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.

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.

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