5 stars. I was never assigned this, but I see why it's so often included in middle grade curriculum. It's just full of devastating lessons kids should kick around until they absorb them, maybe years later, maybe even when they are adults. My heart was in my throat by the end of the first chapter. Compulsively captivating, and incredibly deep, The Outsiders is the most emotional reading experience I've had in a long time.
Ponyboy belongs to a group of guys called "Greasers," considered lower class than the affluent "Socs." These two groups are essentially rival gangs, often clashing in fights and other violent ways. The youngest of three Greaser brothers, Ponyboy, is booksmart and sensitive and well in tune with the rules - spoken and unspoken - of the streets. When he and his best friend Johnny get in trouble, they run away, escalating an inevitable confrontation between their enemies and the group they consider family.
Reading the reviews for this is actually fascinating - from the "mehs" to the queer interpretations to the political fear mongering to the outright denial of harsh truths to the glowing praise to the unhealthily obsessed. I do wish I'd been assigned - I'd love to unpack this in a classroom setting.
I'm unsure if you can respond to, or evaluate, this book without taking into account that the author was a teenager when she wrote it. Does this factor account for its brilliance, its style? Her age undoubtedly informed the book's perspective, but it's tremendously mature, and wise... it captures perfectly the way young people crash up against the loss of innocence, certainty, and hope. There are also components of it that do seem immature, or overly simple, or reminiscent of a young person's perception or imagination. No less important, though, or without merit.
This book also presents an incredibly interesting depiction of young men. I don't know if I've encountered a similar exploration of masculinity: the way men fight, seek connection and comfort, identify or relate to each other, how they dream and deal with those dreams, or the loss of those dreams. And of course - I've been thinking a lot about this lately, as I think a lot of Americans are - the class and social warfare aspect, the haves and the have-nots...
I could go on and on. Of particular interest to me was the way adults were depicted - not as a reliable and universal authority, but capable of good and bad, which was again fascinating from a young person's point of view. And the idea of honor... and the cycles of violence... as I said, I could go on and on.
Highly recommend.
The Outsiders on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads
