Susane Eloise Hinton, better known as S.E. Hinton, is a renowned American author of young adult fiction and children's literature. She gained fame and critical acclaim for her groundbreaking novel, The Outsiders, which she wrote while still a teenager. The novel explores the lives of two rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs, and was inspired by the divisions Hinton observed among her own schoolmates.
Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and developed a love for reading at an early age. However, she became dissatisfied with the literature available for young adults, which motivated her to write her own novels. Her first novel, The Outsiders, was published in 1967 by Viking when she was a freshman at the University of Tulsa. The book was an instant success, becoming a best-seller and solidifying Hinton's place as a leading voice in young adult literature. The novel was later adapted into a film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, featuring an all-star cast of future stars, including Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, and C. Thomas Howell. Hinton also co-wrote the screenplay for the adaptation of Rumble Fish with Coppola.
Hinton's writing career began while she was still a student at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was inspired by the divisions among her schoolmates into two groups, the Greasers and the Socs, and wrote The Outsiders as an honest and sometimes shocking novel told from the point of view of a 14-year-old Greaser named Ponyboy Curtis. Since her narrator was male, it was decided that Hinton use only her first initials so as not to put off boys who would not normally read books written by women. The Outsiders was published during Hinton's freshman year at the University of Tulsa and was an immediate sensation. Today, with more than eight million copies in print, the book is the best-selling young adult novel of all time, and one of the most hauntingly powerful views into the thoughts and feelings of teenagers.
Hinton's success with The Outsiders brought her a lot of publicity and fame, as well as pressure to continue producing successful novels. She experienced a three-year-long writer's block, but eventually broke it with the help of her boyfriend, who is now her husband. She wrote two pages a day, which led to the publication of her next novel, That Was Then, This Is Now. Hinton has since published several other successful novels, including Rumble Fish and Tex, and has received numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to young adult literature. In 2010, she was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award by the American Library Association and School Library Journal, which honors authors whose books have been accepted by young people as an authentic voice that continues to illuminate their experiences and emotions, giving insight into their lives. Hinton still lives in Tulsa with her husband and son, where she enjoys writing, riding horses, and taking courses at the university.