Set in 1965 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Outsiders follows the first-person narration of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis over a two-week period. Ponyboy is a member of the Greasers, a gang made up “outsiders,” kids from the poorer east side of town. Their rival gang, the Socs (short for “Socials”) are wealthy students from the west side. During an altercation between the two gangs, Ponyboy’s friend and fellow Greaser, Johnny, stabs and kills a Soc. Ponyboy and Johnny go into hiding, though Johnny emerges to turn himself in as tensions rise between the rival gangs—though not before a final confrontation. The novel confronts themes that have resonated throughout YA literature over the past half-century, including racism, homophobia, economic inequality, alienation, violence, and suicide.