The Outsiders Book Review

The Blurb

"No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends - true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends - he knows that he can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down..."

My Thoughts

Wow, this book is amazing! I read it for school in 7th grade and the only thing I remembered was that I loved it. It is the only book I can remember enjoying having to read for school. Now at 27 i've read it again, and I see why I loved it so much! It's honest, timeless, and with real emotion. It's relate-able, it has violence but also hope. It has real issues that real teenagers face, and even though it was written in the 60s it's still just as true and real today. Honestly if I didn't know it was written in the 60s, I wouldn't believe it. It discusses social issues and real world problems, in a way that many teenagers have related to and understood. It made me cry several times (I think almost every chapter I was crying). It's heartbreaking, but says important things that sadly still need to be heard today.

Questions

1. How was the Pacing?

I didn't think of the pacing at all during the book. It's told through Ponyboy and it never felt boring to me at all. It had me quick and kept me throughout the book.

2. How were the characters?

I ended up seeing parts of myself in different characters. It also brought me back to when I was a teenager and stuff I experienced and felt. The characters felt real, they were layered and honest to many people in real life. They were very believable. Flawed, good, and broken in realistic ways from life. Not sure I can really say it well at all. I loved the characters in this book!

3. Feelings?

Oh my God the feelings in this book! Every chapter broke my heart more than the one before. I felt so much for the characters and their pain. I honestly wasn't sure I could get through the book at one point, not because it's bad at all, but because it was so heart-wrenching I didn't know if I could take it. There is no way I could have taken it too fast. I've felt a lot at books before but never wondered if i'd be able to make it through a book before because the feelings were so intense and raw.

4. How was the writing and language?

Accessible and powerful. I'm still not good at this part, but I read it and loved it at 12 and 27 if that says anything.

5. World-building?

I was picturing everything in my head just fine while I was reading it. Well described to me.

6. Messages?

I had to add this one. There are wonderful messages in this book, told in a real and raw way, that are just as important to hear today as they were 50 years ago.

The author wrote this as a teenager, which I can easily believe. I mean this in a wonderful way. Many adults write Young Adult books and they can be great, but no matter how hard an adult tries to write in a teenagers voice, we forget stuff with age and the emotion isn't fresh anymore. Stuff gets lost with time whether we like it or not. I have feelings and thoughts right now I don't know the words for, but I feel this book is an amazing classic, and is definitely a favorite of mine!