The lesson learned from The Outsiders is that, as Cherry, a wealthy Soc, tells Pony the poor orphan: “Things are rough all over.” Translation: We all have problems, no reason to be jealous here!Īnd when Pony asks Cherry “Can you see the sunset real good on the West side? You can see it on the East side too,” our students understand that jocks and theatre types, computer geeks and outcasts are all in this growing up thing together.Įveryone in the class cries when Johnny tells Pony to “stay gold.” They cry for the tragedy that claimed Johnny’s life, but also for the loss of their own childhoods. ![]() Even the most popular of kids…the ones who seem to have it all together…who wear the right jeans and sit at the cool table during lunch…feel fragile. But this brass ring is forever out of grasp. They want so badly to blend in, to feel accepted. Someone always stands lonely in the cafeteria, or doesn’t get invited to a party. ![]() No one is comfortable in his or her skin in seventh grade, the middle of the middle. 7th graders are always outsidersīut the reason the book has endured is even more personal. Early adolescents are beginning to separate from their parents and identify with the Greasers, who make family out of friends. Pony’s brother Darry, a high school football hero, has stepped up to the plate and assumed the responsibility of raising his younger brothers. Pony is an intellectual, but he is tough, or “tuff” as Hinton describes, defying stereotypes and making it cool to be smart. But dig deeper and you will find the characters have a wide, almost universal, appeal.Īlthough there is a dearth of females in the book, girls appreciate Pony and Johnny’s deep friendship and sensitive natures. Middle grades bibliotherapyīibliotherapy is an effective way to ease the growing pains of middle school children, and The Outsiders seems like the gold standard of self-therapy in middle grades literature.Īt the most simplistic level, a plot complete with rumbles and rescues from burning buildings holds their attention. A book discussed at dinner and dance class…a seventh grade rite of passage. The Outsiders had become a county-wide craze. The kids arrived the next day devastated. The secrets of the Greasers deserve to be discovered by each and every reader.īut the beans were spilled at karate, swim, and even by a well meaning Rabbi who mixed the teachings of the Torah with the teachings of The Outsiders in his Hebrew School class before he knew my school was only on Chapter 7. I warned my classes not to discuss it with friends from other schools. This year, however, I really began to understand the impact the book has on students as seventh graders in several surrounding communities were reading the book simultaneously. Netflix was abandoned on weekend sleepovers to watch the 1983 movie version of the book. Last year, spontaneous applause erupted when we hit the last page. Three years ago, the kids played Greasers and Socs at recess. I love the flexibility, but the real allure is the kids’ reaction. I haven’t repeated a set of lessons for the book in about a decade. Last year, we examined the idea of the hero. This year I focused on the theme of family. The story hasn’t changed, of course, but The Outsiders has infinite possibilities for teaching. I still remember the love affair I had with Ponyboy and the Greasers when I met them in 1983, and each year it is a thrill to revisit the gang. The Outsiders, SE Hinton’s classic novel about a gang of boys growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, still attracts the 12-14 year old a half century after it was written. There are many masterful works that I could read with my students, but I keep returning to a 50-year-old novel, written by a first time author when she was only fifteen.Īre you with me? If you teach middle school English, you probably are. I teach one classroom novel a year and finding a book with wide appeal – one that will be adored by girls, boys, reluctant readers and dystopian devotees – is no small feat. Laurie Lichtenstein, a middle school English and Social Studies teacher in the northern suburbs of New York City, reflects on the book’s half-century hold on the adolescent mind and heart. ![]() Hinton (Susan Eloise) was a high school student when it appeared, and teens and tweens surely account for much of the book’s 15+ million in estimated sales. The Outsiders (published April 24, 1967) had its 50th anniversary in 2017.
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