Scott Semegran

Considered one of the first—if not THE first—Young Adult novels, The Outsiders is the classic tale of the conflict between the greaser and social teen cliques in 1960s Oklahoma. It spawned a faithful movie adaption directed by Francis Ford Coppola in the 1980s. If you've seen the movie, then there aren't any surprises in the novel. It's a well-plotted story with a realistic conflict between the social outcasts and the popular kids with some very dramatic turns and the sturdy underlying moral of “don't judge a book by its cover.” The relationship between Ponyboy, his brothers, and their friends is endearing and realistic. I did enjoy reading this novel.

But there are some caveats. First, the narration is clunky with questionable word choices. For instances, during a brawl, Ponyboy (who is the narrator) tells the reader that he wonders where Johnny is while his head is being violently submerged in a water fountain by a rival gang member. I can imagine images of his friend would frantically race through his mind. But wonder? There is a lot of wondering going on in questionable situations in this novel. Second, Ponyboy is described as very book smart and different from the rest of his gang, yet he doesn't site any of the dozens upon dozens of books he's claimed to have read—not even a single quote from a favorite book—and his narration doesn't display a single sign of this well-read dreamer and avid bookworm. His narration is clunky and lacks any signs of a literate mind. The only thing that seems to make him different from the rest of his gang is that he questions their station in life. And he does realize that the social kids are not much different than the greaser kids; they just have different problems and living situations.

Overall, this was a good read. I'd give it 3 and a half stars.