The Outsiders is a novel by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she began writing the novel and 18 when it was published. The Outsiders
is an account of a traumatic time in the life of fourteen-year-old Ponyboy Curtis. Hinton explores the themes of class conflict, brotherly love, friendship, and coming of age by following two rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs (short for "Socials"), who are separated by social-economic status and political beliefs.
The Outsiders is ranked 43rd on the American Library Association's top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000[1] and 38th on their 1990-1999 list.[2] The book was challenged in South Milwaukee because of its portrayal of violence, language, drug and alcohol abuse, and the fact that "virtually
all the characters were from broken homes."[citation needed]
