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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Gang violence and a death in the conclusion
Language
Some
Strong language in the teen gang register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Some adult content
Substance Use
Some
Drug use among the teen characters
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of living in the legend of someone who can't be saved — and the tragedy of what happens to them — is the novel's most intense element
What this book is about
S.E. Hinton's short novel follows Rusty-James, a teen in a faded gang world who idolizes his older brother the Motorcycle Boy. The novel is a tragedy about the cost of living in someone else's myth. Hinton writes gang violence and teen alienation with the same authenticity that defined The Outsiders. The ending is genuinely devastating. Some drug use and violence appropriate to the genre.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Teen gang violence
Drug use throughout
Reader Verification
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