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Rumble Fish
Rusty-James is the toughest guy in the group of high-school kids who hang out and shoot pool down at Benny's, and he enjoys keeping up his reputation. What he wants most of all is to be just like his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy. He wants to stay calm and laughing when things get dangerous, to be the toughest street fighter and the most respected guy on their side of the river. Rusty-James isn't book-smart, and he knows it. He relies on his fists instead of his brains. Until now he's gotten along all right, because whenever he gets into trouble, the Motorcycle Boy bails him out. But Rusty-James' drive to be like his brother eats away at his world--until it all comes apart in an explosive chain of events. And this time the Motorcycle Boy isn't around to pick up the pieces.
144 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 15, 1975
527 people are currently reading
10896 people want to read
About the author
S.E. Hinton
43 books8,018 followersS.E. Hinton, was and still is, one of the most popular and best known writers of young adult fiction. Her books have been taught in some schools, and banned from others. Her novels changed the way people look at young adult literature.
Susan Eloise Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has always enjoyed reading but wasn't satisfied with the literature that was being written for young adults, which influenced her to write novels like The Outsiders. That book, her first novel, was published in 1967 by Viking.
Susan Eloise Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She has always enjoyed reading but wasn't satisfied with the literature that was being written for young adults, which influenced her to write novels like The Outsiders. That book, her first novel, was published in 1967 by Viking.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,627 reviews
March 31, 2009
There's something about 'Rumble Fish' that makes me read it a few times every year. If you think this is a book just about gang fighting - you're wack. It's about wanting to be something you can't be, finally getting it and realizing that it wasn't what what you wanted. It's about being misunderstood and misinterpreted. It's about picking the wrong heroes. It's about wanting to belong to anybody. It's about life turning into black and white.
May 18, 2021
Alright, this is not my usual thing. Not by a long shot. A book about teen angst, hero worship and fighting because it's fun… yeah, no thanks (before you post a reply dear reader, yes, I know there's more to this book than that, please hold fire a few moments). You may be wondering, "Tim, why did you even bother with this?" Excellent question hypothetical reader, I'm glad you asked.
I read this because a friend of mine started a book club in real life (through skype though as too many people still cannot meet up), and by all the gods I will encourage such a thing and agreed to participate prior to even knowing the book. When this was picked… well, I was less than thrilled.
Let me get this out of the way. I have not read The Outsiders. I have no intention of reading The Outsiders. I will perhaps read The Outsider, or perhaps The Outsider maybe even The Outsider but I will likely not read The Outsiders. Maybe it's the "S" at the end, but most likely it is because it just doesn't appeal. I shall be a square and not in fact "be golden." (or whatever the hell that line is)
Nonetheless, I will read a book to help a friend kick things off. What did I think of it knowing that the deck was very much stacked against it?
…
Honestly wasn't bad. Again, not my cup of tea, but it's not a bad book. I found aspects that I truly appreciated. I liked the interactions with the father and the fact that our lead didn't understand the more educated conversations. In particular I found one section of dialogue to be a gem. In it our lead tells his older brother that his former girlfriend (Cassandra) says she is not hooked on drugs:
"Oh, yeah. Well, I believe her."
"You do?"
"Sure. You know what happened to people who didn't believe Cassandra."
I didn't. My father said, "The Greeks got 'em."
Now see what I mean? What the hell did Greeks have to do with anything?
It's a little back and forth which said quite a bit about the characters. In fact, one aspect I can praise all around is that the entire book is mostly like this. Aspects that are said inform you of who these people are, and our lead, poor Rusty-James just doesn't pick up on it. It's actually well told in that regard.
The fact that Rusty-James doesn't get so much of what's going on improves the book in an unexpected way. He gets an overwhelming sense that things are wrong at times, but can't figure out what or why; just a sense of foreboding.
So, while I may not have the nostalgia for Hinton to make me appreciate this in a way that perhaps I would if I had read her books as a teenager, I can still appreciate the clever ideas and the stylistic way she told the story. Frankly though, there's just not enough actual story to really make a book (and with the large print, it's really not much more than a lengthy short story). It's an interesting character piece, but doesn't feel quite finished. I appreciate aspects of it, but it does feel like there was a build up to something that never quite made it. 3/5 stars.
I read this because a friend of mine started a book club in real life (through skype though as too many people still cannot meet up), and by all the gods I will encourage such a thing and agreed to participate prior to even knowing the book. When this was picked… well, I was less than thrilled.
Let me get this out of the way. I have not read The Outsiders. I have no intention of reading The Outsiders. I will perhaps read The Outsider, or perhaps The Outsider maybe even The Outsider but I will likely not read The Outsiders. Maybe it's the "S" at the end, but most likely it is because it just doesn't appeal. I shall be a square and not in fact "be golden." (or whatever the hell that line is)
Nonetheless, I will read a book to help a friend kick things off. What did I think of it knowing that the deck was very much stacked against it?
…
Honestly wasn't bad. Again, not my cup of tea, but it's not a bad book. I found aspects that I truly appreciated. I liked the interactions with the father and the fact that our lead didn't understand the more educated conversations. In particular I found one section of dialogue to be a gem. In it our lead tells his older brother that his former girlfriend (Cassandra) says she is not hooked on drugs:
"Oh, yeah. Well, I believe her."
"You do?"
"Sure. You know what happened to people who didn't believe Cassandra."
