the boyfriends came and found Ponyboy and Johnny. They were drowning Pony in the fountain but Johnny saved him by killing Bob (Cherry’s boyfriend). With this conflict you would think that Johnny is a really cruel person and is a murderer. But when the boys saw that a church that they had been hiding in was on fire and there were missing children in then building they risked there lives to save the children. Johnny even lost his. This shows how someone who does something horrible to save their friends can also do something to save many children’s lives.
I really liked reading this book all the way though. I wouldn’t suggest it for younger kids because it has some harsh sections. But I believe this book taught me great lessons and showed in a historical-fiction way how life is for the Greasers and the Socs I hope all the people who read this enjoyed it as much as me!
The Outsiders written by S.E. Hinton filled my mind with exciting scenes and thrilling adventures. The descriptive novel grew more and more breath-taking as I flipped page after another. The main character Ponyboy, and his gang, the greasers continue to run into problems, but soon manage to solve them and also bring them closer together. They ended the fighting between the richer and the poorer, and the two of the Curtis brothers, Darry and Ponyboy find a way to not fight whenever they’re in the same room together. When they don’t get along, it worsens their relationship and also makes Soda, the other brother feel hurt because he’s the one in the middle and is always forced to take sides. Ponyboy wasn’t aware that Darry really cares about him and is still giving up a lot for him and Soda, while Darry didn’t realize that he gets mad at his youngest brother for all the little mistakes that he makes. The members of the greasers, Darry, Two-Bit, Dally, Steve, Soda, Johnny, and Ponyboy work together as a team and never disappoint one another. Because they live in a different place, their actions are different than ours. They get arrested at early ages and they like to fight physically with others around the neighborhood. To me, I like our society rather than Ponyboy’s. This society makes me feel safer at night because you won’t hear a lot of gangs running around, bullying each other.
ReplyDeleteOverall, The Outsiders taught me many things. It taught me to learn to let go of the past and not worry about them. This novel also showed me that if I learn to live past all the little mistakes and troubles I have, I would be able to focus on the present and to work harder and to not make the same mistakes twice. The Outsiders is appropriate for everyone older than the age of 11 or 12. It is an outstanding, unforgettable story.
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a thrilling book. It is based on a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis. He lives with his two brothers Sodapop and Darry, since their parents were killed in an auto wreck. They are all a part of a gang called the Greasers, some poorer kids that live in the east side of town. They are rivals with the Socs, a gang of rich kids that live in the west side of town.
ReplyDeleteThis action-packed novel grabbed my attention with many charms. Some of which were cliffhangers, page-turners and imagery. Each chapter had a great ending that made me not even think about putting the book down. For example, “Things gotta get better, I figure. They couldn’t get worse. I was wrong.” At this point I wanted to know exactly what he was wrong about. Also, each page had tons of detail that kept me focused and involved in the story. The imagery in this book was magnificent! In each sentence I felt as if I was right there with the characters.
Overall, this book was very enjoyable and fun to read. It kept me interested, and I really like that in a book. I would definitely recommend this book to others.
The Outsiders, written by S.E Hinton, is a thrilling and gripping book. It contains humor, action, suspense and much, much more. Once you start reading it you can never put it down – it sucks you in like a vacuum! S. E. Hinton describes the characters in such depth that it feels as though you have met them all in real life. The book is about two rival gangs, referred to as the Greasers and the Socs. Throughout the book there is much hatred, misunderstanding, and violence between the two gangs. But because of a shocking event, they eventually reach an agreement to adhere to their respective territories, reducing the violence between them.
ReplyDeleteThe Greasers live on the West Side which is the bad part of town. The kids in the gang are called Greasers because the have long hair and they put lots of grease in it. The Socs live on the East Side and are part of the upper class. The Socs get all of the lucky breaks because the have a lot of money and people always assume they are innocent. And the Greasers don’t get any lucky breaks because they are poor, have a negative reputation, and in some cases just look intimidating. S. E. Hinton does a tremendous job showing both the differences and the similarities between the Socs and Greasers. Ponyboy, who is fourteen years-old is a kind hearted, smart and understanding boy who lives with his two brothers, Darry and Sodapop, after his parents die. Darry, who is the oldest brother, has to take on the role of a single parent and has to juggle a job that requires him to work extremely long hours. Sodapop, who is sixteen-going-on seventeen, is an incredibly handsome kid who can always put a smile of your face. Ponyboy feels as though he can confide in him. Johnny is another Greaser who has a rough family life. His parents don’t pay any attention to where he is, and when he is home, he gets yelled at and beaten by them. Because of this, the gang is essentially his family. One night as Johnny and Ponyboy walk in the park some members of the Socs jump out of their cars and start running at them. These Socs start drowning Ponyboy in the fountain as punishment for flirting with their girlfriends earlier that evening at the movies. To protect Ponyboy and save himself, Johnny uses his switch-blade on a Soc in self-defense and kills him. That shocking event leads to a rumble between the Socs and the Greasers. The terms of the rumble are that if the Greasers win the rumble the Socs will have to stay in their territory. But if the Socs win everything will remain the same and the Socs will just jump Greasers for the fun of it.
To see who wins the legendary rumble you will have to read the book! This book makes you feel like you are really inside of this heart-racing story. I would not recommend this book for younger children because of all of the violence.
By Keaton Shiveley
S.E. Hilton's exquisite writing transported me to Tulsa in the 1960's, living the life of a Greaser. This story illustrated the difference in social status between the Socs and the Greasers. The Socs were from the rich side of town with everything they could ever want. They didn't need to fight to get anything; they just wanted to pick a fight. The Greasers, from the poor side of town fended for themselves. They did not bother the Socs but protected themselves from them. Just living on the wrong side of town made society judge them and this fueled the tension between both groups.
ReplyDeleteUnder the surface of the Soc and Greaser conflict though, there was mutual jealousy. The Socs want to be tough like the Greasers, but the Greasers want the Socs' lifestyle. S.E. Hilton showed in her writing that people are always not satisfied no matter how much they have. The Socs have everything except looking cool and acting tough. The Greaser looked cool and acted tough but did not have the privileges of the Socs. This situation created friction and both sides turned to violence as the solution to their dissatisfaction.
S.E. Hilton's writing teaches us real life lessons that can be applied today. "You can't win even if you whip us, you'll still be where you were before- at the bottom." I think that this describes the hardship that the Greasers faced when they realized that they were unable to change the way things were. It also makes me realize that there is no top or bottom in our community because we try to treat each other fairly. In other areas though there is still a ruling society and this fight could still happen today. One of the reasons I liked this book is that its concepts are still true today and it provides insight on jealousy and envy.
Rory Plewman
The Outsiders
ReplyDeleteBy:Jessie G.
