Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders

by Danny Boy O'Connor, Jimmie Tramel

The definitive oral history of the 1967 novel for teens, turned blockbuster film turned Tony-winning musical, and commemorated with a newly opened museum. This groundbreaking story has managed to stay gold for nearly sixty years.

*Includes interviews with Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell Leif Garrett, David Arquette, Dennis Quaid, and more!

When a story resonates with audiences generation after generation, it reaches “classic” status. Francis Ford Coppola saw that potential in S. E. Hinton’s novel about two rival groups in 1960s Tulsa and knew it was meant for the silver screen. Now, in this definitive oral history, we’re given a rare glimpse into the filmmaking How Coppola’s team recruited unknown actors destined to become household names. How a film that could have easily been shot in a Hollywood studio was instead produced on location where the original novel was set. How an author who could have stood in the shadows came to be a major influence on the film, the actors, and the director himself. This oral history explores the legacy of The Outsiders, defining its historic impact since first arriving on bookshelves sixty years ago. Over a series of fascinating interviews with actors, casting directors, and others close to the project, it swiftly becomes clear how The Outsiders has managed to—as the adage goes—stay gold.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Film, Oral History, Audiobook, Media Tie In, Writing

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough one to review…
Long ago, a 14-year-old girl gathered with some of her older friends to watch a movie on cable tv. This was a pretty special event; that girl’s family had just had cable installed, and she and her friends were going to watch this movie called “The Outsiders”. A movie with, as one friend put it, a lot of cute guys in it! Well, she was right about the cute guys, but for the 14-year-old (me!), the storyline was the incredible hook. Imagine the thrill for this voracious reader when I discovered the book with the movie poster cover at B.Dalton’s a little while later! I read it, and re-read it, until the cover showed how well-loved it was. I have other editions now, including a 50th anniversary one signed by Susie Hinton, but that small paperback copy, that I still own, is a treasure to me.
I’ve watched the movie many times, and it has never failed to cause me awe, as well as make me misty-eyed. So, when I was approved for a digital copy of “Staying Gold” from Netgalley, I was thrilled! The sheer nostalgia of it would be wonderful, I was sure.
I was a bit disappointed.
Since the book was an oral history, I expected more insights from the main characters than there were; so many came from extras and others, not cast members. I was also excited about photographs and pictures from the restored “Greaser” house and museum that I expected the book to contain. Imagine my dismay when captions appeared for pictures that turned up as blank pages, for most of them. I’m sure this was due to the digital format, and that the print release will be better, but it was still a letdown.
Here’s looking forward to reading this book in hard copy after it is released on 11/4/25. I’m also anticipating watching the “novel edition” of the movie, with deleted scenes inserted back in, that I had no idea of until I read this book!

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

[Courtney Keenum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored every second of this. I giggled and cried and it was great. DISCLAIMER, though: if you’re not obsessed with The Outsiders, this is not for you. It’s long and detailed and some of it gets a touch repetitive, BUT, if you love it, you’ll be happy to listen to all the discussions about the book and movie. It was SO cool to me to learn about the making of the movie and how it came to be! I will definitely be re-reading and watching now :)

[Katherine Sas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings on the film of The Outsiders, but this is a nice historical document of a movie that means a lot to a lot of people. It's especially nice for the Tulsa locals and Fresno schoolkids who participated in the making of the film to have their stories preserved for posterity. A fascinating look, as always, at the unorthodox methods of chaos king, Francis Ford Coppola. Essential for anyone who enjoys reading about everyone's favorite Hollywood lunatic, Tom Cruise.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the absolute die-hard fan. Some interesting facts, but probably could have trimmed about 25%.

[Yuuto]

DNF @ 24%. I love The Outsiders but I’m finding this incredibly boring, honestly, and I don’t feel like slogging through 400+ pages.

[Katherine]

Libro fm

[Irma Simril]

Cổng game New88: Giải Pháp Cá Cược Toàn Diện Cho Người Chơi

Chúng tôi hiểu rằng việc tìm kiếm một nền tảng cá cược uy tín và toàn diện là điều quan trọng hàng đầu cho người chơi. Tại Cổng game New88, chúng tôi không chỉ cung cấp các dịch vụ cá cược cơ bản mà còn mang đến một trải nghiệm chơi game đa dạng và thú vị. Với sự phát triển không ngừng của công nghệ, chúng tôi tự tin rằng việc sử dụng công nghệ hiện đại sẽ giúp người chơi có được những trải nghiệm tốt nhất tại Cổng game New88.

Với sự hợp tác của các đối tác hàng đầu, chúng tôi đã xây dựng một nền tảng chơi game trực tuyến an toàn và bảo mật. Người chơi có thể yên tâm khi tham gia các hoạt động cá cược tại Cổng game New88, bởi chúng tôi đã áp dụng các biện pháp bảo vệ thông tin và tài khoản người dùng một cách nghiêm ngặt. Điều này giúp chúng tôi trở thành một trong những lựa chọn hàng đầu cho những người yêu thích cá cược và chơi game trực tuyến.