I didn't. My father said, "The Greeks got 'em."
Now see what I mean? What the hell did Greeks have to do with anything?
It's a little back and forth which said quite a bit about the characters. In fact, one aspect I can praise all around is that the entire book is mostly like this. Aspects that are said inform you of who these people are, and our lead, poor Rusty-James just doesn't pick up on it. It's actually well told in that regard.
The fact that Rusty-James doesn't get so much of what's going on improves the book in an unexpected way. He gets an overwhelming sense that things are wrong at times, but can't figure out what or why; just a sense of foreboding.
So, while I may not have the nostalgia for Hinton to make me appreciate this in a way that perhaps I would if I had read her books as a teenager, I can still appreciate the clever ideas and the stylistic way she told the story. Frankly though, there's just not enough actual story to really make a book (and with the large print, it's really not much more than a lengthy short story). It's an interesting character piece, but doesn't feel quite finished. I appreciate aspects of it, but it does feel like there was a build up to something that never quite made it. 3/5 stars.
February 5, 2016
Tenía ganas de leer algo más de la autora de una de mis novelas favoritas, Rebeldes. No sabía qué esperarme, pero desde luego no una historia que siguiera los pasos de su primera obra.
Pareciendo un spin-off, tratando el tema de las bandas callejeras, las peleas y las relaciones sexuales, Susan E. Hinton crea una historia fuerte con mucho que enseñar, aunque no mucho que contar. Con apenas un par de escenas memorables, la novela es demasiado corta y no consigue profundizar en los personajes.
Es decir, es similar a un monólogo interior: todo desde el punto de vista de Rusty, demasiado centrado en sus pensamientos y sentimientos, y ese estilo me gusta siempre. En este caso no ha sido menos, pero esperaba una historia que no me dejase a medias en cuanto a conocer el resto de personajes. ¿Que quizá esa sea la intención, el centrarse solo en el protagonista? Pues oye, puede ser, pero es una novela que trata de profundizar y se queda ahí.
Sin embargo, es una historia dura que te hace ponerte en la piel de varias situaciones complicadas, con una narración increíble y muy entretenida. Guarda unos cuantos giros más que interesantes y se lee de una sentada. La recomiendo, pero no vayáis buscando algo que os cambie la vida.
Pareciendo un spin-off, tratando el tema de las bandas callejeras, las peleas y las relaciones sexuales, Susan E. Hinton crea una historia fuerte con mucho que enseñar, aunque no mucho que contar. Con apenas un par de escenas memorables, la novela es demasiado corta y no consigue profundizar en los personajes.
Es decir, es similar a un monólogo interior: todo desde el punto de vista de Rusty, demasiado centrado en sus pensamientos y sentimientos, y ese estilo me gusta siempre. En este caso no ha sido menos, pero esperaba una historia que no me dejase a medias en cuanto a conocer el resto de personajes. ¿Que quizá esa sea la intención, el centrarse solo en el protagonista? Pues oye, puede ser, pero es una novela que trata de profundizar y se queda ahí.
Sin embargo, es una historia dura que te hace ponerte en la piel de varias situaciones complicadas, con una narración increíble y muy entretenida. Guarda unos cuantos giros más que interesantes y se lee de una sentada. La recomiendo, pero no vayáis buscando algo que os cambie la vida.
July 10, 2020
"I ain't never been a particularly smart person, but I get along all right." -- narrator Rusty-James, page 13
After really enjoying Hinton's Taming the Star Runner and Tex several months ago I'm continuing on through her slim but well-regarded string of YA novels with Rumble Fish. While it was good, it was just not as engaging for me as the aforementioned two books. I did not find the fourteen year-old protagonist Rusty-James - a juvenile delinquent-type from the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma (Hinton's usual setting) with an absentee alcoholic father and a distant, slightly older brother only referred to as 'Motorcycle Boy' - as appealing or relatable as the similarly-aged main characters in the other books. However, maybe that's because where Travis and Tex were basically good-hearted young men in troubled situations Rusty-James is a darker version of them. He pretty clearly has the deck stacked against him from the start (and he also is bereft of any sort of positive role model in his life, unlike Travis and Tex), and it seems somewhat unlikely that he will disrupt the sad cycle of a broken family, petty crime, etc. Possibly because the story and/or the characters were more downbeat in nature, or even uncomfortably realistic in a few moments, that it restrained my enthusiasm for it.
After really enjoying Hinton's Taming the Star Runner and Tex several months ago I'm continuing on through her slim but well-regarded string of YA novels with Rumble Fish. While it was good, it was just not as engaging for me as the aforementioned two books. I did not find the fourteen year-old protagonist Rusty-James - a juvenile delinquent-type from the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma (Hinton's usual setting) with an absentee alcoholic father and a distant, slightly older brother only referred to as 'Motorcycle Boy' - as appealing or relatable as the similarly-aged main characters in the other books. However, maybe that's because where Travis and Tex were basically good-hearted young men in troubled situations Rusty-James is a darker version of them. He pretty clearly has the deck stacked against him from the start (and he also is bereft of any sort of positive role model in his life, unlike Travis and Tex), and it seems somewhat unlikely that he will disrupt the sad cycle of a broken family, petty crime, etc. Possibly because the story and/or the characters were more downbeat in nature, or even uncomfortably realistic in a few moments, that it restrained my enthusiasm for it.
