Writer of the Week: Susan Eloise Hinton

Susan Eloise Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From a young age she has been an avid reader. Not satisfied with the literature written for young adults, Hinton embarked on a journey to fill that need for literature herself, thus dedicating her life to writing.

Her first novel, The Outsiders, was published in 1967 and brought her immediate success in the genre. Many other novels followed, such as That Was Then, This Is Now, published in 1971, and Rumble Fish, published in 1975.  This popularity among young readers gave her the titled of “The Voice of the Youth,” among many other titles.

In 1985, a movie adaptation of her novel That Was Then, This Is Now was made. Since then, adaptations of Rumble Fish, The Outsiders, and Tex have also been made.

Hinton received the prestigious YASD/SLJ Author Achievement Award, an award given by the Young Adult Services Division of the American Library Association and School Library Journal, in 1988, becoming the first recipient of such award.

Although Hinton is a reserved individual, she has shared some of her hobbies, which include horseback riding and taking non-credit courses at various universities.

To read more about S.E. Hinton’s fascinating life and career, you can visit her website here.