Companion to The Outsiders, That Was Then, This is Now is S. E. Hintons moving portrait of the bond between best friends Bryon and Mark and the tensions that develop between them as they begin to grow up and grow apart. Now, it too is available in this great new package featuring the larger trim size, eye-catching new cover art, and all-new bonus material. And, like The Outsiders, the new edition will also maintain the same pagination as the previous editionmaking it ideal for continued classroom use.

The protagonist is a bright, articulate boy named Byron. He lives with his almost nonexistent mother and his adopted brother, Mark. An accomplished car thief ("nothing to hot wiring," according to him) and lover of fights, Mark is bad news. Byron describes him in an almost feral way; Mark had leonine coloring and features and his most outstanding feature is his amber colored eyes. Being with Mark is like a roller-coaster ride. Byron enjoys the excitement that living on the edge with Mark can bring.

The characters are sharp and richly drawn as is the Oklahoma town of the mid-1960s where the story takes place. One gets a strong, compelling sense of the characters and the dividing line in their immediate community. The "Greasers," so called because of their love for Elvis and tendency to use hair grease are looked down upon because they tend to live on the "wrong side of the tracks." The Socs, (short for "Socialites") on the other hand are their affluent counterparts. Byron falls hard for a Soc girl and takes her little brother, nicknamed M&M under his wing. The girl later ends up dating Byron's friend, the weirdly named Ponyboy who is in Byron's social circle.

The kids in this work, as in all of S. E. Hinton's works are highly independent. Adult characters are peripheral at best. The story is really about the young people in the Oklahoma community and their issues, confrontations and interactions.

Guns, drugs and violence are all part of the story. The conflict between the Socs and the Greasers is like "West Side Story" with bite, punch and gritty attitude. I love it!

S. E. Hinton is a highly gifted writer. She has a real gift for voice, place and character development. This work is very compelling and will leave you thinking about the characters and the various fates they meet long after you turn the last page.


Another outstanding novel about teen boys in trouble   June 2, 2006
 17 out of 18 found this review helpful

When I was in tenth grade, my English teacher read "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton to the class. I loved the book so much that I reread it one year later and consider it one of the best examples of fiction about teenagers. While this book isn't quite the caliber of "Outsiders" it is another excellent novel about teenagers experiencing troubles.
Bryon and Mark are teenage boys who are juvenile delinquents. They live in the same house and call each other brothers, even though they are not. Mark's parents shot and killed each other in a confrontation over the fact that the man knew that he was not Mark's biological father. After their deaths, Mark moved in with Bryon and his mother.
Although Bryon's mother is put forward as a good woman, she pays little attention to the boys. They stay out as late as they want, occasionally not coming home for days. They are in trouble a great deal although Mark is one of those people who always seems to be able to charm his way out of difficult situations.
As the story unfolds, the boys get in fights, hustle pool, Bryon falls in love, one of their older friends gets killed in a gun battle defending them, Mark starts selling drugs and Bryon sees a young innocent boy ruin his life taking drugs.
Bryon begins correcting his life, he gets a job, gets good grades and reports Mark over to the police. At the end, Bryon goes to visit Mark in the juvenile jail and he realizes that Mark hates him and would kill him if he had the chance. The jail time turns Mark into a hardened criminal, or more precisely causes those tendencies to come to the surface.
There is no happy ending to this story, just an ending that could have been much sadder than it was. These are boys who have little chance to make something of their lives, although Bryon is on the path to some form of success. Hinton writes very well and is good at describing the near hopelessness of the lives of the people. While it is clear that some of the characters are very bright and could have a future, the circumstances make it unlikely to impossible. Note: Ponyboy Curtis, one of the main characters in "Outsiders" appears in this book.


A Great Boy by S.E. Hinton   February 16, 2000
 16 out of 17 found this review helpful

In the book, That was Than This is Now by S.E. Hinton, a young boy goes on his path to maturity while his best friend is still acting like a tough greaser. Like many of S.E. Hinton's books this takes place in a time of gangs and hippies. After the socs and the greasers' war, Bryon and his best friend Mark are enjoying life by being to able to do whatever they want. Mark was brought into Bryon's family after his parents killed each other. Their mother does not care what they do as long as they don't get themselves killed. Him and Bryon have been best friends since they were little kids mixed up in the greasers. They hang out in a bar, hustle complete strangers in pool and go to the drug store with M&M, who is a hippie. Due to a turn in events these three, and M&M's sister, Cathy, get into a dilemma where their decisions can determine the rest of their lives.

This book that S.E. Hinton wrote is a lot like many others he wrote, such as Taming the Star Runner, Tex, and Rumble Fish. It takes place in the mind of a young boy going through tough times by living on the streets. This book's time period is probably two years after The Outsiders, but in this book, unlike The Outsiders, the characters are different. There is still Ponyboy Curtis, but that is the only character from The Outsiders. S.E. Hinton has written many good books for young readers and this book is no exception. I really enjoyed reading this book and recommend this book for all young readers.


Wonderful Portrayal of Teenage Life   February 5, 2000
 10 out of 12 found this review helpful

This book, a semi-sequel to SE Hinton's first novel, the Outsiders, proves to be one of the finest books I've ever read. I'm in my mid-teens now, so I'm not too far from the age of Mark and Bryon.

Right now things have changed so much and now that I've read this book, I understand that these problems are normal and that things do change.

The issues with Mark and Bryon are so complex that they will eat at your skin and hurt you deeply because this stuff is just normal and it can happen to anyone at any time.

Aside from being a guide to reality, she reincorporates some of her older characters and they play nice roles in this story.

All in all, it's one of my favorites. Completely recommended.


this is an outstanding novel   November 14, 1999
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

this is one of the best books i have ever read in ym life. As a teen i can relate to this book and the things said in it. I would highly recomend this book to every teen. Because parents and adults just have no idea what we go through everyday and just how things change instantly