Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
my inspiration..., October 9, 2006
When I had to read THE OUTSIDERS in seventh grade, at first I was just like whatever because I thought it was going to be another boring book we had to read and why can't we ever get good books to read? But from the first chapter, that was it. I fell so hard I still haven't gotten up.
This book was my inspiration for writing my own teen novels. It's one of those books that has characters you're so into you wish they were your friends. Well, first you wish they were real. And then you wish they were your friends and you could call them any time you wanted and be like, "Hey, Ponyboy, what's good? Can you meet up at Chat 'n Chew for some grilled cheese and backgammon?" That's what hooks you in from the beginning...the way this story feels so real. The intense energy of the dialogue and the fast pacing of the plot make it impossible to put this book down. And when you do put it down because you have to go to school or sleep or whatnot, you can't stop thinking about it, you can't stop wondering what's going to happen next. It's like you don't even know how you can get through the day without finding out.
So I want you to be as hooked as I was and read this so many times that page 73 is falling out. Because this book makes you feel alive. And that's an amazing feeling.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book that can affect your life, December 3, 2006
The outsiders is a book about two gangs and their rivalry. It presents the friendship and love of the people in the gang. It's unique because it changed the teen books about crushes, prom queens, and cat fights into a truer, darker side of the world.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
9th grade student review 1, March 31, 2008
The novel, The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hinton was a very intriguing book. This novel shows the differences of two gangs, the Socs and the Greasers. It is also a story about three brothers who lost their parents in a car accident. All the characters in this book will have to go through very interesting challenges and obstacles in this book.
The main character in this book is Ponyboy Curtis. Ponyboy is the younger brother of Sodapop and Darry. Sodapop is the middle sibling of the Curtis family. When Ponyboy's parents died, Darry, the older sibling, takes care of Ponyboy and Sodapop. Ponyboy is very academic and is a star on the school track team. Ever since Ponyboy's parents have died in a car crash, he became very rebellious to Darry. Ponyboy and Darry fight very often. Throughout the novel Ponyboy will realize that Darry is not that bad as a parent figure and he will learn to live with him. Sodapop is a high school dropout and is the happy-go-lucky sibling of the family. Every character in the book shows great respect for Sodapop because most of the time, he kids around but when he is serious, people listen to him and take his advice. Sodapop always listens to problems that Ponyboy is having. He also makes sure that Darry is not too hard on Ponyboy. Throughout the novel Sodapop became more serious and did not kid around as much. Darry had to drop out of school and work two jobs ever since his parents died so he can take care of Pony and Soda. Darry gave up his dream of attending college so he can be the father of the family. At first, Darry was not a good parent because he was letting Pony and Soda eat chocolate cake for dinner and stay out for as long as they wanted but later on in the novel, Darry will learn how to become a caring parent. When Ponyboy is sick, Darry will bring him soup and sleep with him to make sure he is okay. Ponyboy's best friend is Johnny and Johnny is part of the Greasers. Johnny's parents do not care for him as much as Darry cares for Sodapop and Ponyboy. Johnny really did not know much about the world until he read the book Gone With the Wind. Johnny started realizing the good parts of life through nature. Dally is probably the most troubled Greasers of them all. Dally does not care for anything but he does feel guilty for other people's mistakes. Two-Bit is also part of the Greasers and he is the joker of the group.
The chapters of The Outsiders were broken down very well. I would say that the turning point of the novel happened in chapter 4. In chapter 4, the Socs were drowning Ponyboy in a fountain but Johnny did something extreme to help save Ponyboy's life. In another chapter, Ponyboy and Johnny saved a bunch of kids from a burning church. This really showed how brave and caring Ponyboy and Johnny really are. Even though Johnny was brutally injured in the fire, he said it was all worth it saving those kids. When Johnny was recovering from his injury, all the Greasers went to his hospital room and made sure that Johnny had every thing he wanted. In another chapter, the Greasers and the Socs wanted to settle everything for the last time with a big rumble. This was a very exciting part of the book because it finally solved all the problems between the Socs and the Greasers. At the end of the book, the Curtis family realized that when times are tough, that they should stick together.
A major theme in this novel is loyalty. Johnny showed how loyal he was by saving Ponyboy when he was drowning in fountain. Another example of loyalty is when the Greasers helped Johnny recover from his injury by getting him anything he wanted. Another theme in this novel is leadership. Johnny showed a great deal of leadership when he saved the kids from the burning church. Darry is also a leader because he helps take care of Ponyboy and Sodapop. The last theme in this novel is the separation of social classes between the Greasers and the Socs. The Greasers are the lower class and the gang that lives on the east side. The Socs are the higher class that lives on the west side of town. Throughout the novel, you will learn that even though the Socs and the Greasers look like two completely different gangs but the main character Ponyboy will learn that everyone has problems and people are not always different on the inside.
The Outsiders really shows the importance of friendship and how friends are always there for you. I liked everything in this book except that there are too many characters in this book to remember. I would still recommend this book and I think it is a must-read.
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