SEH: I have always said there is no one “right” way to read a book, and since I think I am not alone in writing from my subconscious, I don’t even think “writer’s intent” is high on the list of ways to read a book. Why do you think that is and what does that make you feel about your own work? At what point are you able to separate your own intent as writer from the interpretations of readers from different generations? KJ: Many readers in today’s reading culture interpret THE OUTSIDERS differently than you may have intended. I couldn’t have written it four years later. But the intensity of the feelings at that age–the awareness of injustices, the emotional responses, I felt like that at sixteen and the readers realize they are not alone in that.

Of course, there will always be the In Group and the Out Group, even though the names change. SEH: The Outsiders sold better last year than it ever has, so the readers still identify with it very strongly. KJ: Why do you think that THE OUTSIDERS still resonated with readers today? Do you think the takeaways for the 2017 teen reading it differ from the teen in 1967 or 1997 who read it? Do you predict the teen in 2047 will have a different experience? Before it was childrens’ books and adult books. I am glad it opened up a new target audience to publishers. And I certainly had no thoughts about any “legacy”. SEH: I never dreamed it would be published. Did you have any idea what your legacy might have been when you wrote and published it? What do you think about this now? KJ: THE OUTSIDERS is frequently noted as the first “official” YA book. There wasn’t anything like that available when I was a teen. SEH: The choices!! Realistic, fantasy, historical, science fiction, romance! All aimed at the young adult reader.

KJ: While fifty years is a long time to reflect upon the changing of an industry that your book is often cited as the start of, it’s important to ask because of your unique perspective: what are some of the biggest changes have you seen since your first publication within the YA lit world? I may get a new car, it’s time for one anyway. SE Hinton: I am doing some book signings–which is not exactly celebrating, since is not my favorite thing to do, but as a thank you to my readers. Kelly Jensen: How are you celebrating the 50th anniversary of THE OUTSIDERS this year? In honor of the growth of such a rich, playful, thoughtful, juicy, and expansive category of fiction over the last 50 years, it only made sense to chat with Hinton about her work, about the longevity of The Outsiders, and about how YA looks now. Hinton, a teen girl, began the category of YA fiction fifty years ago.Ī category that, while developed because of the work of a teen girl, wasn’t acknowledged as such for years - in part because Hinton’s name, SE, served the purpose of masking her gender identity so her work about teen boys may reach the largest audience possible.

The outsiders susan e hinton