Have you ever read the book, The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton?  If not, it’s a book about two gang rivalries of the West-side and the East-side in the town of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The gangs were based on their socioeconomic status, as the West-side was the rich kids were called Socs and the East-side was the poor kids called greasers.  Many of the characters came from broken homes, and the violence, gang culture, and drug use have led this book to be challenged and banned multiple times.

According to Banned Books; Young Adult Novels, The Outsiders was challenged in the year of 1986, in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Churches from the United States have made public statements that the book should be kept away from young readers for the usage of language, drugs, and violence. The most recent challenge with the book was in 2001, in West Virginia for the use of gang violence.

“No, I didn’t know that The Outsiders was banned. It’s a great book. I would read it multiple times if I had too,” said seventh-grader Natalie Ruiz.  

According to  Banned Book Week Spotlight: The Outsiders, The Outsiders is one of the most banned books in the United States this day.

The website Banned Books Awareness: The Outsiders states that it was also challenged in 1992 in Boone, Iowa School District and again in 2001 at the George Washington Middle School that is located in Eleanor,West Virginia.

“No, I can’t believe that The Outsiders was banned. It’s my favorite book. Yeah, I’d read the book again because of the emotion in it,” said seventh-grader Milagros Quezada.

According to the website The Outsiders, the drug use and amount of weapons in the book would be another reason why it would be challenged. The showing of dysfunctional families have parents and school officials worried that the students should not be exposed of it along with the amount of drugs, violence, profanity, and and gangs. The real-life situations could have been seen by an adult as an influence on the young children and teenagers.

Was it fair for The Outsiders to be banned, if it is a book that shows something some people would have never experienced?

Banned Books;Young Adult Novels-  http://orgs.utulsa.edu/spcol/?p=3254

Banned Book Week Spotlight: The Outsiders- https://artsandyouthlove.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/banned-book-week-spotlight-the-outsiders/

Banned Books Awareness- http://world.edu/banned-books-awareness-outsiders/

The Outsiders- http://perry3priyakhote.weebly.com/reasons-this-book-is-bannedchallenged.html