April 30, 2013
Things in life don’t come with equal weight. The biggest and heaviest impacts are when an event or a moment grab a life that is completely and utterly ripe for something it didn’t know existed.
The film Rumble Fish was one of the big blows of my early adulthood. To me it was (and still is) mind-blowingly good. The cast, the themes, the black-and-white and The Motorcycle Boy, Tom Waits raising his middle finger and chewing gum and an ending capable of knocking out a cinema full in the one go.
What I didn’t realise at the time was how much it had stayed true to the book.
I honestly don’t know why I didn’t think of reading it earlier. As with The Outsiders, I think it had something to do with the Young Adult tag; even though that’s what I was at the first viewing of each film (Rumblefish at the Scala cinema in London’s King’s Cross and The Outsiders on video in my family home).
Wasted years, I can tell you.
The first thing that struck me about Rumble Fish (the book) was the power of the opening chapter. It’s nigh-on perfect I’d say. Sets the scene, hooks the reader, gives the voice and explodes into action in a way that’s laid back and almost lazy – I know that laid-back and explode contradict each other, but that’s how it feels – I guess that a slick car with great gears and engine might do this as it accelerates, fast as hell yet so smooth the motion is hardly felt.
After reading those first few pages, I had to pause for a couple of days just to think about it.
The next thing that hit was the way that the movie of the book had stuck so closely to the dialogue (it’s practically verbatim). I loved reading lines that I’ve been carrying around with me for years:
“Even the most primitive societies have an innate respect for the insane.”
“Loyalty is his only vice.”
“The Greeks got her.”
“California is like a beautiful wild kid on heroin, high as a kite and thinking she’s on top of the world, not knowing she’s dying, not believing it even if you show her the marks.”
Winners all. And there are so many more.
The story itself is brilliant. It’s everything I want from a book. The characters are so well drawn and the setting and the plot are great. It holds an incredible romance for me, a nostalgia for something I didn’t really experience, the kind of nostalgia I felt with books like The Great Gatsby and the like.
I love the idea of people being born in the wrong age (I swear I know a few of those) or in the wrong place (ditto). The sense of heroes and idolisation reminds me of my own idols. The relationships are dysfunctional in a way that’s almost caricature but maintain love at their core. Time flies, life is short, people are different, we have dreams and nightmares, we’re all products of our genetic mix and our realities.
As far as I know, this book is studied still as a modern classic in the US. I can see why that is – if I ever write anything as good, I’ll have achieved all I ever wanted to with my work.
I can also see why this might attract the odd detractor.
Too simple they might say. Too unreal. Too pretentious. Too whatever they feel it’s too much of. Whatever it is, they might be right, but then again, maybe they just didn’t read it at the right moment or in the right place.
To me, it’s just brilliant.
And I still want to be The Motorcycle Boy even though I get nervous as a passenger on a scooter as soon as it racks up 30 miles per.
Read this one I say. Read and weep.
The film Rumble Fish was one of the big blows of my early adulthood. To me it was (and still is) mind-blowingly good. The cast, the themes, the black-and-white and The Motorcycle Boy, Tom Waits raising his middle finger and chewing gum and an ending capable of knocking out a cinema full in the one go.
What I didn’t realise at the time was how much it had stayed true to the book.
I honestly don’t know why I didn’t think of reading it earlier. As with The Outsiders, I think it had something to do with the Young Adult tag; even though that’s what I was at the first viewing of each film (Rumblefish at the Scala cinema in London’s King’s Cross and The Outsiders on video in my family home).
Wasted years, I can tell you.
The first thing that struck me about Rumble Fish (the book) was the power of the opening chapter. It’s nigh-on perfect I’d say. Sets the scene, hooks the reader, gives the voice and explodes into action in a way that’s laid back and almost lazy – I know that laid-back and explode contradict each other, but that’s how it feels – I guess that a slick car with great gears and engine might do this as it accelerates, fast as hell yet so smooth the motion is hardly felt.
After reading those first few pages, I had to pause for a couple of days just to think about it.
The next thing that hit was the way that the movie of the book had stuck so closely to the dialogue (it’s practically verbatim). I loved reading lines that I’ve been carrying around with me for years:
“Even the most primitive societies have an innate respect for the insane.”
“Loyalty is his only vice.”
“The Greeks got her.”
“California is like a beautiful wild kid on heroin, high as a kite and thinking she’s on top of the world, not knowing she’s dying, not believing it even if you show her the marks.”
Winners all. And there are so many more.
The story itself is brilliant. It’s everything I want from a book. The characters are so well drawn and the setting and the plot are great. It holds an incredible romance for me, a nostalgia for something I didn’t really experience, the kind of nostalgia I felt with books like The Great Gatsby and the like.
I love the idea of people being born in the wrong age (I swear I know a few of those) or in the wrong place (ditto). The sense of heroes and idolisation reminds me of my own idols. The relationships are dysfunctional in a way that’s almost caricature but maintain love at their core. Time flies, life is short, people are different, we have dreams and nightmares, we’re all products of our genetic mix and our realities.
As far as I know, this book is studied still as a modern classic in the US. I can see why that is – if I ever write anything as good, I’ll have achieved all I ever wanted to with my work.
I can also see why this might attract the odd detractor.
Too simple they might say. Too unreal. Too pretentious. Too whatever they feel it’s too much of. Whatever it is, they might be right, but then again, maybe they just didn’t read it at the right moment or in the right place.
