Today's featured classic is The Outsiders (1967) by S.E. Hinton.
From Goodreads:
First published in 1967, S. E. Hinton's novel was an immediate phenomenon. Today, with more than eight million copies sold and now available with a perceptive introduction by Jodi Picoult, The Outsiders continues to resonate with its powerful portrait of the bonds and boundaries of friendship.
In Ponyboy's world there are two types of people. There are the Socs, the rich society kids who get away with anything. Then there are the greasers, like Ponyboy, who aren't so lucky. Ponyboy has a few things he can count on: his older brothers, his friends, and trouble with the Socs, whose idea of a good time is beating up greasers. At least he knows what to expect—until the night things go too far.
Excerpt:
They walked out slowly, silently, smiling. "Need a haircut, greaser?" The medium-sized blond pulled a knife out of his back pocket and flipped the blade open. I finally thought of something to say. "No." I was backing up, away from that knife. Of course I backed right into one of them. They had me down in a second. I fought to get loose, and almost did for a second; then they tightened up on me and slugged me a couple of times. So I lay still, swearing at them between gasps. A blade was held against my throat. "How'd you like that haircut to begin just below the chin?"
Have you read The Outsiders? Who is your favorite character? Have you read any other books by Hinton, like Rumble Fish or That Was Then, This is Now?
I read The Outsiders in 7th grade in Ms. Meier's class. I loved Ponyboy the most. I'm always partial to the narrator.
