Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Rumble Fish
    Rumble Fish
    Rumble Fish
    Ebook93 pages1 hour

    Rumble Fish

    By S. E. Hinton

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    From the author of The Outsiders: This novel about two brothers in a tough world “packs a punch that will leave readers of any age reeling” (School Library Journal).
     
    An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
    A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
     
    Rusty-James wants to be just like his big brother Motorcycle Boy—tough enough to be respected by everyone in the neighborhood. But Motorcycle Boy is also smart, so smart that Rusty-James relies on him to bail him out of trouble. The brothers are inseparable, and Motorcycle Boy will always be there to watch his back, so there's nothing to worry about, right? Or so Rusty-James believes, until his world falls apart and Motorcycle Boy isn't there to pick up the pieces.
     
    An edgy, emotional portrait of a troubled kid trying to navigate the chaotic world around him, Rumble Fish was made into a film by Francis Ford Coppola and has become a modern classic praised by School Library Journal as “stylistically superb” and beloved by multiple generations of readers.
     
    “Hinton knows how to plunge us right into [Rusty-James’s] dead-end mentality—his inability to verbalize much of anything, to come to grips with his anger about his alcoholic father and the mother who deserted him, even his distance from his own feelings.”—Kirkus Reviews
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateJan 15, 2014
    ISBN9781938120824
    Author

    S. E. Hinton

    S. E. Hinton was the first author to receive the Young Adult Services Division/School Library Journal Award for Life Achievement, and has received numerous other awards and honors. Her gritty and powerful novels have also inspired four major motion pictures. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    Read more from S. E. Hinton

    Related to Rumble Fish

    Related ebooks

    YA Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Tale As Old As Time: The Dark Appeal of 'Beauty And The Beast'

      Mar 26, 2017

      Disney's new live-action extravaganza is just the latest retelling of this classic fairy tale. But why do Beauty and her Beast have such a hold on us? And why are there so many versions of their tale?

      4 min read

    • Article

      You Talkin’ To Me?

      Feb 3, 2022

      You Talkin’ To Me?
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Very Pink Pride

      Jun 22, 2023

      A Very Pink Pride
      11 min read

    • Article

      Jakob Robinson

      Dec 14, 2020

      22 years old | LIVES IN Ballina, NSW RIDES FOR Antihero [Flow through Project Distribution], Vans, Japan National, Ace Trucks, DSCO Bearings, The Bumbag Co and Truck Stop Skate Shop Hey, Jakob. What are you up to right now? Your Instagram Stories re

      9 min read

    • Article

      Father Figure

      Apr 21, 2021

      Father Figure
      2 min read

    • Article

      Jay Strikes Back

      Sep 27, 2019

      Jay Strikes Back
      5 min read

    • Article

      Even Steven

      Jan 28, 2020

      Even Steven
      14 min read

    • Article

      David Harewood

      Mar 20, 2023

      David Harewood
      5 min read

    • Article

      LOVE ME, Love Me Not

      May 18, 2021

      LOVE ME, Love Me Not
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Devil You Know

      Jul 10, 2021

      I met the Devil today. He was walking down main street, right by the undertaker in B____, which is a little town near here, and which, for obvious reasons, I’d better not name. I recognized him straight away because he had furry legs with hooves for

      8 min read

    • Article

      FALLING FOR love

      Nov 9, 2022

      FALLING FOR love
      2 min read

    • Article

      Stevie Stipanovic

      Dec 14, 2020

      Stevie Stipanovic
      14 min read

    • Article

      Josh Gao

      Aug 4, 2019

      Josh Gao
      3 min read

    • Article

      Bodger’s Christmas Special

      Dec 18, 2018

      I’ve always been a member of the same scooter club. Which one? Doesn’t matter, you’ll not know us, we’ve never really gone in for badges and polo shirts. Just take my word for it. Maybe ‘club’ is the wrong word, we’re a group of mates who’ve hung aro