To me, it’s just brilliant.
And I still want to be The Motorcycle Boy even though I get nervous as a passenger on a scooter as soon as it racks up 30 miles per.
Read this one I say. Read and weep.
August 18, 2012
Rumble Fish was a cool movie that looked a lot like Robert Frank’s The Americans and had Mickey Rourke perfecting his Richard Hell impersonation with Tom Waits doing a Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe routine, whilst listening to Wall Of Voodoo and The Police jamming on the soundtrack…very new wave…totally Eighties. Then there’s the book.
S.E. Hinton writes more like a noir writer than a YA one, complete with flashbacks, delusional madness and death. Her uncanny ability to get into a teenage boy’s mind and do so with intensive insight is nothing short of remarkable.
Rumble Fish was written in the Seventies so I imagine more of a burned-out Motorcycle Boy fried by too many Boones Farm empties, dozens of Testors glue tubes, and scratchy Steppenwolf records. Whichever spin you put on Rumble Fish it’s one of the best tomes in the Teenage Wasteland bookshelf.
S.E. Hinton writes more like a noir writer than a YA one, complete with flashbacks, delusional madness and death. Her uncanny ability to get into a teenage boy’s mind and do so with intensive insight is nothing short of remarkable.
Rumble Fish was written in the Seventies so I imagine more of a burned-out Motorcycle Boy fried by too many Boones Farm empties, dozens of Testors glue tubes, and scratchy Steppenwolf records. Whichever spin you put on Rumble Fish it’s one of the best tomes in the Teenage Wasteland bookshelf.
January 15, 2020
I'm not even sure what to say about this book -- it is an incredibly quick read, but it stays with you. It's not a book to like or dislike; it left me unexplainably sad for Rusty-James (the main character). I felt like I was wandering as I read the book, and I think that's the feeling that Hinton ultimately wanted to capture: a lost, aimless, haunting feeling that creeps up on you as you read. Everything felt so unresolved, but that felt right for this book. It really is crazy how memorable such a small, short book is, and I imagine I won't forget this story anytime soon.
June 11, 2025
This book is confusingly bad. It lacks the charm and sincerity of The Outsiders. None of the characters are as skillfully drawn or believable, the story is meandering and poorly written, and the heart of the novel - the relationship between Rusty-James and the Motorcycle Boy - isn't given enough time to mature.
On the other hand, this is probably a pretty good movie, because it stars Matt Dillon and Diane Lane (forever cast in S.E. Hinton projects!).
On the other hand, this is probably a pretty good movie, because it stars Matt Dillon and Diane Lane (forever cast in S.E. Hinton projects!).
April 13, 2019
Rumblefish
Fa parte del mio periodo dorato (parlo di letture!) tra i minimalisti statunitensi.
Ho molto amato questo libro e il film che ne trasse Francis Ford Coppola, quell'altalenarsi di immagini sincopate in bianco e nero scandite dalla batteria di Stewart Copeland in Don't box me in.
Così come ho amato moltissimo anche I ragazzi della 56esima strada: stessa autrice, stesso regista.
La mia copertina riproduce il manifesto del film: Matt Dillon illustrato da Renato Casaro, un altro grandissimo maestro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j6Tln...
Fa parte del mio periodo dorato (parlo di letture!) tra i minimalisti statunitensi.
Ho molto amato questo libro e il film che ne trasse Francis Ford Coppola, quell'altalenarsi di immagini sincopate in bianco e nero scandite dalla batteria di Stewart Copeland in Don't box me in.
Così come ho amato moltissimo anche I ragazzi della 56esima strada: stessa autrice, stesso regista.
La mia copertina riproduce il manifesto del film: Matt Dillon illustrato da Renato Casaro, un altro grandissimo maestro.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j6Tln...
May 9, 2022
El mayor problema de la novela de Hinton es que la adaptación al cine de Coppola es tan literal y queda tan grabada a fuego en la memoria (sobretodo si, como yo, la viste cuando eras joven e impresionable), que la lectura está totalmente condicionada por la película. A ratos me ha dado la sensación de estar leyendo una de aquellas novelizaciones tan de moda en los ochenta.
Quitando eso, una gran novela juvenil, con dos personajes para la historia como Rusty James y el Chico de la Moto, y una metáfora genial, los peces luchadores de Siam, que aquí nos escatimaron en el título.
Me gusta este tipo de literatura juvenil que está más preocupada por contar buenas historias que por transmitir valores y educar buenos ciudadanos. Estoy seguro que se sigue haciendo ahora. El caso es encontrarla. Se aceptan recomendaciones.
Quitando eso, una gran novela juvenil, con dos personajes para la historia como Rusty James y el Chico de la Moto, y una metáfora genial, los peces luchadores de Siam, que aquí nos escatimaron en el título.
Me gusta este tipo de literatura juvenil que está más preocupada por contar buenas historias que por transmitir valores y educar buenos ciudadanos. Estoy seguro que se sigue haciendo ahora. El caso es encontrarla. Se aceptan recomendaciones.
December 28, 2017
This is a really interesting companion piece to The Outsiders. What if Ponyboy didn't stay gold? What if The Outsiders was written from Dally's perspective? It would probably go like this.
