This is the first time I've read the book cover to cover and I really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much sensitivity there was between Ponyboy, his family, and the gang. It was very moving story, the characters were real, and there were some good messages about social hierarchies and the nature of people. There was very little adult presence in the novel, even the Curtis' parents were a distant memory even though they had died less than a year before. The teens in the novel bonded together and lived life without very much parental influence, except for Darry who was trying to be a good role model. Hinton said that when she wrote the novel she felt as though adults had no idea what was going on and it was interesting to see the inside world of the greasers.
It was very sad and you can't help but cry a little when Johnny says, "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold..." (148) and then dies (sorry if I ruined the book for anyone). It was also sad, but in a good way, when Ponyboy realizes that Darry is just trying to make sure he grows up with chances for opportunity and this may help some teenagers understand why parents can be hard on them sometimes. I really enjoyed reading this novel and all of the emotions it stirs up with the love between characters.
I also liked the background behind the story; the author wrote the novel when she was fifteen and based some of it on real life events. I also like the unusual names, Ponyboy is strange but I like it.
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