The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

This is the story of Ponyboy Curtis who faces a daily battle with the gangster-related culture of 1960s' America. Ponyboy is a Greaser and he and his gang have battles with the Socs (short for "Socials"). The Greasers are the lowerclass and the Socs are upper class. Ponyboy is involved in a fight with the Socs and this results in he and his friend Johnny running away to evade capture and further injury. They are caught in a fire and Johnny and Ponyboy become heroes for saving some children. The story has a tragic end for Johnny but leaves Ponyboy with the realization that he is no worse off being a Greaser because he has morals, family and friends and above all else he is a bright kid with a bright future despite his hard struggle.

by Jehan Akhtar