Rusty James lies to himself constantly, both consciously and subconsciously. He thinks The Motorcycle Boy is deaf, when it's likely TMB is just ignoring hard questions. He forces himself to forget unhappy memories and dulls his mind with fighting and alcohol.
How could this have gone differently? How could he have turned out like Ponyboy?
Rusty James lies to himself constantly, both consciously and subconsciously. He thinks The Motorcycle Boy is deaf, when it's likely TMB is just ignoring hard questions. He forces himself to forget unhappy memories and dulls his mind with fighting and alcohol.
How could this have gone differently? How could he have turned out like Ponyboy?
July 1, 2010
I'm really not sure how to rate this one. I read it in one day and it hooked me with its suspenseful plot and realistic dialogue. Plus, I love stories about tough guys and gangs in the '50s and '60s. But after I closed the book, I didn't have a clear reaction to it that I could pinpoint and then translate into a starred rating.
Rusty-James is a young "tough guy" who idolized his older brother, The Motorcycle Boy (real name is never mentioned). Like any young kid with a cool older brother, Rusty wants to be just like him--tough, carefree, strong and smart. I think we've all known someone like the Motorcycle Boy. It's that person that seems to be able to do anything and everything, who is effortlessly cool and confident, and who makes life seem easy. The trouble is people like that don't exist. From the outside looking in, they may seem to have all the answers, but deep down they're people just like the rest of us with all kinds of problems and insecurities. The Motorcycle Boy is more like a symbol or metaphor in that sense, and from the beginning I had guessed at how things would turn out at the end because that just doesn't last.
I didn't enjoy this as much as The Outsiders, but it's a very thought-provoking book.
ETA: Upon further reflection, I'm giving it a 3.
Rusty-James is a young "tough guy" who idolized his older brother, The Motorcycle Boy (real name is never mentioned). Like any young kid with a cool older brother, Rusty wants to be just like him--tough, carefree, strong and smart. I think we've all known someone like the Motorcycle Boy. It's that person that seems to be able to do anything and everything, who is effortlessly cool and confident, and who makes life seem easy. The trouble is people like that don't exist. From the outside looking in, they may seem to have all the answers, but deep down they're people just like the rest of us with all kinds of problems and insecurities. The Motorcycle Boy is more like a symbol or metaphor in that sense, and from the beginning I had guessed at how things would turn out at the end because that just doesn't last.
I didn't enjoy this as much as The Outsiders, but it's a very thought-provoking book.
ETA: Upon further reflection, I'm giving it a 3.
April 25, 2024
S.E. Hinton is a good writer, but I don't know if she'll ever be a great one. Still, she was only 26 or so when she wrote this, and she's progressed a lot from The Outsiders and That Was Then, This Is Now. That being said, I enjoyed the other two more than I did this one, but I also really liked this, and I read it almost in one sitting, which wasn't all that difficult since it's pretty short and easy to read.
I think maybe she tried too hard with the stylistic themey things and they came across as kind of clunky, but I'm not really a good judge of those. For example Motorcycle Boy is mentioned as kind of living in a glass bowl, then later they find Siamese fighting fish in the pet store who are obviously living in their own glass bowls, and Motorcycle Boy wants to free them, and I suppose thereby set himself free? Then Rusty-James feels like he's living in a glass bowl for a minute, and at that point I'm all like "okay, whatever," but I think a lot of people eat that shit up. At least it was kind of subtle, but only kind of. Hell, if I pick up on it, then it can't be but so subtle, but it certainly wasn't a smack-you-right-in-the-face,-see-what-I-did-there? kind of thing; it just strayed that way. Take a lesson, George Lucas.
"Please, why won't you stop picking on me?"
Ummm... I'm sorry. I don't know. I guess you're just an easy target whenever subtlety, or lack thereof, is brought up.
Anyway, Hinton wrote this from Rusty-James' point of view, and I think she nailed that. It reminded me of Catcher in the Rye, though Rusty-James is nowhere near as angsty as Holden Caulfield. (I love that book, so the comparison is an endorsement.) There were only a couple of short instances where the narration seemed to step out of character, but it stepped right back in again posthaste. I can't find it to quote it, but I remember one part where Rusty-James sounded more educated and thoughtful than he was supposed to be. In the foreword Hinton mentioned it was originally written from Steve's perspective which she said was "too easy," and she switched it over. That was more difficult since it "had to stay in the character of a simple person and tell a very complex story." I'm declaring "mission accomplished." (She also said "I thought I was using myths to write a story. Turned out that I used a story to write a myth." I have no idea what that means.)
Part of my enjoyment is personal because I could relate to Motorcycle Boy. Not that I'm good-looking, or a natural leader, or possess any of his qualities, but because he was misplaced in this world. Rusty-James' father tells him
I also feel like I was born about 70 years too late. Seriously, I should be a 1908 model and dead by now, but that's not how it rolled out, so I'm just an "old soul" and a bit of an anachronism, and have been pretty much since the day I was born. Hell, even my mother says I was born old, and she isn't the only one who sees it. I guess in today's world which embraces transgenderism, I could probably get a movement started to recognize people like me who are displaced in time as having legitimate grievances, but a world where such a silly thing is accepted as mainstream is not a world I would want to live in. Oh, what a conundrum. Motorcycle Boy handled this by
I've never seen the movie, and I need to fill that gap in my cinematic knowledge, not least of all because Matt Dillon!
Hummina, hummina, hummina!
