Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

45 reviews

lawbooks600's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Representation: N/A?
Score: Seven points out of ten.

I wanted to read this for a while after adding it to my list but I put it off for a while; a few months later I finally picked it up and read it. When I finished it I thought it was one of the few books that were less than 200 pages yet it could still tell a great story which I appreciated and I'll remember this one for a while. It starts with the main character Ponyboy (whose last name I don't know) living presumably somewhere in America with other characters part of a group called the greasers whose enemy are the Socs (I don't why those two gangs hate each other but oh well. It might be an incident in the past that the novel never mentioned. Or something else entirely.) Everything looks fine initially until an altercation happens forcing Ponyboy to flee somewhere else, and soon enough they find a church where they stay for a few pages of the narrative. Did I mention they smoke a lot? I've never seen a book where teenagers smoke until now (and they still read books, I know some teenagers still read books but most of them don't unless it's required reading.) A few pages later the church burns down nearly killing some characters and I soon discover Ponyboy recovering but nothing much happened save for a heartrending conversation (don't get me wrong, that is a flaw in the book but it didn't ruin my enjoyment in any way) which ends the book on a low note.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Bullying, Death, and Car accident

Full trigger warnings: Murder and attempted murder, bullying, fire, building collapse, near-death experiences, death of parents in a car crash in the past

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. I always struggle reading things that have a lot of hype around them. I’m lucky I found this book in a used book sale for really cheap to give me the push to buy and read it. The characters are well-developed and so very lovable. The plot kept me engaged and was just the right amount of sad but hopeful. I will definitely be keeping this one on my shelves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Police brutality

Minor: Murder, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Bullying, and Car accident

jonathan14's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, Child death, Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Blood, Bullying, Gun violence, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

augustee's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Death and Bullying

Minor: Death of parent and Child death

chailady's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I haven’t read The Outsiders since I taught it about 20 years ago. Even though I read this book in the 70’s plus I’ve reread and taught it multiple times, I’m still surprised at the end. Reading it today, nearly 50 years after the first time, I’m a little shocked at how little society has really changed. The names may change, but the reality of the have and have-nots, the rich vs poor, socks vs greasers, jocks vs geeks, preps vs grunge, liberal vs conservative, is still visible in our society. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Grief, and Death

mikeymara's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I greatly enjoyed this book. It’s quick and short, read it during a road trip and now am going to buy it to read it again. I loved the characters and their relationship. Greatly recommend, fun ending twist.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Grief, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Alcohol, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

mandathebibliophile's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Bullying

smallish_bird's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

One of my all-time favorites; first read as assigned reading in 7th grade and revisited after Yhara Zayd's YouTube excellent mini video essay reminded me of its existence. I'm a sucker for 1st person PoV books that explore both its PoV character's as well as its other characters' perspective in a nuanced and compassionate way. I dig its focus on platonic and familial love (aroace win), as well as how safe it feels in many regards despite how bleak the characters' situations are -- the horror is found within the isolation of circumstance, childhood, poverty, and capitalism, not so much in the cruelty of any of the characters.
 Cannot fathom that this was written by a high school student; S. E. Hinton joins Mary Shelly in being a teenager when they wrote books that I now hold dear to my heart. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Bullying, Child death, Police brutality, Addiction, Violence, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder

Minor: Ableism, Gun violence, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content

Complimentary/Similar Books: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (about an emotionally repressed/traumatized teenager and how he navigates the world) -- 1st person PoV, teenage boy MC, emphasis on familial love/self-love, living life while dealing with trauma, distinct voice/vernacular, healing, hopeful ending. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (about an emotionally reserved/isolated teenager's life and development) -- 1st person PoV, teenage boy MC, emphasis on platonic love/self-love, living life while dealing with trauma, escapism, healing, hopeful ending. All The Water I've Seen Is Running by Elias Rodriques (about a queer man returning to his conservative hometown to mourn/confront/grow from his past) -- 1st person PoV, distinct and nuanced characters, violence/displays of force as normalized method of communication, emphasis on found family/community/self-love, living life while dealing with trauma, distinct voice/vernacular, healing, hopeful ending.

maddiiie's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Gun violence, Grief, Bullying, Death of parent, and Murder

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This book had me confused and conflicted about what the characters were thinking and why they made the decisions that they did. Particularly Ponyboy.

And I kind of spoiled myself by looking up clips from the film version, which was something I really should have avoided doing. 

But ultimately I felt that the ending saved it.

Sorry this review is a bit weird, I'm typing it from my phone, I might update it at a later date.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Misogyny, and Police brutality

Minor: Racial slurs, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, and Racism

Details to come.