There are few stories I have read that have made me laugh out loud, smile and cry. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton made me do all three. The 180-paged book is packed with adventure, drama, love and family as 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis takes you on his journey as a Greaser in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Greasers is a gang that lives on the darker side of town and stays together like brothers. Their rivals are the Socs, more privileged yet violent teenagers. All of these boys have been through events beyond their years but especially Ponyboy and his brothers and Johnny. Ponyboys's parents were killed in a car crash when he was young and Johnny's parents are abusive. One of the most important scenes in this story is when Johnny and Ponyboy are attacked by a group of the Socs. During the fight one of the Socs begins to drown Ponyboy in a nearby fountain and, to save Ponyboy, Johnny is forced to kill one of the Socs. When the boys realize what they have done they know they have no choice but to run away. With the help of Dally (one of the older Greasers) they escape and end up in the countryside. The two boys stay in an old church for many days and later accidentally set the church on fire from a still burning cigarette. Unfortunately the boys are injured in the fire and end up in the hospital where Ponyboy's brothers are waiting to care for them. In this part of the story you realize that despite the boys' opinions on Ponyboy's behavior they all care deeply for one another and were devastated when Ponyboy was hurt. This scene was a key part in understanding how the boys felt for one another.
Later in the Outsiders you begin to loose characters. Johnny ends up dying in the hospital and Dally chooses to kill himself just from the pain of it all. The way that Ponyboy recovers from the loss and the reasons for Dally's decided death all seemed so real. I read the last 80 pages of the Outsiders at the Colorado airport and by the last 10, I was on the plane in my seat with happy tears rolling down my face. I loved this story. I loved the way S.E. Hinton described Ponyboy's friends. I loved the way she made the characters act, but most of all, I loved the choices she presented them. By the end of the book I desperately wanted to place it in a friend's hands and tell him or her to read it. This story is one of the most surprising books I have ever read. It kept me on my toes and made me relate and chuckle at behaviors I had never thought of before. Everyone in his or her childhood at some point should read this. Maybe you can't understand what the boys have gone through or the choices the made but you can relate to what they think about life, family and most of all being a teenager. I thank S.E. Hilton for being brave enough to write about how hard it is to be a teenager and most of all an outsider.
Kenzie Mullin
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders
The Outsiders is about a greaser named Ponyboy. His life is pretty normal until the cruel gang of rich kids called Socs jumps him and everything changes.
This is a story about courage, love, tragedy and loss. The Outsiders follows Ponyboy’s life and how it was normal like any other teen, then suddenly he became the enemy and eventually became the newest hero.
S. E. Hinton packed a murder, an escape, a disaster followed by courageous acts of kindness, death, a legendary rumble and a family coming together again into a short book. I loved this book and I thought it had great meaning about how you shouldn’t judge someone just because they wear grease in their hair. I would recommend The Outsiders book because it is powerful and has great meaning behind it.
Ben Werdegar
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review by S.E. Hinton
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was one of the most thrilling books I have ever read. It is about a boy named Ponyboy who has to run far away with his friend, Johnny, to avoid being put in the electric chair. Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Soda, since his parents died. Everybody is in a gang together referred to as the “greasers”. They are very poor and some members in the gang have no loving parents. Some of the parents beat up their kids every day. Johnny’s parents absolutely hate him. The greasers have a rival gang on the other side of town known as the “Socs”. The Socs are the rich kids with fancy cars who come to the greasers and jump them for their enjoyment. Then one day when Darry and Ponyboy get in a fight, Ponyboy runs to Johnny, and they run away together. This book made me keep turning the pages wide-eyed with anticipation. Then once they run to the park to take a break a mustang starts circling them and a bunch of Socs get out. They wanted to beat Johnny and Ponyboy up for sitting with their girls at a movie. One Soc grabs Ponyboy and stars to drown him in the fountain. He later wakes up to find Johnny pale and holding a blade. Then he saw a Soc not moving on the ground. Johnny had killed the Soc. This is when the book starts to become lively in every sentence, and this is when I could really feel the characters emotions. Johnny and Ponyboy have to run far away and stay in abandoned church. The book was exciting to the very last word.
I was always wondering what was going to happen to Johnny and Ponyboy next. I had so many questions about their future: “Would they be put to death in the electric chair?” “Would they hide for the rest of their lives?” “Would they turn into full-time crooks?” All these questions were answered in The Outsiders.
Lauren Smith
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders
I think The Outsiders is a thrilling and very well-written book. Ponyboy is a member of one of the poor local gangs who are commonly called “greasers” because of their long, greasy hair. His parents passed away in a car accident a few years before the setting in the book, so he and his brothers Sodapop and Darry look out for each other. Everything is as going as well as it can for Ponyboy’s situation, until one night he and his friend Johnny go to the drive-in movie theater and they are jumped by a few of the “Socs,” the rival gang of rich teens. One of the Socs tries to drown Ponyboy, but his friend Johnny wouldn’t see it done, so he stabbed and killed the Soc. They knew they would have to get out of town or else they would get caught by the police and given the death penalty or put in a boys’ home.
So they ran away to a far away town in the country, where Ponyboy has always dreamed of living. Once he got there, all he wanted to do was get out. After a week of hiding, one of their fellow greasers finds Johnny and Ponyboy. But before they could even get out of town, their previous hiding spot caught on fire because one of them dropped a still hot cigarette. With their luck, there was of course a large group of young children playing inside the once peaceful church. Since Johnny and Ponyboy feel very guilty about this, they run up the hill and into the blazing building and rescue the children one at a time.
By the time they’re at the last few children, the roof was about to fall down. Ponyboy got out safely, but Johnny, who was rescuing the last child, was hit by the collapsing roof and was paralyzed from the hips down. The whole gang was devastated- Ponyboy, especially, since he feels it’s his fault. During Johnny’s struggles, Ponyboy discovers that it isn’t just the greasers that have all of the problems. Cherry, a girlfriend of one of the Socs, helped Ponyboy understand that there are problems no matter where you go or who you are- city or country, East Side or West side, rich or poor. After Johnny struggled for a while, he finally passed away. The gang was stricken, and things went crazy.
One of the gang members is so devastated that he robs a grocery store on a successful suicide mission- he is shot by the police with a grin on his face. Ponyboy and Darry began to fight and Sodapop can’t take it and almost runs away. But by the end of the book, the family agreed not to fight and that they’ll try their best to get along.
This book is full of suspense and attention-grabbing endings. It’s a mix of a love story, a tragedy, and an adventure all tied up into one book. There aren’t many realistic fiction teen books, and this is definitely a unique novel. I would recommend it to all people looking for a new kind of book to read.
Alexander Neumann
ReplyDelete8/16/10
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a fantastic novel filled with all of the qualities of a good book: Action, suspense, and lots of different emotions. I could be laughing or smiling and then turn the page and start crying. What I loved most about the book was how instead of looking at a gang and judging the kids in it based on your knowledge, you heard the story from a kid in that gang and got a different side to the story. I might look at teenagers smoking and think that they are bad kids. However, all of these kids have smoked, shoplifted, or even been to jail, but most of them are very nice kids that live in a harsh environment. Those things are just regular parts of life to them.
Another thing I liked about the book was how the Greasers (the term for the kids living in the bad neighborhood) and the Socs (the term for kids on the rich side of town) struggled to get along with each other and their own friends, but as the book progressed, things got a little better. These two different gangs of kids often fight and hurt one another. I think this is because they do not understand each other. They don’t take time to stop and think and because of that, they just express their anger with violence. Towards the end of the book, some members of both gangs realize how dumb all of their fights were, but it was too late for some as 3 main characters in the book died as a result of bad choices from everyone.
