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Teen Review: The Outsiders


The Outsiders Review by JS

The Outsiders has been called by many a truly defiant and moving story, one that has stood the test of time for nearly fifty years. The story follows a fifteen year old Greaser named Ponyboy, whose parents had recently died due to a car crash. He lives with his brother Danny (who is sometimes a bit hard on him) and his other brother Sodapop (the hot one). This book actually taught me a lout about greasers in the fifties and sixties.For example, none of them sing about their romantic experiences over the summer to their friends.

That was a joke guys.

Okay, so he lives with his brothers, and then we get the backstory until we finally meet the other main character, Johnny Cade. Johnny is abused by his parents, and was mugged by the Socs (basically the rich greasers) about a year earlier, so he's a bit quiet and shy. There is also a different Greaser named Dallas, who is basically the tough guy of the tough guys.  Dallas, Johnny, and Ponyboy end up going to a drive-in movie and meet Sherri "Cherry" Valentine Valance and her friend Marcia, the only two "good" Socs in the entire book. Cherry shows Ponyboy that not all Socs are awful...except she's dating the guy that mugged Johnny. I'm not going to go into the rest of the story, because there would be some huge spoilers. But trust me on this; whether you have to read it for class, or you're genuinely interested in the book, you will not be disappointed.

The movie is pretty good, although Ponyboy isn't how I imagined him. Either way, this is surely a heartfelt story that shows an example of true friendship.

Rating: 9/10
Maturity: PG-13 (violence, some cursing, underage drinking/smoking)

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