Product Description

Written over forty years ago, S. E. Hinton’s classic story of the struggle between the Socs and the Greasers remains as powerful today as it was the day it was written, and it is taught in schools nationwide. Now available in a great new package with an improved trim size, a stunning new cover, and bonus material. Designed with classroom use in mind, the new edition will maintain the same pagination as the previous edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1695 in Books
• Published on: 1997-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 192 pages

Amazon.com Review
According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser. This classic, written by S. E. Hinton when she was 16 years old, is as profound today as it was when it was first published in 1967.

From AudioFile
S.E. Hinton's 1967 classic, published when she was a freshman in college, is as appropriate and realistic today as it was then. Fourteen-year-old Ponyboy, his brothers, and his friends are poor outcasts--"greasers." They have little but always stick together. After they're victims of the town's "socs (socials)--kids with lots of money, tough cars, and chips on their shoulders--everyone comes to realize how deep and serious their divide is. Narrator Jim Fyfe presents Ponyboy and his group, along with the socs and their circle, with '60s' language appropriate to each socioeconomic group. No character is all good or all bad, and when the final violent confrontation erupts, listeners are sorrowful but not shocked. This moving story is excellent for all ages and perfect to illustrate both sides of bullying. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
“...we meet powerful characters in a book with a powerful message.”— The Horn Book

Customer Reviews

Outsiders is the best
This book is a non-stop thriller. If you like action that never stops this is a book for you. The Outsiders has alot of turns and twists and it keeps you guesing about what it going to happen next. The ending of thid bok was kick in the face if you know what I mean, You don't expect alot of things to happen but yet they do. So if you like this kind of action then you should either buy,rent,or even if you can find it watch the movie.

A great book, but a little bit of a repetitive story
The Outsiders is a classic tale of the struggles between two gangs in Oklahoma. The gang known as the "Greasers" are characterized by their long, silky, and greasy hair. This group is the lower class, but yet much smarter than the upper class. The upper class gang is the "Socs" or Socials. This story shows the life and tensions between these two gangs. After Johnny, a member of the Greasers kills a member of the Socs even greater tensions rise. This leads Johnny and Ponyboy, whom the story revolves around, to hide out and try to stay away from the police. While in hiding something tragic happens to Johnny, leaving an unthinkable fate. As the gangs are furious with the losses, they declare a rumble. After this rumble, a miraculous thing occurs in the story. Something that is so thrilling you will have to read it to find out!
I really enjoyed this book, although it seemed to be almost an exact replica of West Side Story. That factor in a way took the fun out of reading parts of it, as you could almost guess what was going to happen next. Though for readers not familiar with West Side Story, this book is a fantastic tale of love, hate, and tension. Though I felt it was repetitive, it was very compelling and kept you turning the pages. It also left you wanting more at the end, though the ending was purely fabulous. I recommend this book to young adults and teens who enjoy enticing stories and stories with many genres. This book is a good purchase, and you will not be disappointed!

one of my favorite books of all time
For me, this is one of those books that you can read over and over and over, and even though you know the ending, you still can't put it down and you wish that maybe this time, there'll be a different ending.

I won't bother writing a detailed review about this book because I'd probably go on and on about it. I read it in my early teen years, and though it was never really relevant to my life (the setting, for one, is completely different from what I'm used to, and I was always somewhere in the middle of high school cliques - not on the outside, but not on the inside, either), but even then, I couldn't help but care deeply for each of the greasers. Ponyboy and his friends & family were flawed, but still likable, and they made me want the best for each of them.

Highly recommended. I can't say that enough.