The last thing I enjoyed in this book was how you learned more about the characters as the story progressed. Dally, the “bad” guy in the Greasers who has been to jail more than once, always has on a mask that makes him act like he’s just a tough mean guy. However, when he lends money to Johnny and Ponyboy so they can escape town, or when he kills himself after Johnny dies because Johnny was the only thing he really loved, you find out that deep inside Dally he a nice caring person. Darry, who is Ponyboy’s oldest brother and caretaker, is always yelling and nagging on Ponyboy, which makes Ponyboy think that Darry doesn’t like him. However, after Ponyboy runs away, his brother Sodapop tell him that Darry was very, very worried about him. Darry tells Ponyboy that he was always yelling at him because he loved him and wanted to make sure he had a great life.
Overall, The Outsiders was definitely one of the best books I have ever read and next time I look at any person and start to judge them, I will think of this book and get to know them before I make assumptions.
Ben Werdegar
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review by S.E. Hinton
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton was one of the most thrilling books I have ever read. It is about a boy named Ponyboy who has to run far away with his friend, Johnny, to avoid being put in the electric chair. Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Soda, since his parents died. Everybody is in a gang together referred to as the “greasers”. They are very poor and some members in the gang have no loving parents. Some of the parents beat up their kids every day. Johnny’s parents absolutely hate him. The greasers have a rival gang on the other side of town known as the “Socs”. The Socs are the rich kids with fancy cars who come to the greasers and jump them for their enjoyment. Then one day when Darry and Ponyboy get in a fight, Ponyboy runs to Johnny, and they run away together. This book made me keep turning the pages wide-eyed with anticipation. Then once they run to the park to take a break a mustang starts circling them and a bunch of Socs get out. They wanted to beat Johnny and Ponyboy up for sitting with their girls at a movie. One Soc grabs Ponyboy and stars to drown him in the fountain. He later wakes up to find Johnny pale and holding a blade. Then he saw a Soc not moving on the ground. Johnny had killed the Soc. This is when the book starts to become lively in every sentence, and this is when I could really feel the characters emotions. Johnny and Ponyboy have to run far away and stay in abandoned church. The book was exciting to the very last word. I was always wondering what was going to happen to Johnny and Ponyboy next. I had so many questions about their future: “Would they be put to death in the electric chair?” “Would they hide for the rest of their lives?” “Would they turn into full-time crooks?” All these questions were answered in The Outsiders.
Outsiders review By Noah Shermis
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a sad yet great story of a boy named Ponyboy and his gang (the Greasers) in a everlasting battle to fit in, not get killed by their enemy gang (the socs), and not get arrested by the cops. in the book Pony is faced with a number of perils the first of which includes being a part in the death of one of the socs, he did not kill the soc personally but his friend Johnny did. He and Johnny decide to run away to and abandoned church to hide until it is safe to return to their home. While they were outside for a walk a some kids come on a field trip and set the church on fire. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to go and save the kids but while they were in the church a flaming beam fell down on Johnny and broke his back. He later died in the hospital. Pony only survived because another member of his gang came and saved him. The rest of the book is about Pony, his brothers and the rest of the gang getting over the death of johnny. I really liked this book and think it is a great book and a must read.
I think that “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a touching book full of real life situations that relate to people all around us. In our own neighborhoods there could be rich vs. poor battles going on in a much lower scale of aggression. Sometimes things get out of hand and good people do die. That happened a lot in this short and to the point book. Johnny didn’t have to die, but with his life being so difficult and lonely, it took a bunch of stress off of him. Darry too could have lived but decided that he was missing a “little brother”, Johnny, so he too made the decision to kill himself and end the pain. Although Darry’s desire to die was a bit more intense, they were both stress-free by the end. Events related to this book are happening in real life all over the world. So many people are dead because of the same situations. The real world isn’t as we see it from our perspective. It’s gruesome and filled with terror. We are the lucky ones.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders is an inspiring page-turning novel. Ponyboy, lives on the east side of town, wears his hair long, and doesn’t have the nicest home, because of this he is known as a “Greaser”. Since his parents died, Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Darry, and SodaPop. There is a rivalry between the “Greasers” who live on the East side of town, and the Rich kids who live on the West side of town known as the Socials or “Socs” Socs continuously are beating up and picking on Greasers and then Greasers chase the Socs. Ponyboy gets caught up in one of these fights and ends up in a lot of trouble, so him and another member of the “gang”, Johnny, flea the town. Ponyboy and Johnny end up saving children from a building that Johnny and Ponyboy accidentally set on fire. But because of saving the children a tragedy happens. Because of this tragedy Ponyboy shuts down completely until he learns that even if something horrible happens, he still needs to live on.
ReplyDeleteA couple things really struck me in this book. One was that the Ponyboy’s life couldn’t be more different then mine, but even though his life was so different, the author was able to have me relate to how Ponyboy was feeling.
Another was how none of the greasers had parents to love them. Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy were the only ones who had loving parents, until they died. But because none of them had loving parents, they loved and watched out for each other as a parent would. It’s a clear example of how they watched out for each other when Darry was explaining how he left the door unlocked at night just incase one of the “gang” needed a place to stay at night. Another example is when the “gang” went to go help Dally escape from the police even though each one of them could get hugely in trouble.
In this book you realize that even if people have completely different lifestyles, you realize that the thoughts in peoples minds, and the feelings they have are not much different. I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who reads this novel will like it and learn a lot from it.
The Outsiders is an inspiring page-turning novel. Ponyboy, lives on the east side of town, wears his hair long, and doesn’t have the nicest home, because of this he is known as a “Greaser”. Since his parents died, Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Darry, and SodaPop. There is a rivalry between the “Greasers” who live on the East side of town, and the Rich kids who live on the West side of town known as the Socials or “Socs” Socs continuously are beating up and picking on Greasers and then Greasers chase the Socs. Ponyboy gets caught up in one of these fights and ends up in a lot of trouble, so him and another member of the “gang”, Johnny, flea the town. Ponyboy and Johnny end up saving children from a building that Johnny and Ponyboy accidentally set on fire. But because of saving the children a tragedy happens. Because of this tragedy Ponyboy shuts down completely until he learns that even if something horrible happens, he still needs to live on.
ReplyDeleteA couple things really struck me in this book. One was that the Ponyboy’s life couldn’t be more different then mine, but even though his life was so different, the author was able to have me relate to how Ponyboy was feeling.
Another was how none of the greasers had parents to love them. Darry, Soda, and Ponyboy were the only ones who had loving parents, until they died. But because none of them had loving parents, they loved and watched out for each other as a parent would. It’s a clear example of how they watched out for each other when Darry was explaining how he left the door unlocked at night just incase one of the “gang” needed a place to stay at night. Another example is when the “gang” went to go help Dally escape from the police even though each one of them could get hugely in trouble.
In this book you realize that even if people have completely different lifestyles, you realize that the thoughts in peoples minds, and the feelings they have are not much different. I can pretty much guarantee that anyone who reads this novel will like it and learn a lot from it.
