The Outsiders Introduction

We often judge people based on our first impressions of their physical appearance.  Verbalize your first impressions of the people in the images on this slide.

The following poll question shave to do with concepts that we will study when we read the outsiders. Answer the poll questions to the best of your ability.

Let’s learn about the author of The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton. Pay close attention because you may be asked to recall this information.

Hinton was born in Tulsa in 1948. As a young child, she was an avid reader and would spend her time writing her own stories. She wanted to create authentic stories about teenagers without sugarcoating the truth

S.E. Hinton

Hinton wrote The Outsiders while she was in high school. During her high school graduation ceremony, she was offered a publishing contract for the novel. She published the novel under the name S.E. Hinton (instead of Susan Eloise) because the publishers were concerned early male critics may dismiss a book written by a woman author that included mostly male characters and ’tough’ content and themes.

S.e hinton

After the success of The Outsiders, she attended the University Of Tulsa, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Education. 

In college, she met David Inhofe. The two married and had one son together. Her husband was a major influence in encouraging her to write her second novel, That Was Then, This Is Now.

​S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders has sold more than 14 million copies and continues to sell more than 500,000 copies each year. Hinton has also published other novels like Tex, Rumble Fish, and Taming The Star Runner. In the 1990s, she focused mainly on writing children’s picture books.!

Hostorical Context

The book reflects the social division Americans experienced during the 1960s. Young people were attempting to find their voices and express their political opinions. Race relations were changing dramatically as the Civil Rights Movement drew attention to discrimination against Black people in America. Though Hinton does not portray the historical or political events of the time in her work, the novel does seek to give a voice to a marginalized group and validate the voices and experiences of young people.