The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

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... @goodreads 

MY REVIEW:

5 STARS 

I have watched this movie over and over when I was younger and I still have it today and love it just as much. I will admit I was in love with Dallas and had a crush on Sodapop but Dallas was my man =)


I just can't believe it took me this many years to read the book! And the book was so close to the movie it is almost unreal. Maybe it was due to the fact that S.E. Hinton was on set helping with the movie, I really don't know. I just love that I can read a book and watch a movie and there not be that many things different.

Ok, there will be . . . .



This is a remarkable story of people from different sides of the tracks. The greasers (the poor boys and some girls) and the socs (the rich kids)
 



This story is told from the greasers side which is awesome because I really don't care about the socs!

These boys all looked out for each other in the best ways they could. Even if they were dirt poor, they did what they could for each other.



They had fun times getting in rumbles with the socs, most all of them loved to fight. It was like getting set loose in a candy store.

Most of the beginning of the story revolves around Ponyboy and Johnny. They are the best of friends and poor Johnny seems to have it bad no matter which way he turns. His parents treat him bad, he sleeps outside most of the time and he got a very bad beating from the socs. That's what they do, cruise around and find a greaser or two alone and gang up on them. They damn near beat Johnny to death and all of the other friends always rally around him and try to protect him from things.

Until one tragic night Ponyboy and Johnny get attacked by a group of socs AGAIN, but this time Johnny stabs and kills the jerk that beat him so bad before. They were trying to drown Ponyboy. They have to run to Dallas to help get them out of town. Because that's what friends do, they hang out and help each other if they are in trouble.


Dallas tells Ponyboy and Johnny to hop on this train and go to a town and stay in an abandoned church until things die down and he would come up there. He gives them money and a gun. Johnny buys them food and hair dye for Ponyboy (which he hates) and he also gets "Gone With The Wind" for Ponyboy because he has always wanted to read it. I thought that was so nice of him and he picked a really great book. Ponyboy spent time reading the book to his friend when they weren't playing cards to pass the time.

At one point Dallas shows up and tells them some things and takes them out to eat. The boys decide they are going to turn themselves in but when they get back to the church, it's on fire and there are a couple of people and a bunch of children huddled around it. When the boys get there they find out some of the kids are inside and Ponyboy and Johnny (being the good guys that they are) go in after them. Of course Dallas is yelling for them to get back out!

Needless to say they get the kids to safety but Dallas and Ponyboy get a little hurt in the process. Johnny gets messed up bad. It's always Johnny! He always just wanted to be normal for shite's sake! The people thought they were heroes which is truly what they were.

"We think the towheaded kid is going to be all right. He burned one arm pretty badly, though, trying to drag the other kid out the window. Johnny, well I don't know about him. A piece of timber caught him across the back--he might have a broken back, and he was burned pretty severely. He passed out before he got out the window. They're giving him plasma now." He must have seen the look on my face because he hurriedly changed the subject. "I swear, you three are the bravest kids I've seen in a long time. First you and the black-haired kid climbing in that window, and then the tough-looking kid going back to save him. Mrs. O'Briant and I think you were sent straight from heaven. Or are you just professional heroes or something?"
Sent from heaven? Had he gotten a good look at Dallas? "No, we're greasers," I said. I was too worried and scared to appreciate the fact that he was trying to be funny.
 
Johnny isn't doing so well in the hospital and Dallas and Ponyboy are really afraid for him.

Dallas breaks out of the hospital on the night of the rumble to fight for Johnny. He was so happy after the fight that he grabbed Ponyboy and rushed back to the hospital to tell Johnny they had won. Even though, they didn't know it at the time, they got to spend the last few minutes with Johnny before he died. It was so sad, I cried a river. I knew what was going to happen but it doesn't matter, I cried the river.



Dallas goes nuts of course and runs off. Ponyboy is in a daze when he gets home and tells everyone that Johnny is dead and that Dallas ran off. They are all sad of course and worried what Dallas is going to do. And then they get the call that Dallas robbed a store and the police are after him so they go to meet up with him. But when they get to him the stupid cops killed him. And I think he wanted that really because he pulled an unloaded gun on them. Maybe it's just my thoughts but I feel like he called the guys because he did want to live in a way but he was so messed up with Johnny dying after all that poor kid had been through, that he wanted to die himself. Of course I cried and cried at that as well.



So, Ponyboy is trying to cope with two of his friends dying in one night. He doesn't do very well and is sick for quite some time.

This book really made me have some feels. Like I said before I have watched the movie a million times but as an adult, reading the book put more things into perspective. This is the second book that I have read lately that has made me want to change some things in my life. At least some of the things that I can and that is one of the many things I love about reading. ♥

GOODREADS REVIEW:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1740439113

AMAZON LINK TO THE BOOK:

https://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-S-E-Hinton/dp/014240733X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472339649&sr=1-1&keywords=the+outsiders