      6 min read

    • Article

      Johnno Halchenko

      Dec 12, 2019

      Johnno Halchenko
      13 min read

    • Article

      Pass Go

      Jul 19, 2022

      Pass Go
      8 min read

    • Article

      SIX FIX with Shaun Paul

      Jul 1, 2021

      SIX FIX with Shaun Paul
      11 min read

    • Article

      Behind The Wall Of Sound

      Jun 16, 2020

      Behind The Wall Of Sound
      8 min read

    • Article

      Friends, Once

      Aug 25, 2020

      Friends, Once
      6 min read

    • Article

      Will Young

      May 3, 2019

      Will Young
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Original

      Aug 15, 2019

      The Original
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Healthy Cigarette

      Sep 6, 2022

      A Healthy Cigarette
      5 min read

    • Article

      When Johnny Met Blondie

      Apr 11, 2022

      When Johnny Met Blondie
      9 min read

    • Article

      Great Minds

      Nov 4, 2023

      Great Minds
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Rumble Fish

    3.5/5

    412 ratings17 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 2/5
      I thoroughly disliked this book, partly because I thought it was poorly-written...which is not something I would have expected from this author. Off to the used bookstore it goes.
    • 5/5
      This book is nice and okay the outsiders is much better but it's a good story
    • 4/5
      A bit muddled until 2/3 of the way through, then a fairly strong plot emerges, and characters sharpen. I sort of wish she'd started there, though, at that place where the conflict between Rusty-James' worldview shifts because of TMB's mental illness becoming noticeable to him. A good novel, bit a great ending-of-a-novel.
    • 5/5
      Motherless, with a drunken father, and a brother who is always on the run, Rusty James' future looks pretty bleak. For now, however, he is the king of the hill. His brother built up a reputation as the toughest, baddest, and most indifferent fellow to ever walk his streets. With few role models to look up to, Rusty James does everything in his power to emulate Motorcycle Boy. Despite being able to take a knife to the side, drink like there is no tomorrow, and get with any girl he wants, Rusty James just cannot be his brother. His brother is in a league of his own. He is apathetic to the world. He sees in black and white and hears nothing. After a series of tragic events culminating in Motorcycle Boy's unnecessary death, Rusty James' wish finally comes true. He has become Motorcycle Boy. When all is said and done, though, and the scar tissue has formed, Rusty James is unhappy. Yes, he has become his brother. But in doing so, he has become a ghost.
    • 4/5
      This story really grabbed my attention and I thought it was really good book. It was a really fascinating book and I liked the story. They ending was a whole flip around and it had a different turn around.
    • 4/5
      I love the tough guy characters that S.E. Hinton has created over her career. Boys acting at being men, talking tough, carrying blades, getting in trouble. The softness of the main character, Rusty James, fits nicely with his idolization of his big brother Motorcycle Boy. The main story is about these brothers. The tragic end is expected, but sad nonetheless. Another young boy becomes a man after violence and love disappoint him.
    • 4/5
      This is a quick and interesting read with a lot of inference.
    • 4/5
      Not as good as I thought it was going to be. My sister loves S.E. Hinton's books and I thought (with my odd Greaser kick lately) that I would try them out and Rumble Fish just let me down.
    • 2/5
      This is a useful book when you are overwhelmed by some very serious reading beforehand.
    • 4/5
      I found Rumble Fish to be a very interesting book. The way the plot is set up. The mix of drama, action, and suspense. This book is based on gang life in the 1950’s. Rumble Fish shows the life of someone who is poor. It shows just how ruff life is on the bad side of town. My opinion on this book that this book was very good. Rumble Fish show how gang life in the 1950’s is related to today’s gangs. It has a perspective of a young gang member who wants to be like his older brother. I would recommend this book to teens and young adults. I would give this book 4/5.
    • 4/5
      a great book with intense and exiting parts.
    • 4/5
      It is hard to image writing such a powerful story as Rumble Fish with relatively few words, yet S.E. Hinton’s book from the sixties about teenager brothers who are disconnected from healthy human emotion and behavior is told very simply and sparingly. That is part of the book’s appeal—and of course lends an authenticity to the protagonist’s voice. There is so much depth in this story in which Rusty-James, a street-fighter who enjoys his status as the toughest kid in the neighborhood, battles personal demons—primary among them is a fear of being alone. He idolizes a distant and disconnected older brother, the Motorcycle Boy, but doesn’t trust him and senses that he can’t depend on him. Hinton has a way of getting into her characters’ psyches and then expressing their feelings in very believable way. In a sequence leading up to an important plot development, Rusty-James, the Motorcycle Boy and a friend, Steven, cross the river to go to the city. Rusty-James comes alive amidst the sights and sounds of the city at night, declaring, “…you could feel energy coming off things, even buildings.” In that passage, I got the feeling that his senses were usually deadened and that he felt comforted by the garish, artificial environment. Rusty-James is fourteen, but seems older because of the drinking and street fighting he engages in. The Motorcycle Boy is seventeen, but he is described as looking more like in his 20s. The book can be read in middle school, but would also be a great pick for all types of high school students, who might bring more mature insights to classroom discussions. They also might be able to better understand the bleakness and alienation of the characters. Rumble Fish delivers a rich, nuanced story that provides an opportunity for rich literary analyses—for reluctant readers, English language learners, and the enthusiastic readers alike. Target audience is grades 7-10.
