The Outsiders. We all read it in eighth grade, so by now we all pretty much know the story. But for those who missed the adventure or reading the book or have forgotten the story, here’s a quick summary of the first part of the book:

A young boy (Ponyboy) hangs out with his gang of greaser friends: Johnny, Dallas, Two-Bit, Steve, Sodapop, and Darry. They live on the east side of Tulsa, Oklahoma, across town from the Socs, or rich kids. One night, while leaving the drive-in movie theater, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Two-bit have a run-in with some nasty Socs. Later in the night, while sitting at a park, the same group of Socs try to mess with Ponyboy and Johnny. The night doesn’t end up well and Ponyboy and Johnny end up having to skip town. Even though everyone had to read the book, spoilers aren’t cool so that’s where the summary is going to stop.

This book can be considered a coming-of-age story because it shows how a group of teenagers had their lives changed completely by one event. The term “coming-of-age” refers to the process of entering adulthood and, in this book, a group of teens were forced to become adults much earlier than planned. They mostly took care of their adult responsibilities before the event but, after it happened, readers could see a clear difference in the way the characters spoke and the way their actions were described. The book especially shows how Ponyboy changed by the experience, mostly because it’s written from his point of view.

This was a good book. While it wasn’t the best I’ve ever read, t I did enjoy it and have read it more than once. Even though almost everyone has read it at this point, I would recommend a reread now that we’ve become closer to adulthood, and then it might be good to pass on to a friend if they hasn’t read it yet themselves.