The Outsiders by S.E Hinton

We've been reading a book in English class, and it's a heck of a good one. The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. I kind of underestimated this book at first, and boy, I was totally wrong for doing that. Here's the synopsis for ya,

According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.

I would tell you little snippets of the plot here but you could probably guess by the synopsis above. When I first read the summary on the back of the book, I was thinking "okay, it's kind of like a thug novel". But when I finished reading it in class with my other classmates, I realized how wrong I was to have so quickly judged this book.

Now, after reading it, I can't stop thinking about the story, that was how deep The Outsiders had struck me. I could recall so many things from this book and I would love to read it again in my personal time. This is a book about friendship, love, understanding, gangs, violence. You name it. And all of that were experienced by these group of boys called 'Greasers', and this book's perspective is from the emotions and thoughts of one of the characters, Ponyboy Curtis. And yes, that is his real name.

To tell you the truth, I love some you know, flowery words in a book once in a while. But for The Outsiders, maybe it's not one of those books with a high standard in literature. S.E Hinton drives right on to the story, faithful to every paragraph, and right into the characters, with their characteristics and background. But frankly, I didn't mind at all. I was so immersed in the book, that I put that standard away in the dust. It just makes the book feel really precious and genuine. The characters in this book definitely were not dull at all, especially Ponyboy.

I was emotionally connected to these characters and I just love when that happens while I'm reading a book! She created wonderful characters, these boys who had things going on in their life that sometimes we would never thought of. They're fantastic and I really felt for them, well maybe for the exception of one boy in the gang, Steve. He didn't really stand out in the book for me. And Ponyboy, man, there were definitely moments in the book where I related to him. He's really some character. His thoughts and emotions really described just how he is, he's confused, he's scared, he's uneasy about the things that goes around him. Yet he's a brave boy, and a very kind one at that. His narrative was just so real, sincere and it just has these vulnerabilities and honesty which made the story so real. I could see some vulnerabilities within these characters and it kind of made me think, and also surprised that boys could feel those things. I hope what I just said made sense.

Again, the plot went really well and I really felt the excitement. I almost dropped some tears during specific moments in the book. The emotions also flowed very well through the different characters. It's very well-potrayed, and I even have a soft spot for one of the boys in the book, haha. It described so many social issues mentioned like gangs, violence, family conflicts and all that. For me, I think that this book has a message. That message to me is that, throughout the dark turmoils, there is hope for those who hasn't given up the fight. There is something worth living for in this world. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read this book and it's definitely one to cherish.

Stay gold.

xoxo,

Maya.

Grade: A+