The Outsiders

I seen this book at my grocery store Meijer along with other classics. I haven't read this one yet so I threw it into the basket. When I got home the back said that it was a young adult book. Ugh! Young adult?? I'm glad I read it though. Because now I can say that I have read it even though I'm thirty years to late. There was a movie based on this book to.

I give this book three stars. It was good/average. I could sense what was to happen next. The author is a woman and had written the book while in high school and got published on her graduation day! Wow, what an awesome present! In an interview, she said that she liked just her initials being used on her book covers for privacy reasons. The Outsiders was publishd in 1967.

I loved the names in the story. The main character and narrator of the story was Ponyboy. His brothers names were Sodapop and Darrel. Ponyboy was 14. Sodapop 16 and Darrel 18. Their folks died in a car accident so Darrel took the fatherly roll. Sodapop quit school and Darrel worked. Ponyboy was still in school.

The story was basically about two gangs. The Greasers from the East side and the Socs (Socials) were from the West. Greasers were poor and rebels. They wore black leather jackets with long hair combed back with grease. The Socs were rich and preppy. They drove Mustangs, Sting Rays and Corvettes. They would rumble right along with the Greasers.

I believe Ponyboy was a leader and not a follower. Ponyboy living on the East side automatically made him a Greaser. He was the only one in the gang who liked movies. He would participate in rumbles. He liked to draw. He ranaway with his friend after his friend did something horrible. Ponyboy was in Track at his school. I believe Ponyboy made some mistakes by following the gang and because of his youth. But he was going to continue to be interested in the things that he liked even if his fellow gang members didn't like them.

Ponyboy seen some heavy stuff being in a gang and all at such a young age. Still he was trying to find his own way through life. He didn't want to be bad and he wanted to rise above being in a gang. He looked forward to a day when he was just a normal person living his life without being in a gang.

There was a point when Ponyboy was physically and emotionally hurt and was in need of TLC. And it was nice to read that the brothers were nurturing their youngest brother back to health. I was unsure if Ponyboy was suffering emotionally until the story told you that the brothers were telling Ponyboy that he had been through a lot. The story showed how attentive they were to their little brothers well being. I don't know why I didn't catch onto Ponyboy being affected emotionally with all the trauma that was going on around him. I guess because the story was telling us about Ponyboy being hurt physically.

The story ended with hope. I like endings like that. There so realistic. You don't get all the answers at the end of the story. It doesn't have that..'and they lived happily ever after' feel at the end. Yet it ends with a good feeling that there is hope in the future. I like that.
I thought this book was a little expensive. I seen at WalMart they had the same set-up with some classics. WalMarts were at least a buck more. I guess Meijer does have lower prices. =)

I am now reading 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell. It's also a short book so I will be back soon with that book review. Keep up with your summer reading!

Happy reading to you all!