Rumble Fish | Author Biography

Susan Eloise Hinton was born in 1950 (some sources say 1948) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her first book, The Outsiders, was published when she was seventeen. A tomboy, Hinton wrote the book because the teen books then available were too wholesome and sweet for her tastes. The novel deals with rivalry between students of different social classes, poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, and teenage angst. Because the main character was male, her editors urged her to conceal her own gender by using her initials instead of her full name.

S. E. Hinton
S. E. Hinton

Hinton began writing the book during her sophomore year. She didn't think of publishing it until the mother of one of her schoolmates, who was a professional children's writer, took a look at it and told Hinton to send it to her agent. Hinton did, and the novel was accepted for publication on the night of her high school graduation.

Publication of the book brought intense attention to Hinton, who was busy studying education at the University of Tulsa, marrying her husband, David Inhofe, and having a family. Four years later, she published another book, That Was Then, This Is Now, another story of troubled youth. Rumble Fish came out in 1975, and Tex was published in 1979. Her fifth young adult book, Taming the Star Runner, was published in 1988. She has also written two books for younger readers.

Despite her relatively small number of titles, Hinton's work has had a major impact on literature for children, helping to shape the direction of young adult literature by moving it toward less idealized, more realistic portrayals of the lives of teenagers. Certainly, she has struck a nerve among young readers, who respond to her depictions of their peers and their emotional pain.

In 1988, Hinton was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for career achievement. Over ten million copies of her books are in print, and films have been made of four of her novels.