That Was Then, This is Now

Written by a young woman who knew that growing up isn’t just about change — it’s about cost.

By the time That Was Then, This Is Now hit shelves in 1971, S.E. Hinton was no longer a teenage sensation — she was a reluctant literary icon. After the massive success of The Outsiders, Hinton faced intense pressure to follow it up, but the weight of expectation and sudden fame led to a years-long writer’s block.

It was only with the encouragement (and ultimatum) of her future husband, David Inhofe, that she began writing again. He struck a deal with her: write two pages a day or their dates were off. It worked. The manuscript came together quickly after that, and the book was published when Hinton was 23 years old.

That Was Then, This Is Now shares the same gritty Tulsa world as The Outsiders, even featuring cameo appearances from Ponyboy. But this story is darker, more disillusioned — a reflection of the author’s own evolving view of adolescence and morality.

The Story

Bryon and Mark have been best friends for as long as they can remember — closer than brothers, bonded by a shared past and a makeshift home. Life hasn’t been easy, but they’ve always had each other.

Until, gradually, they don’t.

As Bryon matures and starts to see the world in shades more complex than loyalty and street smarts, he begins to drift from Mark — who still thrives in the old rules of charm, recklessness, and survival. Bryon gets a job. He starts thinking about college. He falls for Cathy, the sister of M&M, a gentle, hippie kid with a heart too soft for the world he’s in.

Then comes the choice. The betrayal. And the heartbreak of realizing that sometimes, the people we love most are the ones we can’t follow.

That Was Then, This Is Now is a devastating meditation on growing up — and growing apart. It asks whether loyalty has limits, and whether doing the right thing is always the right thing when it shatters someone you love.

In Hinton’s world, there are no easy answers. Only scars. And growing pains.