(4/25/24 update: I watched the movie today... or started it. I made it just over half an hour before I threw in the towel. The production style was just too artsy-fartsy weird and interfered with the story which is what I'm primarily interested in with most movies like this. And while I still liked looking at Matt Dillon, that wasn't enough to keep me there for two hours.)
If you like coming of age tales about a street tough, you could do much worse than this.
I think maybe she tried too hard with the stylistic themey things and they came across as kind of clunky, but I'm not really a good judge of those. For example Motorcycle Boy is mentioned as kind of living in a glass bowl, then later they find Siamese fighting fish in the pet store who are obviously living in their own glass bowls, and Motorcycle Boy wants to free them, and I suppose thereby set himself free? Then Rusty-James feels like he's living in a glass bowl for a minute, and at that point I'm all like "okay, whatever," but I think a lot of people eat that shit up. At least it was kind of subtle, but only kind of. Hell, if I pick up on it, then it can't be but so subtle, but it certainly wasn't a smack-you-right-in-the-face,-see-what-I-did-there? kind of thing; it just strayed that way. Take a lesson, George Lucas.
"Please, why won't you stop picking on me?"
Ummm... I'm sorry. I don't know. I guess you're just an easy target whenever subtlety, or lack thereof, is brought up.
Anyway, Hinton wrote this from Rusty-James' point of view, and I think she nailed that. It reminded me of Catcher in the Rye, though Rusty-James is nowhere near as angsty as Holden Caulfield. (I love that book, so the comparison is an endorsement.) There were only a couple of short instances where the narration seemed to step out of character, but it stepped right back in again posthaste. I can't find it to quote it, but I remember one part where Rusty-James sounded more educated and thoughtful than he was supposed to be. In the foreword Hinton mentioned it was originally written from Steve's perspective which she said was "too easy," and she switched it over. That was more difficult since it "had to stay in the character of a simple person and tell a very complex story." I'm declaring "mission accomplished." (She also said "I thought I was using myths to write a story. Turned out that I used a story to write a myth." I have no idea what that means.)
Part of my enjoyment is personal because I could relate to Motorcycle Boy. Not that I'm good-looking, or a natural leader, or possess any of his qualities, but because he was misplaced in this world. Rusty-James' father tells him
...every now and then a person comes along who has a different view of the world than does the usual person. Notice I said 'usual,' not 'normal.' That does not make him crazy. An acute perception does not make you crazy. However, sometimes it drives you crazy...I tend to see things differently than a lot of people around me, and I sometimes get in hot water when expressing views that are apparently better kept to myself or just shared with closer friends because said views are calloused and lack social conscience. I never know when this is happening, and I'm often confused after it's pointed out to me, but I believe they're right, my bewilderment notwithstanding.
(Your brother) is merely miscast in a play. He would have made a perfect knight in a different century, or a very good pagan prince in a time of heroes. He was born in the wrong era, on the wrong side of the river...
I also feel like I was born about 70 years too late. Seriously, I should be a 1908 model and dead by now, but that's not how it rolled out, so I'm just an "old soul" and a bit of an anachronism, and have been pretty much since the day I was born. Hell, even my mother says I was born old, and she isn't the only one who sees it. I guess in today's world which embraces transgenderism, I could probably get a movement started to recognize people like me who are displaced in time as having legitimate grievances, but a world where such a silly thing is accepted as mainstream is not a world I would want to live in. Oh, what a conundrum. Motorcycle Boy handled this by
I've never seen the movie, and I need to fill that gap in my cinematic knowledge, not least of all because Matt Dillon!
Hummina, hummina, hummina!
(4/25/24 update: I watched the movie today... or started it. I made it just over half an hour before I threw in the towel. The production style was just too artsy-fartsy weird and interfered with the story which is what I'm primarily interested in with most movies like this. And while I still liked looking at Matt Dillon, that wasn't enough to keep me there for two hours.)
If you like coming of age tales about a street tough, you could do much worse than this.
June 4, 2013
This book was very, very good, but there were some things about it that I didn't quite enjoy. FIrst off, while I was reading it, I kept asking myself, "okay, this is all background, now when's the plot going to start?" I was in suspense for a really long time, due to the fact that the plot wasn't very obvious. It seemed that it was one of those quick reads that leaves you with a "well what if....." kind of ending. All you know is that Motorcycle Boy dies at the end and in those few seconds afterwards, it is aparant that Rusty-James's life is screwed up after that. Then, it goes back to when Steve and Rusty James talk years and years later, and Rusty-James is still very emotionally scarred. It left me with the questions, "How did he get there? What happened after Motorcycle boy died?" This was, in my opinion, the downside of the book, and also the good part about it.
The downside of that is that I felt that the book was very empty, like it didn't really have a beginning or an end. It just started, told a sad story, and then ended in one motion. It was confusing. I kept wondering, "well, why does Hinton want to tell me this? What is she trying to get across?"
The good side of that is that it left me thinking about what would happen. It was like Hinton made up the author of his life, as I imagined how he strugged to continue without Motorcycle Boy, getting in many fights, drinking too much, etc. I even came up with my own story to fill in the gap at the end.
I think it's a great book, like I said before. I recommend it only for S. E. Hinton lovers that read The Outsiders. Although it is very different, it is concerning the same theme, and it leaves you with many questions. I think that people who never read The Outsiders wouldn't really understand or appreciate it as much, beacuse the book is very different than normal fiction books.
