The Outsiders
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Text from the back cover:
A heroic story of friendship and belonging...
Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs (short for "social" or "society"), a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up "greasers" like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect -- until the night someone takes things too far.
The Outsiders was published during S.E. Hinton's freshman year at college, and was an immediate sensation. Today, with more than eight million copies in print, the book is the bestselling young adult novel of all time. The book was also made into a film in 1983, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and featuring budding young stars Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, and Rob Lowe.