The story is about two different groups (or gangs) rivalry set in Oklahoma in the 1960s. The greasers are known for their long, slicked-back hair style and lack of money, whereas the Socs or Socials are known for their middle-to-upper class way of life. Walking home from a movie one evening Ponyboy Curtis is attacked on the street by a gang of Socs. He is rescued from this attack by a group of greasers (including Ponyboy's two brothers), who we come to know throughout the novel. There are a series events which lead up to Ponyboy running away one evening and hanging out with Darry, another greaser. When the two are confronted on the street by drunk Socs, they start fighting and one of the Socs ends up dead. Out of fear for going to jail Ponyboy and Darry immediately skip town and hide out in an abandoned church building. The boys from both groups are challenged emotionally with how to deal with this crisis and either stay "true" to their group/clique or get over their differences.
The plot is very reminiscent of West Side Story, but is a story that very poignantly gets to the heart of rivalry and tensions that exist due to socioeconomic differences between people. Some of the boys start to understand that economic differences may not be a big enough reasons to naturally hate each other; the greasers and Socs may have more in common than they initially want to believe. Additionally, what is also very cool about this novel is that Hinton wrote it when she was a teenager in high school!
Challenge: The language used is from the 1960s and this could be difficult for students since many of the idioms are not as common today as they were in the past. However, the novel is quite easy.
Curriculum Connection & Themes:
This novel could be used to explore the multiple facets of characterization.
- Identity (individual and group)
- Pride in one's self, background, peers, etc.
- Loss of innocence through crisis
Lexile: 750L
Interest Level: Middle School +
Controversial Scenes/Content: There is fighting and someone dies, but nothing is offensive.
Rating: 5/5
Awards:
New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967
Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967
Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975
ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975
Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, 1979