“They walked around slowly, silently, smiling. ‘Need a haircut greaser?’ The medium sized blond pulled a knife out of his back pocket and flipped the blade open.”

In The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton, is a realistic fiction book that takes place in the 60s, Ponyboy Curtis, the main character, gets jumped by the Socs (short for socials), in the never ending rivalry between the Socs and the greasers. One day the Socs push it too far, when Johnny (Ponyboy’s best friend) and Ponyboy happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the boys get jumped, and a series of unfortunate events causes them to run away. They spend a week in Windrixville, hiding in an old abandoned church. When the boys go back home, the battle between the greasers and Socs is head on.

Personally, I think that S.E. Hinton dad an amazing job with this novel. I enjoyed every single part of this story of passion, hope, friendship, and tragedy. It was funny at times and at other times, moving to the point of tears. The suspense of this book is terrific, at the end of every chapter you will think, oh my gosh, I wonder what will happen next! I would recommend this book to mature readers because there is violence and some smoking and drinking involved. Be prepared for a book that will take your breath away.