The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, was a great and interesting book. The book is about a few exciting weeks of the life of Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year-old boy who lives a rough life. Ponyboy lives with his two brothers, Soda and Darry, because their parents died in a car accident. They live in a town where there is a war of sorts brewing. The two sides of town, the east side Greasers and the west side Socs or Socials are fighting. The Outsiders is about that battle and how it affects the life of Ponyboy and his “Gang”, who are Greasers. The plot of the book revolves around one day when after a fight with Darry, Ponyboy runs out of the house and goes with his friend Johnny who is in the Gang to the park to cool of his anger. There they are found by some Socs that they had angered and Johnny is forced to kill one of the Socs to save Ponyboy’s life. Johnny and Ponyboy are forced to run away and hide, and the book continues from there. I think that this book is a great read for two main reasons. One is that S.E. Hinton really shows you what drives the different characters to do what they do, and she shows you what each character is like on the inside. She also shows you the positive and negative effects that living a life like they do has on each character, which brings you closer to the characters. For example, one positive thing is because everyone in the gang is so close to each other, everyone helps each other unselfishly because they know that they would do the same for them. Another great part about The Outsiders is that you feel like you’re right there with them whether it’s through their suffering or success. I think that The Outsiders is a good book for you if you want some action and suspense with deeper meaning that you only get if you read it twice.
ReplyDeleteAugust 22
ReplyDeleteMeg
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDelete“The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a powerful, high-speed novel about a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis and his life growing up through many hardships. Set in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1965, Ponyboy and his friends and brothers, Soda and Darry, are tagged as ‘greasers’ because of their heavily greased hair. The ‘Socs’, on the other hand, are socially highly ranked, and many believe that they are better than the greasers. After talking to some girls in the Socs’ group, Ponyboy and his friend Johnny were attacked by the girls’ boyfriends. During this fight, Johnny defends himself and accidentally kills one of the Socs. This fight caused the two to flee to an abandoned church and stay there for a few days. One day the church suddenly catches on fire, while several kids are still in it. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to save them, but a burning piece of wood falls on Johnny and heavily injures him. Watching Johnny suffer and die in the hospital, Ponyboy begins to be confused about the reality. He gradually becomes unsure of the need of the fighting between the groups, and believes that he shouldn’t become one of the people who believe in social status. It was slightly hard for me to connect to the plot, since I have not experienced any of the things Ponyboy has. On the other hand, I could strongly connect to the main character and his feelings for non- segregation. Overall, this book showed me a perspective of what it would be like to be in a violent socially segregated environment.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders Review by Emma Brady
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a thrilling and heartbreaking story about a young boy named Ponyboy Curtis. A boy whose life was anything but easy growing up on the east side of town. Ponyboy has had a hard life of little wealth and the loss of his parents in a tragic car crash. Ponyboy was left in the trust of his two older brothers and the gang he called family. Ponyboy grew up in a gang called greasers, who were kids described by the grease in their hair. Greasers lived a life full of hardship and a life of fear. The fear of being jumped by the kids from the rich side of town, the Socs. One night, while Ponyboy is out with a member of the gang, Johnny, some angry drunken socs attack them. One Soc holds Ponyboy’s head under the water of a fountain, in an attempt to drown him, but timid and scared Johnny can’t stand to see his friend being drowned so he stabbed the Soc, killing him. Ponyboy and Johnny run away to ensure that Johnny wouldn’t be sent to jail. My favorite part of the book is when Ponyboy and Johnny see the church they had been temporarily living in burning and they see that children are trapped in it, and although it was risky, they went in to save the kids. In this heroic act, a burning beam injures Johnny, paralyzing him. I think the main point of the book is that sometimes people are born into a lifestyle they don’t really fit into, and they sometimes they don’t have a way out of it.
The Outsiders Review by Mason Brady
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton is more than just a good book, it also relates to real life. The book tells the story of two gangs, the Greasers, who are the poor kids, and the Socials, also known as the Socs, who are the rich kids from the West side of town. The theme that runs through the book is the rivalry of the two gangs. One night , two greasers, fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis and sixteen year old Johnny, were in the park and a couple of the Socs came driving up in their mustang. They spotted Johnny and Ponyboy and came out of their car to teach them a lesson for talking to their girls earlier at the movies. The Socs grabbed Ponyboy and started dunking him in the fountain, almost killing him. Fearing for Ponyboy’s life, Johnny stabbed the Soc with his switchblade, killing him. The two boys were frightened of what would happen to them, so they headed out of town to hide out in an old, abandoned church.
One day when they came back to the church and saw a group of kids and adults outside the church. A fire had started in the church and several young kids were trapped inside. Johnny and Ponyboy quickly darted into the church to try to save the kids and were successful. Ponyboy came out of the church with only a couple of scratches and bruises, but Johnny’s back was broken. Unfortunately, he eventually died. The boys were considered heroes in their town for saving the kids from the fire.
I would recommend reading this book because it shows you that a person may not always be who they appear to be on the outside. Ponyboy and Johnny were victims of the environment that they were brought up in. But given the chance to do the right thing, they made the right decision.
Andy Parker
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders Review
The Outsiders by S. E. Hilton offered an amazingly realistic glance into the truth of socioeconomic-caused segregation. Ponyboy Curtis, the story’s protagonist, lives on the East Side of the town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He resides in a house with his two older brothers. One, a carefree seventeen-year-old named Sodapop, and another, a responsible twenty-year-old named Darry who runs the household. Ponyboy himself is fourteen. The teens on the East Side are called greasers: a bunch a gangs made up of wild, smoking, rough, and sometimes violent young people, one which Ponyboy and his brothers and friends belong to. On the other side of town are the Socs: a group of rich teenagers who have boat parties, get drunk cause trouble, and jump Greasers for fun.
Though he lives in such a rough place, Ponyboy is a kind and gentle person who gets A’s in school, plays football, and loves to watch sunsets. One day, when he and some of his gang are at the movies, Ponyboy starts talking to one of the Soc girls, Cherry Valance, sitting in front of him. They later walk together, and talk about their life and troubles from each of their perspectives. I thought this was quite intriguing because it showed that though Ponyboy might have more immediate physical problems in his life, there are problems of an entirely different type on the other side of town even though the kids are rich enough to get almost anything they want. In short, it gives a very important message: that money doesn’t solve all your problems. Money isn’t everything.
Later that night Ponyboy comes home late, and a stressed and overworked Darry gets so annoyed at and scared for Ponyboy for being late, he slaps him. Ponyboy almost bursts with anger and runs out of the house. He meets up with Johnny, a sixteen-year-old member of the gang, who has been timid and shy ever since Cherry’s boyfriend beat him up almost to the point of death. They go out walking together and as they meander by a park Bob Cherry’s boyfriend pulls up with a bunch of drunken friends, and tries drowns Ponyboy as retaliation for being with Cherry. Johnny, in defense of Ponyboy, stabs Bob, killing him. They later go on a wild and incredible adventure to try to evade the police. Near the end of the book, they see that the old church they were living in go up in flames with a bunch of young schoolchildren stuck inside. They go inside to rescue them, but Johnny’s back is broken by a piece of flaming wood and is severely injured. He later dies in a hospital with the words “Stay gold Ponyboy. Stay gold.”(148) The book nears the end with a rumble in which the Greasers, though outnumbered beat the Socs and get even for all the terrible things that happened to them. Even Dally, the toughest member of the gang is incredibly upset afterword about Johnny and gets himself shot.