    • 4/5
      Rusty-James, his drunken dad, and his older brother who everybody calls the Motorcycle Boy stay in an old, beat up apartment and live poor lives. Rusty-James is the only one in his family that goes to school, and he doesn't do that well there. He is late or absent almost every day and has been suspended numerous times. His older brother, the Motorcycle Boy is famous to everyone in his town. He could beat up anybody, but speak words of wisdom if he was in a good mood. Rusty-James' dad is a drunken wreck that has no job and is barely able to support his kids. Rusty-James' mother left him and the rest of his family when he was young, and has never visited or helped them out. Rusty-James' life is sad, but he makes up for it by being a good person and a loyal friend.I think that Rumble fish, for the most part, was a very good book. One of its pros was that it was very suspenseful. There were fights were I would near expect someone to get killed, but at the last moment, the Motorcycle Boy would drive up and "save the day". Also, there were times where I found myself rooting in my head for Rusty-James in a fight or nervously reading to find out if he would be killed or make it out of a chase alive.There were also a few cons to this book. I felt that once I was done reading it that I hadn't read much of story, rather a few quick scenes of a fight or a chase. I think the book would have been better if it had more of an actual story behind it, so for this, I deducted one point. I also found that certain characters weren't described good enough. For example, there were a couple people that Rusty-James are friends with, but you don't know much about them besides their name, so for this, I took off one half of a point.Overall I think that Rumble Fish was a very good book that is definitely worth reading. Even though there are a few cons to it, I very much enjoyed reading this book. There were times of high suspense and others were you find yourself rooting for Rust-James in a fight. Make sure you read Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton.
    • 4/5
      I really loved this book. It's a classic S.E. Hinton novel. Her stories are touching, moving, and bring out your inner emotions to make you feel inspired. Her books make me want to reach out and help another, struggling with some kind of burden. As you read "Rumblefish", you will begin to notice that our world isn't as perfect as it seems, and you can't help but shed a small tear."Rumblefish" is about a 14 year old small town boy named Rusty-James. Everyone sees him as the toughest kid in town, for he's always wanting to pick fights and act cool. He smokes, drinks, and cheats people out of there moneyl. He's basically the town's very own delinquent. When he's not out stealing from convenience stores or jumping some poor kid off the street, he's either at his girlfriend, Patty's, house, or at home, waiting for his drunk of a father to return from the bar. He doesn't have a mother (she ran away when he was very young), and he doesn't exactly have the potential to lead out a good life. As you get deeper into the book, you'll realize that Rusty's biggest set back is his older, tough cooler brother. No one knows his real name, so they all call him "The Motorcycle Boy." He tells Rusty stories of when there used to be gangs in the good old days, how everyone belonged to one and there were the "Greasers" and the "Socs". Rusty tries so hard to be like his older brother that he, in turn, loses sight of who he really is. One of the most admirable things about Hinton's novel, "Rumblefish", was that it had real character and reality to it. It was blunt and to the point, which is perfect. It shows how real life was back in the 60's or 70's, and it just makes you think of how much our world has changed since then. Think about; today you don't just jump everyone you see, and there are far more laws and policies about bullying now than back then. Back then, if you got called "gay" or "fat", there just weren't the same disciplinary actions as there are today against that type of harassment. it gives you a real view of now vs. then (which is ironic because an other one of Hinton's great novels is "That was Then, This is Now")I rated this book a 4/5 because, all though it was an exemplary novel, it had a few kinks in it, so I deducted a point. One of these so called "kinks" was that i thought she could have described the characters a tad bit more. instead of getting a true, cinema-like picture buzzing through my head, i got kind of a blurred vision, with a blank background. when there was a lot of action going on, it started to get confusing. i really think it would of helped if Hinton spent a little more time and gave the characters morecomplex personalities that created a real image inside my head.Another thing that is really notable about "Rumblefish" is that Hinton left the ending kind of open. In my opinion, this is wonderful! It had just the right amount of closure to end well, but she left you with a job. When you finish the book, you think to yourself "What happens next?" But its that kind of question you can answer yourself, even though the author never stated anything indubitable or sure about it. That is the real magic of this book. You read the whole thing and then, YOU, the reader gets to decide what happens to Rusty. But really, it all depends on your perspective and what you see Rusty as.
    • 5/5
      This book was amazing. I think that S.E. Hinton is an amzing writer that is really great with the way he writes his stories. This book does a the same kind of theme as the other books with gang violence and fighting.
    • 3/5
      Her book The Outsiders was my favorite when I was around 12 or 13 and read it numerous times. I then went on to read her That was then, this is now and liked that as well.