The downside of that is that I felt that the book was very empty, like it didn't really have a beginning or an end. It just started, told a sad story, and then ended in one motion. It was confusing. I kept wondering, "well, why does Hinton want to tell me this? What is she trying to get across?"
The good side of that is that it left me thinking about what would happen. It was like Hinton made up the author of his life, as I imagined how he strugged to continue without Motorcycle Boy, getting in many fights, drinking too much, etc. I even came up with my own story to fill in the gap at the end.
I think it's a great book, like I said before. I recommend it only for S. E. Hinton lovers that read The Outsiders. Although it is very different, it is concerning the same theme, and it leaves you with many questions. I think that people who never read The Outsiders wouldn't really understand or appreciate it as much, beacuse the book is very different than normal fiction books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2015
Strange little thing, this one.
Although part of the reason why I feel that way is probably the fact that it's (I think) the first YA novel I read that was written long before I was born - which, for me, makes it something of a hybrid of a classic style and a modern trend. Or something.
It's mysterious and sort of obscure, but at the same time it feels crystal clear in that the narrator's voice is simple and direct.
Let's face it - he's not the brightest bulb in the box. He's a hood kid, and he's a good kid. He's loyal and brave and strong, but rather fucked up, and he makes you grow to love him even though you don't know him all that well.
For chrissake, this is not even a novel. My edition of the ebook is 72 pages long - it's more like a novella, which is also why it feels more like a snapshot, a fragment of life, the picture of a turning point than a person's story.
And that's... really cool. Quite different, and really cool, and I'll have to think about it some more because I'm not certain I got everything there was to get, and I simultaneously hate and love this feeling.
Although part of the reason why I feel that way is probably the fact that it's (I think) the first YA novel I read that was written long before I was born - which, for me, makes it something of a hybrid of a classic style and a modern trend. Or something.
It's mysterious and sort of obscure, but at the same time it feels crystal clear in that the narrator's voice is simple and direct.
Let's face it - he's not the brightest bulb in the box. He's a hood kid, and he's a good kid. He's loyal and brave and strong, but rather fucked up, and he makes you grow to love him even though you don't know him all that well.
For chrissake, this is not even a novel. My edition of the ebook is 72 pages long - it's more like a novella, which is also why it feels more like a snapshot, a fragment of life, the picture of a turning point than a person's story.
And that's... really cool. Quite different, and really cool, and I'll have to think about it some more because I'm not certain I got everything there was to get, and I simultaneously hate and love this feeling.
January 6, 2025
3.5⭐️
Неоднозначний історія, яка викликає суперечливі почуття. З одного боку, книга захоплює своєю атмосферою та емоційністю. Авторка передає внутрішній світ головного героя, його біль і втрату. З іншого боку, повільний темп розповіді та відкритий фінал розчарували мене. Відсутність чіткої сюжетної лін��ї та невизначеність подальшої долі героїв змушують задаватися питанням: а чи варто було витрачати час на цю історію? Незважаючи на ці недоліки, книга змушує задуматися про важливі життєві питання та залишає простір для власних роздумів.
Неоднозначний історія, яка викликає суперечливі почуття. З одного боку, книга захоплює своєю атмосферою та емоційністю. Авторка передає внутрішній світ головного героя, його біль і втрату. З іншого боку, повільний темп розповіді та відкритий фінал розчарували мене. Відсутність чіткої сюжетної лін��ї та невизначеність подальшої долі героїв змушують задаватися питанням: а чи варто було витрачати час на цю історію? Незважаючи на ці недоліки, книга змушує задуматися про важливі життєві питання та залишає простір для власних роздумів.
July 9, 2023
hinton's books all include the same naivety and raw emotion that makes her one of my favourite authors. rumble fish portrays a feeling of wanting to belong that if it was written by anyone other than a 16 year old in the 70's it would have lacked the same intensity that this book holds. this book could have been so good, it's hard for me to get past the absence of character and story development. i have a lot of unanswered questions, rumble fish definitely could've and should've been longer.
August 25, 2022
One of the most memorable books from my childhood, I read it for school originally. Decided to go back and give it a reread and it did not disappoint. Even though some of the characters are a bit cheesy and one note I felt this book still held up.
March 13, 2008
THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I EVER READ!!! It’s by the same author of THE OUTSIDERS. It’s great; it’s so good that ill read it 1000 times if I could! It’s about a kid and his name is Rusty James (the name is kind of cheesy). He is not in a gang but it’s like the Outsiders when they are all like a family and they have each others back.I kind of think hes cool because he doesnt care what people think of him. He only makes desitions appon himself. And he he cares alot for his friends.he is also the jelouse type. And he talks about how his life is like in the beginning he had been in a knife fight and doesnt realy care. And the end is so amazingly awesome. Because...sorry can’t tell you you'll have read it your self. I love this book because the author kind of reminds me of me, and because I love books that have to do with gangs and people dieing and when the author describes every thing for you. And the problem is that he thinks life goes bye so fast and cant do anything about it. And he wants to stay there friends but he knows everyone changes.And I recommend this book to any one that loves action.