ReplyDeleteThis book fascinated me from the very beginning because Ponyboy showed that he didn’t judge people at a glance. HE looked deeper and saw how they really were before he made his decision on how he felt about you. And even then he was open to changes in one’s behavior and could adjust how he though quite easily. This was a book about looking deeper and farther than the surface, and Ponyboy Curtis really embraced this. I also think this book has an important message about parents. It shows how important it is to have loving parents both in Ponyboy’s case, where no parents means his family is significantly poorer, join gangs, and Darry has to give up his chance to go to college in order to support his brothers, and Sodapop drops out of school to take a job. In Johnny’s case his parents rarely notice him, and when they do, they are incredibly abusive. I think this is one of the reasons Johnny went over the edge and eventually killed Bob. I found the end of this book extremely emotional and wrenching, yet also perfect for the story. Johnny dies redeeming himself for killing Bob, by saving all those children, and Dally, who I originally though of as cold-blooded and heartless showed that he actually cared for Johnny when he dies. Overall this a great action-packed book with some humor, and an incredibly story. I would recommend it to anyone in 7th grade or older for some of its mature themes and graphic story.
Kimberly Baum
ReplyDeleteOutsiders Review by S.E. Hinton
S.E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders was an amazing book to read. The book is about how Greasers are trying to find their way into society through a series of action, conflicts and drama. Even though The Outsiders wasn’t such a middle school book, I think that we can identify with it more than anyone else could. We are all trying to find our place while dealing with change and growing up. The character Ponyboy and his friends have been doing the same throughout the story.
One of the characters, Johnny, struggled to find where he belongs. Before he died he decided to live his life to the fullest with the Greasers and that is where he though the belonged. Unfortunately it cost him his life. The other Greasers are also trying to find their place in society just like Johnny did.
The characters in The Outsiders are not forced to fit in with society except for they still want too. Middle schoolers are not forced to fit in with fashion trends or movies that they like. But everyone still wants to fit in so that we can all be insiders and not feel like we’re on the outside.
S.E. Hinton’s, The Outsiders is a fast paced novel about two rival gangs who have always been at each other’s throats, but suddenly it goes too far. The Socs, who are the richer kids who have the nice cars and parties, are always looking for trouble. The Greasers are the teenagers on the poorer side of town. They grow out their hair and wear jeans, white t-shirts, and black leather jackets. One night the Socs had a bit too much to drink and jump Ponyboy and his friend Johnny. During an attempt to drown Ponyboy, Johnny pulls a switch blade on Bob Sheldon. Now the two fugitives are on the run. Dallas, a boy who is as tough as nails, helps Ponyboy and Johnny find a place to stake out until the police give up. They decide to stay in an old abounded church in the country until the whole thing blows over. But when the church catches on fire, the two outlaws must risk their lives in order to save the kids inside. This book is thrilling, action-packed, and frightening. S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders shows the strong bond The Greasers have, and how they work together to solve their problems. This is a great read, and I strongly recommend this book.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders, by S.E. Hilton, was a book that surprised me by being way more exciting and engaging than I thought it could be. The book immediately starts with the main character, Ponyboy Curtis, getting jumped by his rival gang the Socs and being rescued by his own gang of Greasers, and only gets better from there. The book goes on to include the story of how Ponyboy and his friend Johnny end up killing one of the rival gang members, fleeing for their lives, hiding out in an abandoned church, and climaxes with a huge intense fight between the Socs and Greasers that ends in death and tragedy for both sides. The very ending leads a hook back to the beginning and made me want to read the book one more time through.
ReplyDeleteBesides the exciting plot, one of the things that really stood out to me about this book were the characters, their unique back stories, and how they developed during the course of the story. For example, Ponyboy’s brother Darry started out as cold, unforgiving, and seemingly unloving to Ponyboy. At the end however, we find out how worried Darry was while Ponyboy was away, and that Darry was only trying to do his best to raise Ponyboy and his brother, Sodapop, the way their father would have wanted him to. The other members of Ponyboy’s gang had equally unique and diverse personalities that seemed really lifelike to me.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it to friends. It was a really moving and exciting story, with a lot that could be read into. The Outsiders was for sure one of the best books I read this summer.
-By Bo Field
“The Outsiders”, by S.E. Hinton is a true story about a boy named Ponyboy Curtis who belongs to a gang of teenagers called the greasers. This group of teenage boys is rivals with another group named the socs. The socs are wealthy, live in the upper part of the town, drive nice cars, and all go to school. These are all characteristics that the greasers do not portray.
ReplyDeleteOne early morning, Ponyboy and his best friend, Johnny, decided to go on a walk to the nearby park. That turned out to be a mistake. The drunken socs were angry at Johnny and Ponyboy for picking up on their girls the night before. One of the socs nearly drowned Ponyboy. To save Ponyboy from his near death experience, Johnny ended up killing Bob, one of the head socs, with a switchblade he kept in case of an emergency.
The boys knew if they stayed in the area they would be charged with murder and be put in jail. They knew they had to get away…fast. So, they went over to Dally’s, a fellow member of their gang, and told him the whole story. Dally new just the spot for them to hide. They stayed hidden away in a rundown church.
One day, the church caught fire. Kids from a local school got trapped inside of the burning church. Ponyboy and Johnny knew that the cause of this fire was them dropping a cigarette or something. Without hesitation, they charged into the ember dripping church to save the stranded kids. This book explains their adventures, and going from wanted murderers to beloved heroes.
I enjoyed reading “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton. S.E. Hinton painted colorful and clear pictures in my head that helped me understand the book more fully. One thing I learned from reading this book was how “social standings” can cause problems and misunderstandings. I would recommend this book to any middle or high school student. I would not recommend this book to students under middle school since it contained some mature content.
The Outsiders, by S.E Hinton, was a great and interesting book. The book is about a few exciting weeks of the life of Ponyboy Curtis, a 14-year-old boy who lives a rough life. Ponyboy lives with his two brothers, Soda and Darry, because their parents died in a car accident. They live in a town where there is a war of sorts brewing. The two sides of town, the east side Greasers and the west side Socs or Socials are fighting. The Outsiders is about that battle and how it affects the life of Ponyboy and his “Gang”, who are Greasers. The plot of the book revolves around one day when after a fight with Darry, Ponyboy runs out of the house and goes with his friend Johnny who is in the Gang to the park to cool of his anger. There they are found by some Socs that they had angered and Johnny is forced to kill one of the Socs to save Ponyboy’s life. Johnny and Ponyboy are forced to run away and hide, and the book continues from there. I think that this book is a great read for two main reasons. One is that S.E. Hinton really shows you what drives the different characters to do what they do, and she shows you what each character is like on the inside. She also shows you the positive and negative effects that living a life like they do has on each character, which brings you closer to the characters. For example, one positive thing is because everyone in the gang is so close to each other, everyone helps each other unselfishly because they know that they would do the same for them. Another great part about The Outsiders is that you feel like you’re right there with them whether it’s through their suffering or success. I think that The Outsiders is a good book for you if you want some action and suspense with deeper meaning that you only get if you read it twice.
