The Outsiders (Sarah Fennelly

TIMELESS TALES: HINTON’S THE OUTSIDERS By: Sarah Fennelly

As a literacy teacher for seventh graders, I try to find texts that students can connect to to motivate them to read. There are many great ones that reflect the current environment in which we live. But I always have one go-to book that I read as a student myself but didn’t appreciate until I became a teacher. That book is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This book in my mind is a classic because of the message it delivers about life. The main character, Ponyboy Curtis, is part of a group known as the Greasers basically because they are poor. The other group in town is called the Socs or West Side Socials, the rich kids. Throughout the book Ponyboy and his friends and family go through a lot of trials students today may not face, although they might. Throughout these trials, Ponyboy, who is the main speaker in the story, does a lot of thinking about what it means to be on each side. He is a deep thinker who at the end of the story comes to realize that being a person is not about what side you are on, but rather what you believe. The author creates this beautifully by talking about how kids on both sides of the town can see the same sunset. The other point I always mention to the students is the fact that the author of this book, S.E. Hinton, was only 16 when she wrote it. She had a profound understanding of the characters because she witnessed similar situations in her own life. I always make it a point to say this in case there are budding writers in the room who are unsure about whether they can be a writer. Even though this book is dated, the message is so valuable that I have no problem doing some prereading activities to set the stage for what to expect. We talk about the popularity of smoking, hair gel, rumbles, and Greasers versus Socs. But once the students understand about the time the book takes place, the theme of the book becomes familiar. And it resonates with them. I consider this book a timeless classic for students who are trying to figure themselves out and navigate through life.

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CO-EDITORS

Patricia Crain de Galarce Valerie Harlow Shinas

DESIGNER

Nadege D. Tessono Okotie

EDITORIAL REVIEWER Dr. Elaine M. Bukowiecki

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Nancy Witherell, President Patricia Kelley, President Elect Patricia Crain de Galarce, Vice President Adam Brieske-Ulenski, Vice President Elect Valerie Harlow Shinas , Immediate Past President JoAnn Thompson, Treasurer Shantel Schonour, Secretary Jennifer Lindsey & Sarah Fennelly, Local Council Liaisons For information about MRA and how to become a part of the exciting work, we are doing to promote literacy, visit our website at https://massreading.org/.

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