Review by Jill Williamson
Ponyboy Curtis lives a different kind of life. It’s 1967 and he lives with his brothers on the poor side of town. This makes him a Greaser by default. Ponyboy doesn’t mind being a Greaser, until the Socials jump him one day. Thankfully his brothers come to the rescue and Ponyboy isn’t hurt too badly.
But one day some Socials spot Ponyboy and his friend Johnny talking to a Social girl. The Socials come after Ponyboy and Johnny and things go bad. Ponyboy and Johnny go on the run, but their pasts catch up with them and force them to return to town. How can Ponyboy go on after all that has happened? Are Socials and Greasers really that differennt?
I’ve heard of this novel. And I knew there was a movie made from it with an all-star 80’s cast, but I haven’t seen it. I didn’t know the author was only seventeen-years-old when she wrote it. That’s pretty impressive. Given the content of this story (gangs staking out their territory), I was pleased at how clean it was. The message of this story is powerful and deep, showing one boy’s way of life as a Greaser. With today’s laws, Ponyboy and his brother would not have been allowed to live with their older brother. They would have been put in foster care. But in this story, the law let them be.
There is some violence in this story, but it’s not graphic. Ponyboy isn’t big on fighting, but the rest of the boys lived to look for trouble—or a rumble. It reminded me of a cross between Grease and The West Side Story but from one boy’s point of view. I highly recommend this book. It’s a quick, entertaining read that will make you think that maybe you don’t have it so bad after all.
Age Range: 14 an up
Genre: Contemporary (1967)
Part of a Series: No
Pages: 180
Publisher: Penguin
Released: 1967 (re-release 2003)
i love this book. it was realistic. i could relate to it. i read it in year 8 and was the best read ever.