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E is not only written well but opens your eyes to a cruel and torturous world that many don’t see. Poneyboy is part of a poor neighborhood gang that has an enemy gang filled with rich kids. Ponyboy’s parents died in a car accident leaving him and his brother having to fend for them selves although with the help of there gang members they stay strong. In ponyboy’s town parents beat there kids, kids are tortured and it seems there is no hope. All of the rich kids treat ponyboy’s gang like dirt and sometimes they beat them up just for the fun of it. Although one day the rich kids took it too far and they tried to kill ponyboy. Although one of his comrades saved his life but in the process killed one of the enemy boys, forcing the two of them to run away from home so they never get caught. This shows for these boys friendship is everything and as long as they have someone with them they are safe because they trust each other so much.
ReplyDeletePonyboy’s and his friends life is terrible and they are all each other have. Some of the gang have turned to drugs and alcohol to solve their problems. Others just give up hope completely and just wait to die. Although even Ponyboy has a terrible life he still has hope that things will be better and things will change in a good way
This book is a great way to show what people go through and even though someone’s life can be miserable if they have friends it will be all right. Even after everything that happens none of ponyboy’s friends turn their backs on him instead they always can lend a helping hand for each other. The outsider is a very well done books and I will make my whole family read it. And I would recommend this to anyone who likes action, suspense and cliffhangers.
Julian Christensen
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders by S.E. Hilton
In my opinion, “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hilton is an amazing, thrilling, and shocking story. It is about Ponyboy and his gang of “Greasers”, kids from the bad side of town fighting with the “Socs”, kids from the rich side of town. The fights are terrible and the Socs jump the Greasers just for fun. People got killed in the jumpings and this idea of fun kept the gangs at war for such a long time. It was interesting how the Greasers seemed so hard and bad, but they were far more compassionate than the Socs. All of the characters felt real and there was amazing description to keep a picture in my mind. This book is one of the few books that I could just read for hours upon hours and not get bored. The plot moved quickly and the twists and turns kept me interested the whole way through. All of the characters had a different view of how the world worked and it was fascinating to see how that effected the way that they lived. Johnny was the Greaser gang's best friend and he was very compassionate, yet he always carried a knife in fear of getting jumped once again. I really was interested in how the gangs thought of each other and how their lives were so different, yet they both felt angry about the way that they lived. The Greasers were angry because the Socs were so evil to them and the Socs were angry because people let them do what ever they wanted. This book made me feel excited, sad, and even made me root for the Greasers along the way. I would highly recommend this book to any middle school student looking for a great book to read in their free time. This book had so many cliff hangers that I could not put the book down.
The Outsiders Review
ReplyDeleteI would give The Outsiders five stars, because it opens one’s mind to bigger thoughts that we usually just ignore, and pretend do not exist. The author, S.E. Hinton, describes a teenager’s thoughts perfectly, as Ponyboy tried to forget his troubles in real life, and through the ones that were in his head. With two comforting, yet humorous older brothers, the author provided an assortment of characters, that you keep wanting to learn more about, as Ponyboy leads you through “edge of your seat” adventures. With realistic thoughts and settings, in keeping with the time period, Hinton created a heart-wrenching story, full of concepts that are important for one to think about, especially during the teenage years.
While she uses the elements of dialogue to distinguish each character’s personality, she also develops feeling, to make the reader care and reflect regarding the situations the characters face. For example, when Ponyboy weighs his personal goals against the gang’s actions and outcomes. By doing this, Hinton caused the reader to care and worry about the characters, making the story memorable.
I would strongly recommend this book to any teen, as it makes the reader reflect on their actions, and if they are truly being themselves, or just following the crowd. Hinton reminds the world that you can’t wait to grow up; you have to enjoy the way there, and make it last and stay true to yourself, or in Johnny’s words, “Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold.” (148)
By: William Hsieh
ReplyDeleteS.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders contained not only thrilling adventure, but also taught many life lessons. The Outsiders is about two gangs, the upper-class rich kids, the Socs, and the Greasers, the poorer gang from the bad side of town. Ponyboy Curtis is a young Greaser who lives with his two brothers, Darry and Sodapop. The book follows Ponyboy and his heroic story through his challenging life. The book was a great read because it included page-turning action, while teaching lessons on how to handle life.
There was always tension between Darry and Ponyboy because Darry always set strict rules on many things such as doing well in school or staying out of trouble. All the trouble when Ponyboy ran away from home after a fight with his brother. Ponyboy fell asleep at the parking lot and got home later then his is curfew. Darry was worried sick when Ponyboy didn’t come home on time. Darry’s over protectiveness lead him into a fight with Ponyboy and eventually he slapped brother because he got so angry. But when Ponyboy finally came home Darry was extremely happy and excited to see his brother again. When Ponyboy saw Darry so upset he was moved by how much his brother worried about him and finally realized Darry had been so strict just because Darry loved him and wanted the best for him. Overall I enjoyed The Outsiders and thought it contained suspenseful action as well as valuable life lessons.
Jeffrey Herr
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, is an inspiring book about a rivalry between two very different gangs. It is filled with drama, hope, thrill and raw emotion. The Greasers live on the bad side of town, the west side. They are called Greasers because they load their hair with grease. The Greasers are known as hoodlums with all the bad breaks. They are always working hard and defending their turf. The Socs live on the east side and are all very wealthy. They are always trying to find a fight. The book can be a bit sad but the action scenes and drama always have you longing for more. My favorite character is Darry because he works so hard and sacrifices so much for his little brothers. Darry is a greaser who is very good looking and talented. He lives with his brothers Sodapop and Ponyboy. In the end, after the greasers won the big gang fight, the two gangs agreed to their territories to stop the violence. Anyone who doesn’t mind a sad ending should read this book.
