The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the mid-1960s and explores the rivalry between two social groups, the Greasers and Socs. The Greasers are working class youth from the wrong side of town, known for greased back hair, jeans, leather jackets and rolled up t-shirt sleeves. In contrast, the Socs are rich kids from the right side of town who think they are better than others and drive corvettes while wearing madras. Hinton was inspired to write the novel at age 15 because she enjoyed writing and wanted to depict realistic teenage experiences that differed from typical books at the time.