This is Preston Schultz and you’re listening to Check It Out.
Imagine walking down the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma on a warm summer’s day. You can hear music from jukeboxes playing and can see people hopping in and out of Chevy Corvairs and Ford Mustangs. But the one thing that catches your attention the most is two groups of boys. One group is nicer looking while the other group is more rad tad.In the book The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton these two groups are known as the Socs and Greasers. You get a familiar understanding on the rivalry between these two groups while also being introduced to main character Ponyboy Michael Curtis. Life may seem easy going for Ponyboy until life hits him and Johnny hard after a bad night at the drive thru theater that leads up to, a serious conflict at the park forcing both boys to flee the city and hide. Living one day at a time, taking it slow until Johnny is severally injured and is taken to the hospital. After coming back home, Ponyboy fights in a massive brawl between Socs and Greasers leaving many on both sides tattered and bruised. Johnny’s last words, “Stay Gold Ponyboy” ripples through every Greasers heart. Dallas on the other hand couldn’t take it anymore and goes off the deep end where he is dealt with harshly.Told from the first-person perspective of Ponyboy, the author has the reader, you yourself, reliving a life that is rich in youthfulness, rebelliousness and friendship that comes all crashing down in a matter of days. Recommended for a little more mature readers, check out The Outsiders and other great books by S.E. Hinton at the Sioux City Public Library located in downtown Sioux City.
Support for Check It Out comes from Avery Brothers.