      I have no memory if I read Rumble Fish or not, as we are talking about 40 years now. This was a quick and easy read, though not sweetness and light, and does not feel overly dated.

      I liked it, but I am sure I would have liked it a whole lot more when I was 13 and not 55.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I really didn't understand the hype with this book. I, for one thing, didnt like it. I thought it was a little boring and I didn't care much for the characters. I don't get why Rusty-James wanted to be like Motorcycle boy in the first place. Eh. I'm giving it one and a half stars. I think I'm being too generous.

    Book preview

    Rumble Fish - S. E. Hinton

    1

    I ran into Steve a couple of days ago. He was real surprised to see me. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

    I was sitting on the beach and he come up to me and said, Rusty-James?

    I said, Yeah? because I didn’t recognize him right off. My memory’s screwed up some.

    It’s me, he said. It’s Steve Hays.

    Then I remembered and got up, brushing sand off. Hey, yeah.

    What are you doing here? he kept saying, looking at me like he couldn’t believe it.

    I live here, I said. What are you doin’ here?

    I’m on vacation. I’m going to college here.

    Yeah? I said. What you goin’ to college for?

    I’m going to teach when I get out. High school, probably. I can’t believe it! I never thought I’d see you again. And here of all places!

    I figured I had as much chance of being here as he did, even if we were a long way from where we’d seen each other last. People get excited over the weirdest things. I wondered why I wasn’t glad to see him.

    You’re goin’ to be a teacher, huh? I said. It figured. He was always reading and stuff.

    What do you do here? he asked.

    Nothin’. Bum around, I answered. Bumming around is a real popular profession here. You could paint, write, barkeep, or bum around. I tried barkeeping once and didn’t much like it.

    Lord, Rusty-James, he said. How long has it been now?

    I thought for a minute and said, Five or six years. Math ain’t never been my strong point.

    How did you get here? He just couldn’t seem to get over it.

    Me and a friend of mine, Alex, a guy I met in the reformatory, we just started knockin’ around after we got out. We been here awhile.

    No kidding? Steve hadn’t changed much. He looked about the same, except for the moustache that made him look like a little kid going to a Halloween party. But a lot of people are growing moustaches these days. I never went in for them myself.

