S. E. Hinton

S. E. Hinton is a famous writer. She writes stories for young people. Most of her books take place in Oklahoma.

She wrote a book called The Outsiders. She was only sixteen when she wrote it. It was inspired by groups at her school.

Her books are very popular. Many people have bought them. Some of her stories were even made into movies.

She uses her initials instead of her full name. She does this to keep her life private.

Hinton still loves to write today. She also likes to ride horses.

S. E. Hinton is a famous American writer. She is well known for books for young people. Most of her stories take place in Oklahoma.

She wrote her first big book, The Outsiders, in 1967. She was only sixteen years old then. The story was based on two rival groups at her school. One group was called the Greasers. The other group was called the Socs. Hinton wanted to show what life was like for the Greasers. Since then, her book has sold more than 14 million copies.

Hinton uses her initials instead of her full name. Her publisher suggested this many years ago. They did not want men to ignore her books because she was a woman. Using initials also helps her keep her private life separate.

She has written many other books for teens. These include That Was Then, This Is Now and Rumble Fish. Some of her stories became movies too. Hinton even acted in a few of them. She also writes books for younger children. She enjoys reading and horseback riding in her free time. In 1988, she won a special award for her work with teens.

S. E. Hinton is a famous American author. She is best known for writing books for young adults. Many of her stories take place in Oklahoma. She is often credited with starting the young adult genre. This means she helped create a new way for writers to tell stories just for teens.

Hinton began her most famous work while she was still in high school. She started writing her first novel, The Outsiders, in 1965. She was only sixteen years old when it was published in 1967. The book was inspired by two rival groups at her school, Will Rogers High School. These groups were called the Greasers and the Socs. Hinton wanted to write from the point of view of the Greasers.

Her career has had many interesting turns. Her publisher suggested she use her initials instead of her full name. They worried male reviewers might ignore her books because she was a woman. Hinton liked using her initials to keep her private life separate too. She wrote several more books for teens in the 1970s and 1980s. These include That Was Then, This Is Now and Rumble Fish.

Hinton has achieved great success with her writing. The Outsiders has sold more than 14 million copies. In 2017, Viking Press said it still sells over 500,000 copies every year. By 1982, her first four novels had sold over 10 million copies. She received the Margaret Edwards Award in 1988 for her work with teens. She was also put into the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame in 1998.

Many of her stories have moved from the page to the screen. Several of her books became famous movies. Francis Ford Coppola directed films for The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. Hinton even helped write the script for Rumble Fish. She also acted in three of these films. She played a nurse in one and a teacher in another. Today, she lives in Tulsa with her husband and son.

S. E. Hinton is a highly influential American novelist. She is widely credited with introducing the young-adult (YA) genre. This genre focuses on stories specifically written for teenagers. Most of her influential work is set in Oklahoma. Her writing often explores the lives and social struggles of young people.

Hinton's most famous work began during her teenage years. She started writing her first novel, *The Outsiders*, in 1965. She was only sixteen years old when it was published in 1967. The story was inspired by rival groups at her school, Will Rogers High School. These groups were known as the Greasers and the Socs. Hinton wanted to write from the perspective of the Greasers to show empathy for them.

Her publishing career involved a specific choice regarding her identity. Her publisher suggested she use her initials instead of her full name. They feared male book reviewers might dismiss her work because she was female. Hinton continued using her initials to maintain a boundary between her public and private life. This practice helped her keep her personal life separate from her fame.

Hinton produced several significant young adult novels throughout the 1970s and 1980s. These stories often take place within a shared universe in Oklahoma. Her second book, *That Was Then, This Is Now*, was released in 1971. It follows two friends, Byron and Mark, as they face the world of drug dealing. In 1975, she published *Rumble Fish*, which follows a high-schooler named Rusty-James. Her fourth YA novel, *Tex*, arrived in 1979. She completed her final YA novel, *Taming the Star Runner*, in 1988.

Her literary success is measured by massive sales numbers. *The Outsiders* has sold more than 14 million copies. In 2017, Viking Press reported that the book sells over 500,000 copies annually. By 1982, her first four novels had reached 10 million copies in sales. In 1988, the American Library Association gave her the inaugural Margaret Edwards Award. This award recognized her cumulative contributions to writing for teenagers.

Many of Hinton's stories transitioned from books to film adaptations. Director Francis Ford Coppola directed the movies for *The Outsiders* and *Rumble Fish*. Hinton co-wrote the script for the *Rumble Fish* film. Other books like *Tex* and *That Was Then, This Is Now* also became movies. Hinton even appeared in three of these films in cameo roles. She played a nurse in *The Outsiders* and a teacher in *Tex*.

As her career progressed, Hinton expanded into different types of writing. In the 1990s, she began writing books for children. This included the picture book *Big David, Little David* and the novella *The Puppy Sister*. In 2004, she published her first adult novel, *Hawkes Harbor*. This book differed from her earlier work by including strong language and sexual situations. She has also explored screenwriting and continues to write today.

Hinton's personal life has influenced her journey as a writer. She grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her father was a salesman. Her father passed away from a brain tumor when she was fifteen. After the success of her first book, she experienced writer's block and depression. Her husband, David E. Inhofe, helped her overcome this by encouraging her to write two pages every day. This discipline helped her finish her second novel. She currently lives in Tulsa with her husband and their son, Nicholas David.