The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Spoilers)

I know I'm late to this party but I had never read this book before. I saw the movie YEARS UPON YEARS ago, and thinking back I believe it was because it wasn't considered "required reading." Such as it is, I have now finally read it and I can safely say that I loved it. S.E. Hinton (who is a tomboy, by the way) did an amazing job capturing real lives. If you haven't read this book or watched the movie, not only do I STRONGLY recommend you do so, but I also recommend that you don't continue reading this.

The Outsiders follows Ponyboy Curtis as he maneuvers through a small part of his life. Ponyboy, along with his older brothers Sodapop and Darry, are a part of a group of "greasers" who look out for one another against the "Socs" or socialites. After getting into an argument with his brother Darry, Ponyboy runs away and into his buddy Johnny. The two are jumped by a group of Socsa and a horrible act occurs. This results in Johnny and Ponyboy running and hiding from the cops with the help of their buddy Dallas. A fire has the boys running back home and events unfold that turn Ponyboy's world inside out.

I fell in love with all of the boys in this book, especially Darry. It means the world to me to see an older brother step up and take care of the family, because to me it means they care about nothing else. The author didn't idolize or turn Darry into a god, but made him more realistic to me because of this flaws. Ponyboy is a teenager who doesn't get it until the ending as to why Darry behaves the way he does. I fell in love with all of them, though, because of their closeness and their loyalty to one another.

For anyone who waits to escape a terrible home life or simply needs to believe that family is more than blood, I strongly recommend this book. I remember the movie being just as good (which is why I wanted to read it) so if you don't like reading then please watch the movie. However, make sure to have Kleenex near by when you get to the ending. S.E. Hinton gives a compelling coming of age, loyalty, and friendship story that makes you kind of want to be a greaser. 5 out of 5 stars.

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