the Outsiders

When The Outsiders was first published in 1967, the author, S.E. Hinton, used her initials so readers wouldn't realize her gender.  It was assumed that the public would not believe a woman could write so realistically about the urban street world that Hinton’s first novel depicts. 

S.E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders has been banned for its depiction of controversial themes.  S.E. Hinton wrote the novel, set in Tulsa Oklahoma during the 1960s, when she was only 16 years old and it was published when Hinton reached the young age of 18. The novel follows two rival groups, the Greasers and the Socs, who are divided by their socioeconomic status.