    How long were you in for? he asked. I never found out. We moved, you know, right after…

    Five years, I said. I can’t remember much about it. Like I said, my memory’s screwed up some. If somebody says something to remind me, I can remember things. But if I’m left alone I don’t seem to be able to. Sometimes Alex’ll say something that brings back the reformatory, but mostly he don’t. He don’t like remembering it either.

    They put me in solitary once, I said, because Steve seemed to be waiting for something.

    He looked at me strangely and said, Oh? I’m sorry.

    He was staring at a scar that runs down my side. It looks like a raised white line. It don’t get tan, either.

    I got that in a knife fight, I told him. A long time ago.

    I know, I was there.

    Yeah, I said, you were.

    For a second I remembered the fight. It was like seeing a movie of it. Steve glanced away for a second. I could tell he was trying not to look for the other scars. They’re not real noticeable, but they’re not that hard to see either, if you know where to look.

    Hey, he said, too sudden, like he was trying to change the subject. I want you to meet my girl friend. She won’t believe it. I haven’t seen you since we were thirteen? Fourteen? I don’t know though—he gave me a look that was half kidding and half serious—you leave other guys’ chicks alone?

    Yeah, I said. I got a girl.

    Or two, or three?

    Just one, I said. I like to keep things simple, and God knows even one can get complicated enough.

    Let’s meet for dinner somewhere, he said. We can talk about the good old days. Man, I have come so far since then…

    I didn’t stop him from naming a time and a place, even though I didn’t much want to talk about the good old days. I didn’t even remember them.

    Rusty-James, he was saying, you gave me a real scare when I first saw you. I thought I’d flipped out. You know who I thought you were for a second?

    My stomach clenched itself into a fist, and an old fear started creeping up my backbone.

    You know who you look just like?

    Yeah, I said, and remembered everything. I could of been really glad to see ol’ Steve, if he hadn’t made me remember everything.

    2

    I was hanging out in Benny’s, playing pool, when I heard Biff Wilcox was looking to kill me.

    Benny’s was the hangout for the junior high kids. The high schoolers used to go there, but when the younger kids moved in, they moved out. Benny was pretty mad about it. Junior high kids don’t have as much money to spend. He couldn’t do much about it except hate the kids, though. If a place gets marked as a hangout, that’s it.

    Steve was there, and B.J. Jackson, and Smokey Bennet, and some other guys. I was playing pool with Smokey. I was probably winning, since I was a pretty good pool player. Smokey was hacked off because he already owed me some money. He was glad when Midget came in and said, Biff is lookin’ for you, Rusty-James.

    I missed my shot.

    I ain’t hidin’. I stood there, leaning on my cue, knowing good and well I wasn’t going to be able to finish the game. I can’t think about two things at the same time.

    He says he’s gonna kill you. Midget was a tall, skinny kid, taller than anybody else our age. That was why we called him Midget.

    Sayin’ ain’t doin’, I said.

    Smokey was putting his cue away. Biff is a mean cat, Rusty-James, he told me.

    He ain’t so tough. What’s he shook about, anyway?

    Somethin’ you said to Anita at school, Midget said.

    Shoot, I didn’t say nothin’ but the truth.

    I told them what I said to Anita. B.J. and Smokey agreed it was the truth. Steve and Midget turned red.

    Hell, I said. Now why does he have to go and get shook over somethin’ like that?

    I get annoyed when people want to kill me for some stupid little reason. Something big, and I don’t mind it so much.

    I went up to the counter and got a chocolate milk. I always drank chocolate milk instead of Coke or something. That Coke junk will rot your insides. This gave me a little time to think things over. Benny was making a big production out of a sandwich, and he let me know he wasn’t going to drop what he was doing and rush over with my chocolate milk.

    So what’s he doin’ about it? Killin’ me, I mean.

    I sat down at a booth and Midget slid in across from me. Everybody else gathered around.

    He wants you to meet him in the vacant lot behind the pet store.

    All right. I guess he’s comin’ alone, huh?

    "I wouldn’t

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1