I have kept on using male characters because (1) boys have fewer books written for them, (2) girls will read boys' books, boys usually won't read girls', and (3) it is still the easiest for me.” 6. was a tomboy, most of my close friends were boys, and I figured nobody would believe a girl would know anything about my subject matter. “I started using male characters just because it was easiest. What drove Hinton to write from a male point of view in the first place? As she explains on her website, the initial choice reflected her own sensibility, but it was also strategic. THERE WAS A REASON HINTON WROTE FOR BOYS. The strategy worked, and as Hinton explains on her website, “I found I liked the privacy of having a ‘public’ name and a private one, so it has worked out fine.' 5. Viking suggested that Hinton use her initials instead of her full name due to concerns that readers and reviewers alike would automatically dismiss a book about teenage boys written by a teenage girl. HINTON USED HER INITIALS TO AVOID UNFAIR GENDER BIAS. The friend’s mother contacted an agent in New York, and soon Viking Press signed Hinton for a $1000 advance. Hinton originally wrote The Outsiders primarily for herself, but the mother of one of her friends read a draft and thought that the book deserved a wider audience. However, Hinton also refrains from vilifying the Socs, a choice that reflected her belief that things are “rough all over.” 3. Although Hinton was neither a greaser nor a Soc, the book is written from the point of view of the greaser Ponyboy in an effort to humanize the gang. The tense divide between the upper class “Socs” (pronounced “soashes,” as in “social”) and the lower class “Greasers” at Hinton's high school was so bitter that the gangs had to enter through separate doors. RIVAL GANGS AT HINTON’S OWN HIGH SCHOOL INSPIRED THE SOCS AND THE GREASERS. I created a world with no adult authority figures, where kids lived by their own rules.” 2. 'When I couldn't find any, I decided to write one myself.

'I'd wanted to read books that showed teenagers outside the life of ‘Mary Jane went to the prom,’' Hinton explained a 1981 interview with Seventeen. Hinton felt compelled to write after she became frustrated with the lack of relatable pop culture being produced for teenagers at the time. Susan Eloise Hinton was only 15 when she began writing the novel and was just 17 when it was first published. HINTON WROTE THE OUTSIDERS WHILE SHE WAS STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL. Even if you’ve already delved into Ponyboy’s tumultuous adolescence, you can probably still learn something about the young adult classic. Hinton’s 1967 coming-of-age novel, is a staple for young readers.

The outsiders se