When I was a kid, I discovered the work of SE Hinton and absolutely devoured her books and watched the movie adaptations. Her books have informed what I write about. You should read The Outsiders. It’s a very naive look at teens in the 60s from the wrong side of the tracks, bu it’s quite beautiful in its simplicity.

And then you should watch the Francs Ford Coppola directed film. If the move was made today, it would be incredibly different – there’s no swearing or sex in the 1983 movie.

Check out the hotties! Rob Lowe was so pretty.

PS. I wrote an email to SE Hinton tonight. I’m not expecting a response, but I wanted to tell her that her stories changed what I knew about books and writing.

Back row: Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe Front row: Emilio Estevez, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise

C. Thomas Howell, Diane Lane