Back to School Book 2: The Outsiders

After reading The Scarlet Letter, I wanted to choose something a little easier for my next book. I decided to go with The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

First edition cover from 1967

(I've never actually seen this one)

My first encounter with anything "Outsiders" was in 7th grade. The girl I sat in front of in math class kept a copy of The Outsiders on her desk, and as we started talking and getting to know each other, she told me she liked to carry the book around with her because the boys on the cover were hot. Lynsie remains one of my best friends to this day (though she no longer carries a copy of The Outsiders around with her... that I know of...)

I don't remember which edition Lynsie had (I'll have to ask her), but this one looks the most like something a 12-year-old girl in 1996 would carry around

That same school year, we ended up reading The Outsiders for English class. 

Plot-wise, if you were to ask me a month ago what The Outsiders is about, I would have said, "There are some kids with weird names, and they get in fights." I didn't remember the nature of the fights or anything else about the story, so reading it again was like reading it for the first time. 

First off, I have to say that there's no question as to why this book is so well-loved and iconic. I definitely didn't appreciate it as a teen, but as an adult, I can better pick up on the depth of the characters and the themes in the writing. 

Secondly, I'm in awe at the fact that S.E. Hinton started writing The Outsiders when she was fifteen years old.

FIFTEEN.

I mean... c'mon! I'm double her age +7, and I can hardly craft a photo caption that's worthy of note. The girl had a gift! (Her name is Susan, if you're wondering). 

Anyway, what is there to say about The Outsiders? To put it simply, I really liked it. I found Ponyboy to be quite endearing. His relationship with both Sodapop (his brother) and Johnny (his friend) is very sweet, though I think he'd prefer me to say "tuff." He radiates goodness without perfection, and I always appreciate that in a character. There is still complexity in him, as there is with all of the characters in The Outsiders. 

After finishing the book, I had to also watch the movie! We watched the movie after reading the book in English class, and clearly it didn't help solidify the story in my memory. The only thing I remembered about the movie was Emilio Estevez in a Mickey Mouse shirt. 

It was fun to watch the movie and see all of the young actors - Patrick Swayze as Ponyboy's older brother, Darry. Rob Lowe as the notably good looking Sodapop. Ralph Macchio as Johnny (pre-Karate Kid). And even Tom Cruise as the incredibly annoying, insignificant character, Steve.

(Side fact: Ralph Macchio was 22 when he filmed The Outsiders and The Karate Kid. He plays a 16-year-old in The Outsiders, but he doesn't look a day older than 12!)

Now that I've read the book and watched the movie, I have to say, The Outsiders is probably the truest movie based on a book that I've ever seen. S.E. Hinton owns the rights to the movie and says there will never be a remake, and I'm glad for that!

Now that I'm two books into this goal of reading 10 books from my school days, I'm feeling pretty pumped and excited about what I'm going to read next (I haven't picked yet). I have a list of possibilities on my phone that just keeps getting longer. There is much reading to do!