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THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton is remarkable for many reasons. First, it wasn’t written by an established author; rather, it was written by a 16-year-old girl, which wasn’t exactly a position of power in the 1960’s. Second, this 1967 novel is often credited with being the first YA book out there (when the publisher realized it was being bought by high school teachers to use in classrooms, an entirely new marketplace --- and age category --- was born). Lastly, though, the book is legendary for its hard-hitting themes of gang rivalry, class conflict and honor, its gripping plotline and emotive writing.
The book’s unique backstory and powerful content doesn’t protect it from book banners, though --- THE OUTSIDERS has been challenged by numerous schools because of its portrayal of gang violence, smoking and drinking and lens into family dysfunction.
Below, YA author Julie Chibbaro (INTO THE DANGEROUS WORLD) and Teen Board members Maggie D. and Harleen K. talk about what THE OUTSIDERS means to them and how they’d respond to those who want to ban it.
Do you remember when you read this book for the first time? How old were you? Did you read it for school or for pleasure?
Julie Chibbaro:I read THE OUTSIDERS at a perfect time; I was in junior high school, my father was on his third divorce, one of my sisters had run away and my life was falling apart. If a book can scoop you up and cradle you in its arms, I felt this novel did exactly that. It whispered to me: what you are going through is not as completely insane and cripplingly painful as you think, for the main reason that you are not alone. Ponyboy lost his parents, the kids in his gang are also beaten by their angry fathers, but still, they have each other. I had two sisters who loved me. That book taught me the importance of finding my own tribe, people who would support me through the difficult times, and not just love me when things were going well. I read THE OUTSIDERS once every few years as a reminder.
Maggie D: I first read S.E. Hinton's THE OUTSIDERS in seventh grade when I was 13 years old. It was assigned reading in my literature class, and I never expected I would like it as much as I did.
Harleen K.: I remember first reading this book in the seventh grade with my English class. The teacher had read it aloud to us while we read along. After reading THE OUTSIDERS in class, I read it several times after.
What do you like about this book, and how would you persuade somebody else to read it?
JC:The deeply fascinating part of this book is that it was written by a 15-year-old girl in the 1960s, a fact I didn’t know when I first read it as a teen myself. Ponyboy, the narrator, is so completely male, captured by this brilliant and wise girl. It’s worth a read just to marvel at that.
I also love how understanding Ponyboy is, even about the rival gang, the Socs (he’s from the Greasers). When he meets some of their girls at the movies, he thinks, “It seemed funny to me that Socs – if these girls were any example – were just like us.”
It’s a simple yet beautiful story about a kid in a gang who ends up killing another gang member and the trouble that follows. It’s reminiscent of West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause, where the trouble increases and increases, no matter how much the kid wants to get out of it. Ponyboy has a big heart and ends up saving some little kids from a fire, which redeems him.
MD: THE OUTSIDRS is so different from other books you read for school, and then you find out it's written by a teenage girl in the 1960s. Though it's a relatively slim volume, there's so much going on by way of plot and character development that it's super easy to get into.
HK: THE OUTSIDERS was one of my favorite books when I first read it and it is still up there on the list. The book is very inspiring and touching, and can bring the reader so much joy, laughter and maybe some tears. What I really loved about reading the book with my class was the fact that everyone else loved it just as much as I did, and we could all talk about it and discuss who our favorite characters were, what our favorite parts were and how the book in its entirety made us feel. I would recommend THE OUTSIDERS to everyone, especially those of you who are in middle school, because honestly reading this book was one of the best memories I have from middle school.
A parent in Milwaukee, Wisconsin wanted to ban THE OUTSIDERS because “…drug and alcohol abuse was common and virtually all the characters are from broken homes.” If you had the chance to respond to this quote, what would you say?
JB:I am a parent myself, and I understand the desire to shield my child from the dangers of the world. However, I feel that it’s better not to hide those dangers; rather, I find that my daughter appreciates when I am open about them. When I talk her through her questions of why people drink or smoke cigarettes or shoot strangers, I’m allowing her to have her curiosity and yet guiding her through the very human need to understand both the good and bad the world has to offer. By cutting it off, you are making them wonder why without giving them tools to explain why.
I also worry that banning something makes it more desirable to teens. Teens are already in a state of rebellion, trying to find their identity and independence. What better way than to read a forbidden book? Rather than banning, these books should be required reads, should be used as teaching tools to tell kids: This stuff happens. Here is what we can do about it.
The bottom line for me is, without THE OUTSIDERS, I would have felt so much more singled out as a teen for the very trouble I was having at home, the difficulties that made me so different. I would not have understood that being from a broken home doesn’t make me less of a person.
MD: The part that makes me angry about this one is the "broken homes" comment. Yes, drugs and alcohol are bad, but they are a part of the atmosphere of the novel. To ban a book based on the home lives of the characters is prejudicial. A reader with a less than stellar family would read this book and feel comforted knowing they are not alone in the world. THE OUTSIDERS doesn't condone a life of drugs and violence, but rather tells a story with those as an element, and uses them in an effective and moving way. Every aspect of this novel means something important, and these two elements are no exception.
HK: I would say that in reality, that's how a lot of people live. Broken homes aren't fictional; there are real kids who have to live in the types of environments that the characters are placed in, and instead of criticizing them, we should be empathetic. It takes a lot of courage and heart to actually push through such hard times, and while kids may turn to drugs and alcohol, that's just part of reality, too. Some kids may learn to move past those habits and build a better life for themselves and others may not. The truth is, that there are hundreds and thousands of living examples of these kids, maybe not in the exact situations but similar ones, and this book is targeted to kids who are the prime age to learn these realities.
You need to give the protagonist of this book a book recommendation. What would you recommend, and why?
JB:For a modern day read, I’d hand Ponyboy a copy of Sherman Alexie’s THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. Junior’s story is similar to Ponyboy’s, only he has the borders of the reservation to contend with, on top of the prejudice of society.
MD: Ponyboy is an avid reader, so I'd be hard-pressed to find a book he hasn't read. But I would probably recommend THE SWEET REVENGE OF CELIA DOOR by Karen Finneyfrock, because Celia channels her struggles through poetry, which I know Ponyboy would relate to.
HK: If I were to give Ponyboy a book recommendation, I would tell him to read THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. I think that this book perfectly displays how someone placed in a bad situation shouldn't just endure their pain, but instead they should find a way to bring about a change and find those around them who are willing to help and support the cause. Ponyboy could really benefit from such a lesson, and it would really allow him to understand that bad situations are everywhere, and the only way to turn them into good ones is by provoking a change.
