Update The Outsiders To 2009 ish Florida And You Have This Book. Seriously, this is one case where the publisher got the first line of the description (at least as it exists on publication day) 100% spot on. While there is perhaps more here than many will be comfortable with allowing even in high schools, much less younger ages, this is also absolutely a book that should be at least on the recommended lists for college level ENGL courses.
Speaking of things that are perhaps a touch rough for younger readers – and that many adults prefer not to read themselves, let’s dispense with a bit of a listing here: the entire damn book centers around a drug gang and the relationships within it and on its boundaries. There is a fair amount of sex – not erotica level, and really more “fade to black” than anything, but still, more than most will be comfortable with particularly younger readers being exposed to. The violence is at least as intense as The Outsiders, but with a more gun focus rather than the 50s era knives and fists. There are also some rather graphic and disturbing scenes of hunting, including hunting endangered animals that have only recently been brought back from the brink of full extinction through much human effort.
Aside from the above though, this really is quite a strong book. Yes, at least as strong as Hinton’s famous masterpiece – though one presumes Pan would prefer to have a follow up that gets as much acclaim as the first. Based on what we have here, this reader in particular would love to see what Pan can do when he *doesn’t* have a lifetime building up to this day – the day I write this review being release day of the book, despite having had it for several months. It happens to be my 98th completed read this year, and I’ve read 134 books since picking this one up from NetGalley on November 30, 2024.
At nearly 500 pages, this book doesn’t *quite* qualify as a “tome”, yet is also nearly 50% longer than most books even I read, and certainly one of the longer non-scifi/ fantasy books I’ve read. Looking back in my records, I’ve only read 8 books longer than this one that were neither nonfiction nor scifi/ fantasy since my spreadsheet began at the beginning of 2019. But perhaps you’re a reader that prefers such longer books. In which case, you’re going to love this one. If you’re a reader that generally prefers shorter-than-this books… well, I still thought this one worked well even with its length, and I urge you to give it a try. Either way, if you do read it, make sure you leave your own review and let us all know what you thought of the length here. 🙂
Again, for me this was absolutely a strong debut, truly a modernized Outsiders – which is high praise, as I, like so many Americans, truly cherish that story – and is thus…
Very Much Recommended.
This review of Florida Palms by Joe Pan was originally written on July 22, 2025.
