I have finished the book, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, just recently. It talked about a group of friends, who are close to being hoods, known as ?the Greasers.? They were always getting in trouble, but not as much as Johnny and Ponyboy, two of the main characters, did. Johnny and Ponyboy must keep away from any human, afraid to get caught. It shows all the concepts of death, fear, friendship, hatred, social class, and violence. This book will help readers realize how gangs feel when they are in trouble.
S.E. Hinton is a great writer. She understands how it feels from a hood?s point. She shows the ?soft? side of someone people will never think existed. For example, if you see Ponyboy, you?d probably run, but S.E. Hinton shows him as a smart, shy, and thoughtful boy. He watches sunsets and reads books, which most kids his age don?t usually do.
What I really liked was the way she shows the ?soft? side. We all know that everyone thinks gangs don?t have a ?soft? side. I disliked how Ponyboy starts trying to be ?tuff.? I think everyone will like it better if he stayed soft so the group might make a turn and realize the good in life.
I would definitely recommend this book to middle schoolers mostly. I wouldn?t recommend this to age 12 and below because of violence and language.
I?d rate this book 5 stars because it gives the reader whole new ideas of someone they probably stereotyped to be frightening and violent to become just another normal person.
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