When I saw the cover of the book, I knew I had to read it. I recall watching the movie but I never remember reading the book and my philosophy is “the book is always better than the movie” so off I went. Even though it was copyrighted in 1967, some things never change and we have two gangs on their own turf, who believe they are complete opposites but in reality, gangs are really only fighting for power. One set is the “Greasers” who can’t even walk alone for fear of getting jumped and they are the inferior kids. The story is told by Greaser Ponyboy who lives with his oldest brother Darrel and his middle brother Soda. I think of them as a group of typical teenagers who are trying to claim their place in the world without bothering anyone, if only they could be left alone. Then we have the Socs (or Socials), the rich kids, the ones who like to go around and cause trouble because they know they can get away with it. They push the envelope and the Greasers take the blunt of their antics. The Greasers know that anything that the Socs do, they have to fight back or lose their status but they also have to be careful because society will side with the Socs as they have the power. Just visualize, a James Dean gang being harassed by a gang in a Mustang car with white shirts and sweaters. Then add in some pretty girls belonging to the pretty boys who were hanging out with the James Dean gang and you have a rumble. As I said before, this is an older book and the concept is still alive today- the struggle of power, to be at the top of the Ladder of Power is what many teens try to accomplish. For 156 pages, it was a fast read and it kept my attention. The message was strong and the ending had good closure which you would hope others would take to heart. The book had its sad moments but we’re taking gangs here, which leads to violence, which causes death- it’s a cycle- it’s sad but it is reality. (No sex or swear words)