The Outsiders, written by S.E Hinton is a novel based on segregation between two different communities of people, Socs and Greasers. With each gang being rivals and living with opposing lifestyles one may think they have nothing to do with one another. The Socs, being the wealthy kids of the neighborhood live on the west side of town and with large wads of cash and plenty of money, they can get in trouble almost as fast as they can get out of it. The Greasers, named because of their long and oil full hair on the other hand struggle to even feed themselves, let alone have a proper home. S.E Hinton makes the story reflect on both sides and opinions of the two gangs, Greasers and Socs, which are also known as Socials. With Hinton’s point of view shown throughout the novel, she places the fact for the reasons a character may behave or act during the story. Though Hinton tells the point of view from the eyes of the two gangs, she mainly reflects on the views and thoughts from the main character, Ponyboy. Ponyboy Curtis is a 14-year-old boy who is part of the Greasers gang. Ponyboy lives alone with his two older brothers Sodapop and Darry, after their parents passed away in a car crash. Both brothers are also part of the Greasers gang along with Ponyboy. Darry the oldest of the three boys (18 years old) seems to despise and not get along well with Ponyboy throughout the story, but in truth Ponyboy learns towards the end of the novel that his brother had to make several difficult sacrifices, like giving up going to school in order to keep the family from being separated and placed into a boys home. The novel makes sure to express how relations between one another change over time. The author also makes the book have plenty of suspense and action all leading up to the novel’s main climax and even after the scene occurs. Though the book stays pretty low and clean on the details of the action scenes, it is not intended for younger children because of mild violence and brief alcoholic scenes. The climax of the story arises when one night while Ponyboy and his friend Johnny, who also belongs to the Greasers, go to a drive-in movie theater. While at the theater the two boys come across two girls that both reside in the west side of town. The two girls, named Cherry and Marcia are both girlfriends of Soc boys, so when Ponyboy and Johnny befriend them, little do they know what type of danger this will cause. Out of courteously the two boys offer to walk the girls home, when all of a sudden a blue mustang full of Socials drives pass them and picks the girls up, though the two girls do not want to go they do so to avoid a fight between the boys. After the incident both boys walk towards their homes, when all of a sudden the same boys that had picked up the girls earlier confront them. Knowing that he and Ponyboy are both clearly outnumbered Jonny grabs a small knife in order to help protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs one of the boys lunges at Ponyboy and another grabs his head, Johnny is left fighting by himself, while Ponyboy is being drowned at a nearby fountain of water. With no other choice, Jonny rushes towards the boy that was drowning Ponyboy and stabs him. After Jonny’s action occurred the other Soc boys run off and disappear. With both boys knowing that the police would be there soon they run off to their homes once again. Both boys knew that Jonny’s action had caused the death of the soc, so with no other choice they ran far away from town and even farther away from the police. Ponyboy and Johnny later encounter another Greaser named Dally. Dally was a real troublemaker and he had been in jail several times and usually found a way out of going, only to arrive at the jail again a few days later. Dally helped them get out of town and into hiding. The boys wound up hiding in an old abandoned church, eventually Dally reached to them and brought Ponyboy a letter written by Darry to come back home and face the police. It did not take much time for the boys to make up their minds on leaving. Before returning home the boys went out to eat, but when they returned they found the church house perished with fire. Apparently young children had been playing there and in the process wound themselves getting trapped in the church. Without a moments hesitation Johnny and Ponyboy go in after them. Though the boys managed to save the kids they were not so lucky themselves. Johnny ended up in an ambulance, while Ponyboy was not hurt as severely as damaged. As the story spread across town the boys were being written about in newspapers, usually being called heroes. Though Jonny did die in the end many views from the characters changed through the end of the story. Some gang members called it quits, while others stayed the same. Ponyboy’s brother Darry became closer to him as so did many other gang members that day. Gang members started to realize that there was no point in fighting, so why even try. The story shows that while one may feel out of place and that life is unfair, others make a change to it. With a mist of mystery, confusion and action this makes a great book to read and learn from.
ReplyDeleteJada
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders Book Review
S.E. Hinton’s heart breaking novel The Outsiders tells the story of a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy Curtis who lives on the underprivileged side of town. Ponyboy belongs to a small gang including his two brothers and his close friends. However, his miniature gang is just a fraction of a ruffian group called “greasers.” Many greasers have obtained switchblades and guns (“heaters”) and carry them around daily. They are known as the no-good thugs who just want to cause trouble. On the affluent side of town lives a despicable and malicious gang called the “socs.” They are known as the rich kids who jump greasers for the fun of it. The predictable future for the gang swerves without warning one night. Then, everything just goes out of the ordinary.
Out of the myriad books I have read, The Outsiders stands out from the rest. It opened my eyes to unnecessary segregation and violence. The socs and the greasers hate each other just because they live on different sides of town, which is ridiculous. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I always wanted to know what happened next. As the story progresses the suspense keeps building up. When the book came to an end I had wished there was more to read. I confidently recommend this book to everybody. I adored it, and you will too!
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is an inspiring and beautifully written story of two rival gangs who seem different in every possible way. But actually, they have similarities that neither gang could see. The rivals are the “Greasers,” the kids that live on the less wealthy side of town and the “Socs,” or “Socials” who are known for being the “rich kids” of the town. The Socs will pick on any Greaser and beat them up just because they can. Also, Greasers are uneducated because they don’t often finish school, while the Soc’s take their education more seriously. The book is written in the view of Ponyboy Curtis, a Greaser, and tough as nails. (Just like every Greaser.) His parents were killed in a car accident so his oldest brother, Darry, looks out for Pony and their middle brother, Sodapop. Darry does everything he can to keep Pony educated and safe. One day, Darry gets so mad at Ponyboy for being late that Pony runs away with his friend Johnny. They are thinking of coming home when some Socs jump them. One of the Socs is trying to drown Ponyboy so in self-defense, Johnny takes out his sharp switchblade and kills the trouble-making Soc. Johnny and Pony decide it wouldn’t be safe to stay in the town so they go to a worn-down church that their malevolent Greaser friend Dally had told them about. They hide there for a few days until Johnny could no longer take the guilt of killing someone. He wants to turn himself in. When Johnny, Pony, and Dally drive past the church on their way home, they notice it is on fire and there are kids inside. They save the kids and Pony makes it out safely but Johnny isn’t so lucky. He ends up in the hospital and later, dies. When Ponyboy is back home, he meets Randy, one of the Socs who jumped him. At first, Pony is scared of Randy. Then, Ponyboy starts to get to know him. Randy talks about Bob (the Soc that Johnny killed) and how Bob did what he did because he didn’t know any better. Bob’s parents didn’t care what Bob did so he felt like he could do anything. Bob never heard “no” in his life. Randy also mentions a rumble between the gangs coming up and that he isn’t going to take part in it. This makes Ponyboy think about Socs and Greasers. No matter who wins the rumble, the Socs will still be the richer and luckier gang, while the Greasers will always be the poorer and the smaller group. The Greasers end up winning the fight. By the end of the book, Pony begins to realize that some Soc’s don’t know right from wrong and he begins to take pride in being a Greaser.
ReplyDeleteThis book was very touching, exciting and hard to put down. Throughout the book, Darry gives up so much for Ponyboy and Sodapop. For instance, in order to keep Pony and Soda healthy and educated, Darry drops out of school to get a job. Also, In order to keep the Curtis family as a whole, Darry has to look out for his brothers and take the place of his parents, who have already passed away. If Darry wasn’t so much of a parent to his brothers, the police would be forced to separate Pony and Soda from Darry and put them up for adoption. That is one of the most inspiring and touching things I have ever heard! An exciting part of the book is the rumble between the Soc’s and Greasers. Hinton vividly describes the scene. Although I thought the action-packed scene was exciting, it might be too violent for kids under 11. The book also makes drugs and smoking references which are also for mature ages. Lastly, after almost every chapter, the reader is left with a cliff-hanger event . The reader wants to keep reading because of the urge to see what is going to happen next. The rumble was a little hard to follow even though it was written in the eyes of Ponyboy. The author switches characters throughout the scene, making it hard to follow the events. Overall, I give The Outsiders four stars (out of five) for these reasons.
When I first looked at this book, I did not think I would enjoy it. I thought it would be a predictable story about gang rumbles ad how people are not as how they appear to be. However, as I started to delve into the main characters complicated personalities and painful choices with even more painful consequences, I started to get more interested. The part where Johnny murdered the Soc Bob was a very sudden jerk in the story. All of a sudden, they were running off to Dallas to escape. The story has periods where it's very slow and lazy like a hazy summer, then SNAP! Someone murders someone, or a church is burning down.
