62 pages 2 hours read

S. E. Hinton

That Was Then, This Is Now

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1971

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Introduction

Teacher Introduction

That Was Then, This Is Now

  • Genre: Fiction; young adult realistic
  • Originally Published: 1971
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 780L; grades 7-9
  • Structure/Length: 11 chapters; approximately 159 pages; approximately 4 hours on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: The bond between best friends Bryon and Mark is tested when Bryon begins turning away from their violent, criminal lifestyle.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence; drug use and misuse; profanity; dated, insensitive, and racist language

S. E. Hinton, Author

  • Bio: Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she still lives with her husband; wrote her first novel, The Outsiders, as a high school student; passionate about horse-back riding; reads voraciously; four of her novels have been adapted for film
  • Other Works: The Outsiders (1967); Rumble Fish (1975); Taming the Star Runner (1988)
  • Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1971); Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book (1971); Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1978)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

  • The Choices and Responsibilities of Adulthood
  • The Vicious Cycle of Revenge
  • Risk Factors for and Consequences of Substance Abuse

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

  • Gain an understanding of the social and historical contexts surrounding 1960s counterculture that impact Bryon’s coming-of-age journey.
  • Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Choices and Responsibilities of Adulthood; The Vicious Cycle of Revenge; and Risk Factors for and Consequences of Substance Abuse.