All the while, the viewer feels happiness, regret, horror, and nostalgia, and the desire for everything to work out in the end.īut the underlying theme of S.E. Over the course of the story, a romance full of promise blossoms, a young boy runs away and a friendship is shaken to its core. As Bryon explores the complicated realities of life, struggles with tough decisions and deals with the harsh realities of his environment, the reader can't help but root for him. Haunting and grimly poignant, this book has simple yet effective plot and multi-dimensional characters that are painfully human. As heartache, relationships, and circumstance pull them apart, will their friendship survive the tumultuous ordeal? Bryon, meanwhile, is changing drastically, navigating romance and the thoughts that come with growing up.

Mark is the same as always - golden, fierce, always living in the moment with no thought of the future. But as they grow older, their lives begin to diverge. As the characters navigate the uneven ground of adolescence, one question pervades the story - can anything be like it used to be?īryon and Mark have been as close as brothers their whole lives, and it seems that their bond will never break. It is grim, intense, and painfully realistic, a story of troubled childhood, warped society, and the loss of innocence. i reccomend this book to people who have can comprehend and think in new lights: it was a very complicated book.That Was Then, This is Now is another excellent book written by the author of The Outsiders. once it got thrugh to me, I saw everything in a different perpesctive and it made me understanding towards almost everyhting. now dont read this book because i said it was too much. I wanted to shred the book by the time i was finished because of the ending. i took a break and when I got back on it, it was harder. She uses so many metaphors and symbols it was too hard.

it didnt make me feel or understand: instead I racked my brain for practically hours, trying to get the message.

it was one THE toughest things to read i my entire life. i thiought it was going to be an emotional and understanding book. I heard about That Was Then, This is Now and was excited to read it. after I read the Outsiders, I felt and understood the book and it helped me comprehend other books as well.

Author of that was then this is now