Recently I have been reading some old books and watching old movies. My favorite books so far from that list are the books by author S E Hinton. The three books are The Outsiders, Rumble Fish and That Was then, this is now. I started reading The Outsiders book in November during English class as a required reading unit. I thought it would be a boring typical old fashioned book, but I was wrong. As I dived into the book I slowly became obsessed with it. The story taught me a lot about the different shades of life. The book made me laugh but I did get choked up at times because it had a bittersweet content. After finishing the first book we watched the movie based on this book at school and now I have read the third book by the same author. I would highly recommend reading this book to any middle aged student.
Today, I will be reviewing all 3 books by the talented author, S.E Hinton. Miss Hinton began writing The Outsiders when she was 15 years old. This was the time when there were a lot of gangs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she lived.These stories are set in the 60s. She later published the book a year later and it became a huge hit.
The Outsiders story starts off with Ponyboy Curtis, a fourteen year old boy living in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his brothers Darry (20) and Sodapop (16) after his parents died in an accident. Ponyboy (Yes, that’s his real name) doesn’t mind being alone, away from the gang he’s in, the Greasers. The greasers are the west side hoods, they have nice long, greasy hair and not as much money as the Socs (Short for Socials) , their rival gang who come from rich families, drive mustangs, and wear madras. The Greasers are brought up from different backgrounds, that’s what makes them so unique. When a young and innocent Greaser commits a serious crime to defend himself and Ponyboy from facing torture from the Socs, they go on the run, where they learn about coming of age and that things are rough all over in life. After a bunch of kids are left in a burning house, their decision to save those kids is worth it. Is it though? It could change everything in Ponyboy’s life. What Will Happen next? Read this book to find out. By far, this is my favorite book so far and it has taught me life lessons that will help anyone, adult or teen. This book has also taught me the significance and the appreciation of sunsets and has brought me to tears. This book has been turned into a movie and features a lot of my favorite actors like Tom Cruise, and Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) just to name a few.
Mark and Bryon are best friends, who have never gotten into a fight for the past several years. They live with Byron’s mother after Mark’s parents died after shooting each other in a drunken argument. They like to hustle and play pool at their Buddy Charlie’s bar. Mark and Bryon. Bryon and Mark. Coming of age isn’t easy, you fall apart from things you never realized you would fall apart from. Like I said, Mark and Bryon were inseparable. But now, Bryon has come to realize that growing up isn’t easy, and he’s going to make a decision that will change Bryon and Mark’s friendship forever when he finds out the truth behind Mark. This book has taught me the consequences of growing up, and that when you’re older, you’re facing your reality, that was then, this is now. This book felt like I was watching a movie. I look forward to watching the movie very soon. I was really happy to see that Ponyboy Curtis from The Outsiders also makes an appearance but I was disappointed to hear he wasn’t in the movie. This book covers drugs, alcohol, and some violence. I would recommend reading all of these books at the ages of thirteen and above. Personally, my 10-12 year old self would be scared to death.
A Restless teen gangster Rusty-James looks forward to fights. He lives with his alcoholic father, as his mother abandoned him and enjoys the company of his girlfriend Patty and his useless gangster friends who get into fights once in a while. When Rusty-James’s estranged brother (The Motorcycle Boy) comes back, Rusty-James hopes to find him as a mentor while other people think of his brother as a crazy person. I’m halfway through this book but I am really excited to know what happens next.
These stories have taught me a lot about growing up and have been a great inspiration. Again, I would like to tell everyone that the books and movies must be read or watched at the age of thirteen or older. I hope more and more children of this generation will enjoy reading this book as much as I did. They have taught me different lessons on life. In my school, everyone hated reading, but our “The Outsiders” unit changed everyone’s life for the better and for good.
The first two books remind me of Sunrises and Sunsets. In the outsiders, Johnny tells Ponyboy that he wished that the sky could look as golden and pretty forever and Ponyboy recites lines from my favorite poem, Nothing Gold can Stay by Robert Frost. Not everything in this world lasts forever, like everything gold in this world can’t stay gold forever, but this can change, all you gotta do is Stay Gold.
Mrs. Hinton has also written other follow up books with these and I hope to read these books to the future generation. This is proof that Gold can stay during your youth.
Stay Gold everyone and happy reading!