That Was Then, This Is Now

• Genre: Fiction; young adult realistic
• Originally Published: 1971
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 780L; grades 7-9
• Structure/Length: 11 chapters; approximately 159 pages; approximately 4 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: The bond between best friends Bryon and Mark is tested when Bryon begins turning away from their violent, criminal lifestyle.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence; drug use and misuse; profanity; dated, insensitive, and racist language

S. E. Hinton, Author

• Bio: Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she still lives with her husband; wrote her first novel, The Outsiders, as a high school student; passionate about horse-back riding; reads voraciously; four of her novels have been adapted for film
• Other Works: The Outsiders (1967); Rumble Fish (1975); Taming the Star Runner (1988)
• Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1971); Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book (1971); Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1978)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Choices and Responsibilities of Adulthood
• The Vicious Cycle of Revenge
• Risk Factors for and Consequences of Substance Abuse

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the social and historical contexts surrounding 1960s counterculture that impact Bryon’s coming-of-age journey.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Choices and Responsibilities of Adulthood; The Vicious Cycle of Revenge; and Risk Factors for and Consequences of Substance Abuse.