That Was Then, This is Now

The Outsiders and That Was Then, This Is Now were among a box of books that my father gave me when I was a kid. A bunch of Asimov was in that box, which I devoured; there was also some Vonneguts and the two Hinton books, which I never did for some reason. But after teaching and enjoying The Outsiders, I decided to add That Was Then to my reading list.

That Was Then, This Is Now isn't exactly a sequel to The Outsiders, but it's set in the same unnamed city, and Ponyboy is among the secondary characters. It's narrated by Bryon, a kid who makes money hustling pool, and mostly concerns his relationship with his friend Mark, who moved in with Bryon and his mother when his parents died. It's a quick read-- just 150 pages-- but an affecting show more one. Hinton's good at capturing that most important part of growing up: that the world is more complex than you thought, and there's nothing you can do about it. Somehow this book manages to be sadder than The Outsiders; while The Outsiders obviously has some dark stuff in it, it manages to end semi-optimistically, I think. But by the end of this book, Bryon has lost many of the people he cares about, by choice or by circumstance, and he isn't going to get them back. Hinton may have created a genre, but unlike some early works in a genre, this maintains its power, even fifty years on. show less

"Youth is free from worry," I said sarcastically. "You've been listenin' to too many adults."

When I first read this book at thirteen, I enjoyed the story. After all, it was about teenagers trying to figure out the world and relationships. It's a time when "adults" try to tell you to enjoy your life because it only gets harder OR they just tell you to suck it up and deal with whatever is going on because it only gets harder. The drugs, alcohol, family situations, and fights were all just backdrops to the story. It was a teenage movie in book form.

Reading this book forty years later hit me the same but completely different. At this point in my life, I have navigated many of the problems this book addresses both successfully and show more unsuccessfully. This tempted me to recommend this book to a fourteen year old and then I thought better of it. It is an excellent book but there is a level of retrospection that makes the story more bittersweet. I returned to those feelings that occurred between the relative freedom of junior year in high school and the seriousness that happens for many as they enter their senior year in high school. Relationships shift and sometimes disintegrate in that space which feels like the flip of the switch at the time. But this book highlights how a totality of events are gently moving that switch until it just clicks into its new position.

With all that being said, I will probably still recommend this book to a certain fourteen year old in the hopes that they can have the same thoughts later in life. show less

“You know what the crummiest feeling you can have is? To hate the person you love the best in the world.”
― S.E. Hinton, That Was Then, This Is Now

I read this as a kid but lately certain things have made me think of it and perhaps I will do a reread.

This book is lesser known then "The Outsiders". S.E. Hinton wrote both and I am a huge fan of both these books. While I still prefer The Outsiders, this is a great book as well.

Many are familiar with the plot. Mark and Bryan have been best friends all their lives. But things are changing. Bryan is changing. He is growing up and for the first time he has a girlfriend. Mark however is not happy with this and wants things to remain just as they have always been.

SPOILERS:

I related to Mark show more in this book greatly. Things are always changing..who hasn't wanted, at one point or more, for things to just slow down..or freeze altogether?

I am someone who is not all that comfortable with change. And growing up, I too felt this amazing free feeling, the feeling that it would always be this way. This is such an easy book to relate to.

FYI..this book was also a film. I saw it and the ending is completely different. It actually ends on a (semi) happy note. I can understand the "Hollywooding" of the ending but honesty, the book's bleak ending is closer to reality and is most likely how it really would have played out.

Although I felt for Mark, I do not excuse some of his actions. Likewise, I felt for Bryan, trying to stay afloat in a world that is changing, trying to hold on to both people he loves while dealing with so much.

I hope if one has not read this book and they stumble on this review, they will pick it up. Hinton is an incredible writer. She gets in side her characters heads and crafts amazing literature. I've never forgotten this extraordinary book and will reread soon . Highly recommended. show less

Do yourself a favor and skip the crap movie with, um, one of the Estevez brothers, I forget which one. This YA is actually pretty powerful, if rather bleak, because unlike the movie, the novel doesn't cop out by giving the audience a phony happy ending.

This is a companion novel/sequel to The Outsiders, and it's about all the things that change 16 year old Bryon's relationship with his childhood best friend and foster brother, Mark. It's surprisingly slight - only 126 pages - and the inside blurb oh-so-helpfully told me about the outcome of an event which doesn't happen until halfway through the book. (Spoilers, grr. )

It is also surprisingly bleak. I don't necessarily need totally happy endings, but if the main character isn't okay, then I want there to be some hope that one day they will be - even if that's going to be a difficult journey.
But one of the last lines in the book is: I am too mixed up to really care. And to think, I used to be sure of things.
I found Bryon's apathy show more concerning, especially considering what he's been through. And he doesn't seem to have anyone to talk to about what is going on in his head.

An interesting, if depressing, glimpse into being a teenager in the 1970s in a tough neighbourhood. show less

One of the lessons I took from this book was "no good deed goes unpunished". Then there's the moral crisis at the end. I wouldn't turn anyone in for dealing marijuana (it's safer than alcohol and no more intoxicating), but I would for other drugs, especially meth (in large part due to its explosive hazards — I've witnessed a few apartment building fires because of meth). I'm opposed to our state of prohibition on the whole, but I'd rather not see something like heroine become legal (having been dependent upon morphine for a time, due to medical reasons, I have enough of an understanding of just how damning such drugs are). Perhaps you're of a different mind? The book will force you to think about where you stand on such issues.

I think this is a great book for the Grade 10 Applied Level. The students are generally very engaged by the subject matter. The text is very rich in terms of symbolism and characterization which makes it great as a jumping off point for further class discussion and exploration.