How ‘The Outsiders’ Invented the YA Novel

S.E. Hinton’s 1967 debut novel “The Outsiders” is often credited with (or blamed for) originating the entire genre of young adult literature, known as YA. The book, about rival gangs of Oklahoma teenagers, was slow to catch on initially but has since sold 15 million copies and been translated into 30 languages. For all the ways the world has changed in the last half-century, Hinton’s coming-of-age story never seems to lose its power; high-school teachers still assign it and readers still devour it. The book was adapted for a 1983 film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and a 1990 TV series. Now a stage musical of “The Outsiders” is set to open on Broadway on April 11.