That Was Then, This Is Now

That Was Then, This Is Now is a 1971 young adult novel by S. E. Hinton. Set in the same world as Hinton’s earlier novel, The Outsiders, this novel follows a young man’s bleak coming-of-age experience within the broader context of the social upheaval of the 1960s. The novel won a Massachusetts Children’s Book Award in 1978 and was one of four works cited when Hinton won the Margaret Edwards Award in 1988. In 1985, That Was Then, This Is Now was adapted into a film directed by Christopher Cain. Citations in this guide correspond with the 2021 Viking edition of the text.

Content Warning: This guide mentions trauma resulting from substance use and family violence.

Plot Summary

In 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, 16-year-old Bryon Douglas lives with his mother and Mark Jennings, a young man whom Bryon considers a brother. Bryon and Mark have been best friends for most of their lives, and Bryon’s mother welcomed Mark into their home several years earlier after Mark’s parents killed each other.

One day, Bryon and Mark visit a bar owned by their friend, Charlie, planning to pool hustle. Charlie reminds them that their bar tab (for drinking soda) is overdue, but they cannot find anyone to challenge at pool and leave. In a nearby drugstore, they run into their friend M&M Carlson, a trusting, intelligent 13-year-old nicknamed for his favorite candy. When members of a rival gang jump M&M a few minutes later, Bryon and Mark come to his rescue, but M&M, who wears a peace symbol, is offended when he hears Bryon and Mark may look for someone to jump themselves. Mark pays Charlie with cash he stole from one of M&M’s attackers.

The next day, Bryon and Mark visit Bryon’s mother, who is recovering from surgery, in the hospital. She encourages them to visit Mike Chambers, a young man in the room opposite hers. Bryon learns that Mike, who is white, was beat up by a group of Black men after giving a young Black woman a ride home. In the hospital cafeteria, Bryon runs into Cathy Carlson, M&M’s sister, recently returned from boarding school.

Needing to make more money, Bryon asks Charlie for a job. Charlie refuses, but he does allow Bryon to borrow his car for a date with Cathy to a dance. Bryon enjoys his time with Cathy at the dance until it is interrupted by a violent outburst: Bryon’s ex-girlfriend, Angela Shepherd, induces someone to attack Ponyboy Curtis, the boy she left Bryon to pursue. When Mark comes to Ponyboy’s defense, Mark is injured by a broken bottle and rushes to the hospital, where he receives stitches.

The next day, as Mark rests, he and Bryon reminisce about their childhood. At school the day after that, Bryon remains thoughtful and recognizes the insincere motivations driving the rich students to treat him and other poor students kindly. A few days later, after returning to school, Mark is arrested for hotwiring the principal’s car, but he gets off with minimal punishment, as he always seems to do.

A few days later, Bryon and Mark pool hustle a pair of Texan men, one of whom is named “Dirty Dave,” in Charlie’s bar. After the bar closes, Dirty Dave and his friend ambush Bryon and Mark in a nearby alleyway. Charlie comes to their aid but is killed in the ensuing struggle. Bryon, who inherits Charlie’s car, feels intense guilt, but Mark says what happened was just bad luck. Feeling that Cathy understands him better, Bryon begins to spend more time with her than with Mark.

When Cathy shares her concerns that M&M may be smoking cannabis, Bryon takes M&M and Mark along with them for a ride on the Ribbon, a stretch of road where teenagers socialize. When Mark punches someone, Cathy is offended. Meanwhile, M&M disappears after announcing his intention not to go back home, where his father is overly critical of him. Bryon and Cathy search for him until late that night, as well as throughout the following week, with no luck.

Bryon gets a job at a grocery store. One night, he and Mark go for a ride on the Ribbon, where they spot Angela. She is drunk and unhappy after rushing into a marriage because she thought she was pregnant. Still angry with her for her role in Mark’s injuries at the dance, Bryon and Mark take her for a ride. When she falls asleep, Mark cuts off all her hair.

Mark reveals that he knows where M&M is. The next day after work, he leads Bryon to a commune house. M&M is not there, but Bryon plans to return later. That night, Angela’s brothers attack Bryon. When he wakes up, Bryon makes Mark promise not to seek revenge.

A few days later, after recovering from his injuries, Bryon takes Cathy to the commune house, where they find M&M experiencing frightening hallucinations after taking LSD. They rush him to the hospital, where the doctor informs them that the drug may have lasting effects on M&M.

Returning home, Bryon looks for a cigarette but stumbles across a stash of drugs, which he realizes Mark has been selling to make extra money. Furious with Mark for doing something he now considers terribly wrong, Bryon calls the police, who arrest Mark. The next morning, Bryon remains conflicted about his actions, and when Cathy visits, he treats her cruelly, as if to blame her for what happened. Bryon later testifies at Mark’s trial. Mark maintains a carefree attitude but never looks at Bryon. He is sentenced to five years in the reformatory.

Over the next few months, Bryon focuses on his work and studies. He runs into M&M, who is fearful and uncertain of his future. Cathy starts dating Ponyboy, but Bryon doesn’t care.

When Bryon is allowed to visit Mark, whose behavior is out of control, Mark says that he hates Bryon, and Bryon gets the impression that Mark would kill him if he could. This marks the outcome for Mark and Bryon’s relationship, underscoring Hinton’s examination of the ways that growing up sometimes involves growing apart.