The Outsiders

by S. E. Hinton | Other |
ISBN: 014038572x Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingKateKintailwing of Burke, Virginia USA on 12/5/2009
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3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingKateKintailwing from Burke, Virginia USA on Saturday, December 5, 2009
Bought this at a thrift store used book sale.

This seems to be one of those books that kids are supposed to read in junior high/high school. I hadn't even heard of it before college and hadn't read it until recently. Definitely my loss.

I watched the movie last year or the year before and bawled my eyes out. So I sort of knew what I was in for when I finally got around to the book. (I'm actually glad I'd already seen it before diving into the book because the intensity of some of these situations would likely have killed me if I hadn't been prepared for them) Like the movie, we seen an up close and personal view of rival social groups and kids just trying to get by in rough times. You see their loyalty, pride, friendship, and fears. But it wasn't until I read the book- all wonderfully done in first person through Ponyboy's POV- that I really FELT all that. The part where Pony and Cherry (or Pony and Ralph) are talking about the differences between the Greasers and the Socs and how the Greasers feel too much too deeply... I definitely got that. Ponyboy (and most of his group) have a knack for sizing people up and really getting to the core of things. And even though they can see that they're stuck in a bad position, they seem have no choice but to go right along with it.

The plot is very character-driven, with tension between the groups, and I love the characters. It's totally my kind of book, the way they look after each other since the rest of the world and their families won't, and care so deeply for each other. I love every single word on every single page. I loved the irony and the pain, the guy-bonding and the sorrow, the love and the violence. I managed to get through Johnny's death without crying, but the note at the end of the book and then the last few sentences sent me right over the edge and I was crying at the sadness and beauty of it all. And then I desperately wanted to start the book over from the beginning again. I can totally see myself re-reading this book every year. It's totally made it into my top 10 favorite books list. Easily. *hugs copy of book*

Journal Entry 2 by wingKateKintailwing at Alexandria, Virginia USA on Saturday, December 5, 2009

Released 14 yrs ago (12/5/2009 UTC) at Alexandria, Virginia USA

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CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Taking to the BC in DC holiday party in case someone wants it.

Journal Entry 3 by wingMelydiawing from Rockville, Maryland USA on Sunday, December 6, 2009
Picked this up at the BC in DC holiday party in Alexandria, Virginia, this afternoon. I've heard it's excellent and am looking forward to reading it.

Journal Entry 4 by wingMelydiawing at -- Geocaches, Virginia USA on Friday, June 4, 2010
Ponyboy Curtis is a Greaser, a member of a gang, an enemy of the Socs (short for Socials). I kind of wish I'd read this back in middle school before I'd encountered a hundred other stories just like it. The rival social groups, the brawling that goes too far, and even the killing off of characters rather than having them face the difficult (and potentially interesting) consequences of their actions - nothing came as a surprise. It's even told from the point of view of the character who is unusually smart and bookish, a stereotype which detracts a bit from the realism for me. I understand why this shortcut is so often taken by authors (who are often smart and bookish) to elicit sympathy from the reader (who is also often smart and bookish), but I would have rather heard from Soda or even Two-Bit, Greasers who were more participants than observers. The teenager narrative voice is realistic, which is kind of to be expected considering how much has been made of the fact that the author was only 16 when she wrote it. I'm not saying this is a bad book - far from it. It's certainly something I would recommend to young adults. I just felt like I'd read it before, that's all.

Journal Entry 5 by wingMelydiawing at Cosi (Rosslyn) in Arlington, Virginia USA on Saturday, June 12, 2010

Released 13 yrs ago (6/12/2010 UTC) at Cosi (Rosslyn) in Arlington, Virginia USA

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Bringing to the BC in DC meetup.
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Journal Entry 6 by mdm139 at Alexandria, Virginia USA on Saturday, June 12, 2010
picked this up at the meetup today. i didn't read it in high school, but i heard it is a most read.

Journal Entry 7 by mdm139 at Alexandria, Virginia USA on Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I wish I had read this back in middle school. It's a great coming of age story and realistic. Sending in a box as a RABCK.

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