The book I read is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It takes place sometime around the 1950's in a big suburban area on the East Side. The main character is Ponyboy, and he is a greaser, which is a member of a group of lower-class people who have long greasy hair, and wears jeans and a ripped-up T-shirts. He gets into fights with the Socs, which are rich-kids and is short for socials. Ponyboy has two brothers who take care of him because his parents are dead, they are Darry and Soda Pop. His best friend is Johnny and he is also a greaser. They get into a lot of trouble together during the story. Two-Bit and Dally are another two of his friends. They are all greasers. Cherry is sort of one of Ponyboys crushes, she is a Social but has friends from both places.
             One day, as Ponyboy is walking home from a movie, he is jumped and beaten by a gang of Socs. At the last minute, his gang of greasers appear on the spot to save him. The next night, Ponyboy and Johnny go to a movie with Dally; they sit behind a pair of attractive Social girls that Dally hits on. After Johnny tells him to stop, Johnny and Ponyboy sit with the girls, Cherry and Marcia. Two-Bit comes, and the three greasers walk the Soc girls back to Two-Bit's house so that he can drive them home. On the way, however, they run into Bob and Randy, who are the two girls boyfriends who happen to be drunk, and the girls agree to leave with them in order to prevent a fight between the Socs and the greasers. That night Ponyboy is very late getting home, and his brother, Darry, is mad at him. Ponyboy yells at him, and in the ensuing fight, Darry slaps Ponyboy across the face. As he tries and runs away, Ponyboy flees out the door, finds Johnny, and heads for the park. Again they come acr!
             oss Bob and Randy, with a large group of their Soc friends. One of the Socs holds Ponyboy's head under the water of the fountain, and Ponyboy blacks out. When he wakes up, he is lying on the ground nex...