December 27, 2014
Estamos ya bien entraditos en el siglo XXI, por lo que no creo que a la basca del BUP le enrolle mucho esta traducción. Pensaba decir que debería haber buscado una edición más actualizada, pero lo cierto es que creo que el libro me hubiese gustado infinitamente más si lo hubiese leído en inglés, entre otras cosas porque la metáfora del título (Rumble Fish) es lo más bonito y significativo de la historia, por lo que el título en español, La ley de la calle, le ha hecho un flaco favor a la novela reduciéndola a otra obra de pandilleros del montón: justamente lo que no es.
August 31, 2016
Rumblefish is pretty amazing...it's all about a kid named Rusty James who is yearning for a fight. Abandoned by his mother and living with his always drunk father. His only idol is brother motorcycle boy (who he wants to be when he grows up). But never judge or underestimate anyone...thast what i learned from this book..........
This book is great...SE.Hinton hasn't let me down
This book is great...SE.Hinton hasn't let me down
March 16, 2017
Rumble fish is the very good book it's like the outsiders but instead of the friend(ponyboy) dying the brother dies because he was shot by a police for breaking into a pet store and setting animals free. I really think this book is very good because it was like The Outsiders and that book was the one that got me engaged in reading.
July 27, 2020
This book definitely could have been better, and the synopsis didn't at all do it justice, or even accurately summarize it at all, but I think the message to learn here is so popular. That we shouldn't live our entire lives trying to be like someone else, that we should be our own individuals, that, I think Hinton was saying, we should be rumble fish.
October 21, 2023
Acho que gostei mais do The Outsiders em termos da literatura da Hinton, embora em termos do cinema do Coppola goste mais de Rumble Fish.
O livro da Hinton segue a mesma pegada Young Adult com grande ênfase na masculinidade tóxica rockabilly daqueles idos, nunca deixando de ser poético. Hinton tem grande sensibilidade quanto ao mundo da masculinidade juvenil.
O livro da Hinton segue a mesma pegada Young Adult com grande ênfase na masculinidade tóxica rockabilly daqueles idos, nunca deixando de ser poético. Hinton tem grande sensibilidade quanto ao mundo da masculinidade juvenil.
June 23, 2017
I don't know... I kind of feel like I wasted my time reading this.
June 19, 2021
There was absolutely no point to this book. I did not like it at all.
July 10, 2021
Isosisko laitettiin seiskalla lukemaan Me kolme ja jengi. Sisko oli niin vaikuttunut ja vakuuttava, että tuolloin 11-vuotiaana lainasin kirjastosta yhteispainoksen Me kolme ja jengi - Olimme kuin veljet - Taistelukala. Muistan vieläkin jokaisen hetken, jokaisen huoneen jossa kirjaa luin. Ne oli ne hetket kun todella tajusin, että kirjallisuus on mun juttu. Itkin ja rakastuin.
Taistelukala oli jo tuolloin mun suosikki, kirsikka kakun päällä. Se vähäeleinen melankolia, luopuminen ja lopetus, joka on yhä mun mielestä parhaita mitä olen missään kirjassa lukenut. Nyt kun luin tämän ensimmäistä kertaa alkukielellä, olen taas yhtä innoissani kuin ensimmäistä kertaa lukiessa.
Taistelukala oli jo tuolloin mun suosikki, kirsikka kakun päällä. Se vähäeleinen melankolia, luopuminen ja lopetus, joka on yhä mun mielestä parhaita mitä olen missään kirjassa lukenut. Nyt kun luin tämän ensimmäistä kertaa alkukielellä, olen taas yhtä innoissani kuin ensimmäistä kertaa lukiessa.
September 2, 2023
Usually not my type of story but I really enjoyed this
March 11, 2013
No self-respecting thug would go by Rusty James. Maybe I should be more forgiving in light of the different era, but S.E. Hinton did so well with The Outsiders that I'm more than a little surprised with her attempt with this book. Her touch with the slang of the time felt awkward and fumbling. Somewhere it says Rumble Fish is more sharply focused than The Outsiders. Nonsense. The moral lessons are poorly developed. There are more questions than answers by the end, and the end itself is a poor attempt to replicate what The Outsiders achieved. Perhaps you think I am allowing The Outsiders to cloud my judgment here. Maybe you're right, but if Rumble Fish had been the first book I'd read of hers, I would have never read another. Definitely skip this and opt for The Outsiders or Not Long for this World by Anthony Haywood.
March 5, 2022
So I finished this two days ago but i waited a little while to rate it because I needed it to sink in a bit. It was such a sad ending but you know, I feel like now i’m kinda realizing the fact that SE hintons books have the most depressing endings ever.
But anyways, the themes in this were solid. It took me a few days to think about it but i think that the theme is : Sometimes, something that we really want, once we have it, we realize that it really isn’t that great and we never really wanted it in the first place. Which is like an amazing theme. And really makes me think of Adam and Eve in the garden. They wanted knowledge until they got it. But by then it was too late to be innocent anymore.
So this was a great book! Really recommend it! And as always S.E. Hintons books are super clean, there was just some drinking/ smoking. And very mild swearing.
But anyways, the themes in this were solid. It took me a few days to think about it but i think that the theme is : Sometimes, something that we really want, once we have it, we realize that it really isn’t that great and we never really wanted it in the first place. Which is like an amazing theme. And really makes me think of Adam and Eve in the garden. They wanted knowledge until they got it. But by then it was too late to be innocent anymore.
So this was a great book! Really recommend it! And as always S.E. Hintons books are super clean, there was just some drinking/ smoking. And very mild swearing.
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