ReplyDeleteAnother great part of the story is the contrast of the Socs and the Greasers and how nobody can be perfectly happy in an extreme. Like how Ponyboy wished that there was someplace in the middle. The Greasers are lower class and get jumped just for fun from the Socs, but they have more emotions and they're not afraid to show it. The Socs though, have everything they want but it all seems like King Midas' touch. Nothing matters because they get what they want and they're parents can't say no. It's almost as if the Socs are floating figures of pristine ice, and they're untouchable and they're honored as being beautiful and everything is theirs, but they're so cold that their heart freezes up and they get frostbite. Then they pick on the Greasers just so they can warm up their hearts.
Overall, this book was predictable (with the exception of the death of Johnny) but very touching and meaningful, especially at the end. Anybody that likes books that have a strong message and where there is no good or bad sides should read this book.
By: Katelyn Aoyama
ReplyDeleteThe Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton, is an amazing book that captured my imagination bringing me into the world of Ponyboy Curtis (Pony). Ponyboy lives with his two older brothers, Sodapop (Soda) and Darrel (Darry) and has one very close friend, Johnny who is extremely timid. Pony is a track and field champion, and thrives in school as a normal fourteen-year old boy, though he is from a rough and less fortunate neighborhood and is a part of a hoodlum gang who has long hair slicked back with grease known as “The Greasers.” Greasers usually carry around heaters (guns), or switchblades in an event where they would have to barricade themselves from another gang known as the "Socials," (the "Socs). The Socs live on the more prosperous side of town and are always looking for a good fight and enjoy torturing the greasers, one way being to jump them. Pony and Johnny were not looking for a fight, but somehow a fight found them and that was the night when everything went completely disastrous.
When the book came to the end I wanted more. The Outsiders was filled with many different moods: happiness, family, drama, and much more. With the astounding descriptions, I was able to better comprehend what was going on as well. Not once did I find myself bored during the intense story. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I felt sympathy and felt the characters, and was always thrilled to read on. I not only enjoyed the book, but also learned a life value. You should not judge someone by who they hang out with, what clothes they wear, or what kind of house or neighborhood they live in. The only thing that matters is who they are as a person. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for intense action as well as a heart-filled story. The Outsiders was an absolutely astonishing and breathtaking book!
Noah Listgarten
ReplyDeleteThe book “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a very in-depth emotion book, and like most books written in first person, it makes you feel like you were really there. The action scenes were very intense. Your heart rate sped up every time something interesting was happening to the main character, Ponyboy, and what felt like something interesting was happening to yourself. I was very moved when something bad happened to Ponyboy and his friends. The Socs were mostly responsible, the nasty, rich white kids that fought the poor Greasers because of what the Greasers were. The Greasers were Greasers and that was bad. At least, that’s what the Socs thought. The Greasers point of view made more sense: The Socs hurt the Greasers so they need to use force so that the Socs stop hurting the Greasers. The language is complicated and harsh, and violence is intense, so I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 10.
The Outsiders Review
ReplyDeleteBy Reed Pickus
I think the book “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton is a very good book. One thing I liked was the description the book offered of most of the characters in the book. One time the writer showed description was at the beginning of the book when describing Ponyboy, “I have light brown, almost red hair and greenish-gray eyes. My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut.” Character description is also shown when describing a member of Ponyboy’s gang, Two-Bit, “Two-Bit Matthews was the oldest of the gang and the wisecracker of the bunch. He was about six feet tall, stocky in build, and very proud of his long rusty-colored sideburns. He had gray eyes and a wide grin, and he couldn’t stop making funny remarks to save his life.” The way that S.E. Hinton offered description was usually when introducing characters. However, in some parts, she tells about the personality or background of a person when describing physical traits like when she writes,” (…),but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut.” When describing his hair, you also learn that Ponyboy lives in a greaser city, and that he fits into the greaser stereotype. In this book, I also thought I related to Two-Bit Matthews because I like to make jokes a lot and I am an easygoing person. I also thought it was interesting how the book showed how two quiet and reserved people could relate to each other when alone. One thing that the main characters share is Ponyboy telling Johnny about the sunset. When telling about it he mentions that he would never tell that to another member of their gang. In life, it seems like the same thing is true, that two quiet people relate when together and open up to each other. Another thing that was interesting to me was the perception of Darry throughout the book. At the beginning, the writing leads you to think that Darry is unfair and doesn’t show as much attention to Ponyboy as he does to Sodapop. By the end of the book, you find out that though he shows it in misleading ways, Darry does all of this to Ponyboy just because he wants to protect him and raise him well. I thought that this was a great book and I would highly recommend it.
By: Erin Broderick
ReplyDeleteIn the thrilling book, The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton tells a story about a fourteen year old boy, Ponyboy, who lives in the streets of Oklahoma. For Ponyboy and his two brothers Sodapop and Darrel, there is danger around every corner. Especially because the three are in the gang called the “greasers” who live on the east side of town. Ponyboy’s friends, Dally, Two-Bit, Steve, and Johnny, make up the gang. Their rival gang, named the socs, live on the west side where the rich kids live. Ponyboy believes life is easier on the west side, until he meets Cherry Valance, a girl who convinces him that it’s “rough all over.” Ponyboy is prepared for almost anything, until one night, when he and Johnny are attacked by a group of drunken socs. Out of fear and instinct, Johnny pulls out a blade and kills on of the socs. To escape the police, Dally sends them on a train to Windrixville, where they take shelter in an abandoned church. To disguise themselves, the two cut there long, greasy hair, and Ponyboy dies his hair blonde. After a long week of eating nothing but bologna, Dally meets them there and treats them to sandwiches and ice cream at Dairy Queen. When they return to the church, they find it in flames. When they find out that five children are stranded inside, Ponyboy and Johnny race inside. The two manage to save all of the children, and Ponyboy escaped uninjured, but Johnny wasn’t quick enough and he broke his back. The three boys return home. Johnny becomes paralyzed from the waist down. He shortly passes away, enraging Dally. And on the same night, Dally is shot by the police for robbing a grocery store. This story does an excellent job of describing what it’s like to live as a gang member in Oklahoma, and how it feel to be picked on just because you put grease in your hair. I absolutely loved this book., and I recommend that everyone reads it.
Jep Review for Outsiders
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton is a fabulous book. Ponyboy, his brothers Soda and Darry, and his friends Dallas, Steve, Johnny and Two-Bit go through a very big hardship. They get into many fights with the socs, the people who live on the rich side of town. Ponyboy and Johnny decide to run away because Johnny killed someone and then Darry got very mad at Ponyboy. They went to an abandoned church where they stayed for a while. Later the church is caught on fire and Ponyboy and Johnny show remarkable courage and bravery by rescuing the children inside. You may be disappointed because the story does end badly.
Ponyboy describes how he thinks that some people see him and other greasers, that they are “victims of the environment” and deserve pity rather than hatred. How does he react to this idea?
ReplyDelete