YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends - true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. And when it comes to the beating up on "greasers" like him and his friends - he knows that he can count on them for trouble. But one night someone takes things too far, and Ponyboy's world is turned upside down...

Read up to chapter 3: (view spoiler)[This is definitely one of those books with a very... sad, lost vibe? Ponyboy is definitely the right kind of person to narrate the story, because he hasn't yet accepted the way his lifestyle is. The way he questions why everything had to turn out this way and why they ended up like this and all, is just so... I can only use the word sad. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[ A big theme in this story is different social classes in society. Even though this book was originally published in the 60s, it is still applicable to today. Hinton paints a picture of how wildly different the Socs and Greasers are. Telling the story in Ponyboy's, a Greaser's, perspective is vital. The Greasers are marginalized members of society that the majority of people would see as "beneath them," but Hinton illustrates they are like everyone else. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 3

(view spoiler)[Ponyboy and Johnny are fugitives because Johnny murdered a Soc in self defense. I feel so bad for them. Since they are seen as "trash," they would totally get booked, regardless of circumstance. And they know it.

They are heroes when they save the kids from the burning church. There is such heavy stereotype that the teacher doesn't believe Ponyboy when he confesses he's a Greaser. The guy was like "But you saved those kids" as if Greasers aren't capable of being good people.

The social class dynamic in this book bothers me. It is done to the extreme in this book, but still rings true to society today. While this book has a very outdated tone, its still slightly "current."

I hope the boys get out of trouble.. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 6

Up to chapter 6: (view spoiler)[I find the relationship between Ponyboy and Darry, how they can't understand find a way to understand each other. And they are all supposed to be so tough... I think this book really shows a lot of that toxic masculinity.

And things aren't clear cut, either. Though the Greasers may be marked as bad and Johnny did kill a man (though even then it was an accident/panicked move) they still have so much heart and went to save those kids. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Seems like Ponyboy and Johnny are not going to get in trouble. Phew. I don't like how judgey everyone is being towards them like "I can't believe someone like you would do a nice thing like that."

I also think it's weird how calm Cherry is about the whole thing. She's sticking up for Pony and Johnny but is still sad because that was her bf. How is she not more hysterical? IDK just weird to me..

And so sad that Johnny died. I think the boys will lose their minds and someone else will get killed (hide spoiler)]
Ch 9

Read chapter 9: (view spoiler)[I think Randy started to understand what was going on, and though its hard to break out of the cycle, at least he gets it. The fighting doesn't solve anything, and they are just stuck in this endless cycle. Also, I couldn't help but cringe at the amount of ibuprofen Ponyboy is taking...

And... Johnny's dead. I remembered he died from when I read it before, but it makes it no less sad. The "stay gold" phrase really is poignant.

I think Cherry just has a different way of coping with emotions. Like, she's resigned to the fact that he's dead, and instead of hysterical she just gets very sad at the situation. (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Dally basically committing suicide was sad. I still don't understand why he gave up on life like that. His friend died a hero and everyone knows about it. I would take that as some kind of comfort. Ponyboy and everybody is really messed up about Johnny's death.

I like that Ponyboy and Darry finally make up and get over whatever they had to get over. They had a strange relationship that is now on the mend. Darry always had Pony's best interests at heart, but showed it in a weird way.

I like that it ended hopeful for Pony and the Greasers. Darry told Pony they will send him to college and he will get out. Then it ends as Pony writes the story. Nice ending (hide spoiler)]
End

Finished! (view spoiler)[I didn't remember that Dally died. It really is such a cycle. It's so terrible that Dally didn't get a chance, and he didn't get to know what Johnny said in the note. I don't think knowing your friend died a hero is much of a comfort—doesn't change the fact that he died. Dally was really attached to Johnny, he was like the only person he felt really affectionate towards, so losing him wrecked him.

I really find the family in this book touching—both Ponyboy's real brothers and their gang brothers. There's just something about it, and I'm really glad Ponyboy's going to try harder to get along with Darry. I think he understands more now. It's also really cool that in the end it turned out Ponyboy was writing the entire book. (hide spoiler)]

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Date changed. Restarting April 21st 2020. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Going to try to jump in on this BR!

yay! been meaning to read this for the longest time, but I'd just drift off after the first couple of pages just because I'd get distracted with reading something else. hoping to nail it down this time!

Hey! I've just started reading this, and I'm looking forward to the story :)

I'm still planning on reading this but am a little late. Will start later today :)

Marie wrote: "Read up to chapter 3: [spoilers removed]"

Chapter 3

I agree with you. He is the right kind of character to narrate the story. (view spoiler)[ the story is sad, the way they have to live. Ponyboy thinking that his brother doesn't care about him and all. (hide spoiler)] The book is slow-paced, and there isn't much we know about Pony Boy yet

Dannii wrote: "I'm still planning on reading this but am a little late. Will start later today :)"

Well, you can catch up with me! I'm not far into the book yet :)

I'm behind on a few other buddy reads, and it's already later than planned, but I expect to be starting this middle next week. sorry for the delay!

Prisha wrote: "Dannii wrote: "I'm still planning on reading this but am a little late. Will start later today :)"

Well, you can catch up with me! I'm not far into the book yet :)"

Awesome :) I've started it now.

Guiana wrote: "I'm behind on a few other buddy reads, and it's already later than planned, but I expect to be starting this middle next week. sorry for the delay!"

No worries :) I;m so behind on my BRs this month, too!

First quarter - (view spoiler)[I never had to read this in school and even though it's a title I'm familiar with I've never been spoiled for the plot. I knew the name Ponyboy and that was about it. I was still surprised to find this was his actual name, and not a given nickname though. I'm enjoying this, so far. The greasers are interesting to learn about and their antics make this an quick read that is easy to immerse myself in. (hide spoiler)]

Second quarter - (view spoiler)[The hatred and violence between the Greasers and Socs is hard to read about, especially as it devolved into murder, but the tone in its conversational tone alleviates this somewhat. I had no idea what these two gangs were but a quick Google search made me understand that they were essentially just the poor/lower-class versus the middle-class. (hide spoiler)]

50%

(view spoiler)[ So Johnny got into trouble, and so they hid in a church. And then the church caught fire and they became heroes? This isn't a great plot in my opinion. (hide spoiler)]

Finished!

I was very confused with this book though. A lot of things did not make sense to me. I would have wanted to know more about the characters though (view spoiler)[ they just end up winning the fight, and two of them died. But what was the point? (hide spoiler)]

Prisha wrote: "50%

[spoilers removed]"

Everything moved by so quickly in the second half!

Third quarter - (view spoiler)[I enjoyed learning about the world and daily lives of these young boys more than the chaos of the second half. Events transpired very quickly once the Soc was murdered! It felt a little surface level and the emotions were missing for me, a little. (hide spoiler)]

Fourth quarter - (view spoiler)[Whilst I did enjoy this book well enough I took no messages away from it. It was an interesting enough insight to these characters' lives but the end fight felt a little... pointless. (hide spoiler)]

Prisha wrote: "Finished!

I was very confused with this book though. A lot of things did not make sense to me. I would have wanted to know more about the characters though [spoilers removed]"

100% this!

can't seem to get into this. :( I think I'm going to put it down for now and see if I feel like picking it up sometime else.

Guiana wrote: "can't seem to get into this. :( I think I'm going to put it down for now and see if I feel like picking it up sometime else."

It wasn't wholly for me either. I hope your next read is better for you :)

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Date changed. Restarting November 17th 2025. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************