When it was first published in 1967, S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders was both revolutionary and controversial. In the history of literature intended for young adults, The Outsiders is a milestone for the frankness with which it portrays poverty, class prejudice, gang violence, substance abuse, explicit language, familial dysfunction, teenage sexual interests, and death. Nowadays, the book is considered a classic that can still connect with teen readers today because of this very honesty and reluctance to sentimentalize the adolescent experience. However, according to the American Library Association, it is also still among the most frequently challenged books.

The Outsiders remains frequently challenged for its more mature content. Some parents believe the book's content is too dark for their children to read and that by withholding it from them, they are protecting them from being traumatized. Other parents and church groups have challenged the book for moral or religious reasons, thinking the book glamorizes gang violence and teen delinquency. The bottom line is that adults believe the book will make young readers imitate the bad behavior of the characters, even though the book itself depicts such behavior as bad and only leading to violence and misery.