Đặc Điểm Nổi Bật Của Cổng Game New88

Cổng game New88 không chỉ là một nền tảng chơi game đơn thuần mà còn là một cộng đồng người chơi sôi động và đa dạng. Chúng tôi hiểu rằng việc chơi game không chỉ là về việc thắng hay thua, mà còn là về việc trải nghiệm và gắn kết với những người chơi khác. Với các tính năng như phòng chat, diễn đàn và các sự kiện đặc biệt, người chơi có thể kết nối và chia sẻ kinh nghiệm của mình một cách dễ dàng.

Trải Nghiệm Chơi Game Đa Dạng

Tại Cổng game New88, chúng tôi cung cấp một loạt các trò chơi và dịch vụ cá cược đa dạng. Từ các trò chơi cá cược thể thao, giải trí đến các trò chơi điện tử và casino trực tuyến, người chơi có thể tìm thấy mọi thứ họ cần để thỏa mãn đam mê chơi game của mình. Chúng tôi không ngừng cập nhật và thêm mới các trò chơi và dịch vụ để đảm bảo rằng người chơi luôn có những trải nghiệm mới mẻ và thú vị.

Bảo Mật Và An Toàn

Chúng tôi hiểu rằng việc bảo mật và an toàn là những yếu tố quan trọng hàng đầu cho người chơi. Tại Cổng game New88, chúng tôi áp dụng các biện pháp bảo vệ thông tin và tài khoản người dùng một cách nghiêm ngặt. Từ việc sử dụng công nghệ mã hóa hiện đại đến việc áp dụng các quy trình bảo mật đa lớp, chúng tôi đảm bảo rằng thông tin cá nhân và tài khoản của người chơi luôn được bảo vệ một cách tốt nhất.

Cách Thức Hoạt Động Của Cổng Game New88

Cổng game New88 hoạt động dựa trên nguyên tắc công bằng và minh bạch. Chúng tôi cung cấp các quy định và hướng dẫn rõ ràng cho người chơi, đảm bảo rằng mọi hoạt động tại nền tảng của chúng tôi diễn ra một cách công bằng và tuân thủ pháp luật. Người chơi có thể dễ dàng tìm hiểu và hiểu rõ về các quy định và chính sách của chúng tôi thông qua các thông tin được cung cấp trên trang web.

Quy Định Và Chính Sách

Chúng tôi có các quy định và chính sách rõ ràng để đảm bảo rằng người chơi có thể tham gia và sử dụng các dịch vụ của chúng tôi một cách an toàn và hợp pháp. Từ việc đăng ký tài khoản đến việc tham gia các hoạt động cá cược, người chơi cần phải tuân thủ các quy định và chính sách của chúng tôi để đảm bảo rằng mọi hoạt động diễn ra một cách trơn tru và công bằng.

Hỗ Trợ Khách Hàng

Chúng tôi hiểu rằng việc hỗ trợ khách hàng là điều quan trọng hàng đầu. Tại Cổng game New88, chúng tôi cung cấp các dịch vụ hỗ trợ khách hàng 24/7. Người chơi có thể dễ dàng liên hệ với chúng tôi qua các kênh hỗ trợ khác nhau, bao gồm điện thoại, email và chat trực tuyến, để được giải đáp các thắc mắc và hỗ trợ kịp thời.

[Pam O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Please note - I have never actually read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. It is on my TBR and I will get to it eventually. And my first exposure to learning about it was from Rob Lowe's autobiography Stories I Only Tell My Friends (which I HIGHLY recommend!). This year I was planning a trip to NYC to see a few musicals, and I noticed there was The Outsiders musical running, which I was interested in seeing, but wasn't really familiar with the story, so I ended up watching the movie. After viewing the "true to the book" cut I decided I needed to see the musical too. So all of that to say, when I heard this book was being published, I was intrigued to learn more about this highly influential YA classic.

I'm giving Staying Gold 4 stars because it is solid and very thorough. For the first third of the book I could almost imagine this being done as an interview-based 6 part documentary film. I enjoyed learning about how the book made its way to Francis Ford Coppola, and I really enjoyed the parts from Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, Tommy Howell, and Leif Garrett. I also found the casting directors' and S.E. Hinton's interviews very intriguing as well.

I did feel that the middle parts dragged a bit, and honestly I would read this as I was getting ready for bed every night, and it put me to sleep very effectively for the first two weeks of November. I wish there had been a little more about the development of the musical - I would have loved to learn more about the choreography and elemental effects during the rumble and fire scenes. These were amazing to see on Broadway.

There are lots of images throughout the book, which is fantastic. Overall, I think if you enjoy The Outsiders (book, movie, or musical) this would be interesting to you. The bulk of the book is about the making of the movie. As someone who has lived in Los Angeles and is familiar with the Industry and what it takes to make a movie, I wouldn't say I was surprised by much that was shared/divulged about the "making of" parts, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I think if this had been done as a documentary instead of a book I would have enjoyed it even more, and if there is an audiobook version with the original audio from the interviews, I would imagine that would be the better way to read this book.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought it as a gift, and the person who is getting it is someone who stole a copy of "The Outsiders" from her school library, read it until the pages fell out of the spine, and still cherishes that copy going on forty years later. I have no doubt she will love it. I also love "The Outsiders" but as someone who reads a lot of oral histories, this is just a little too chaotically put together.

I definitely think there's enough material out there to make a great book about the creation and impact of "The Outsiders" across time and mediums. There's the original book, the movie, a TV series, and a hit musical. In spite of that, this is almost entirely focused on the movie. I feel like we inspect every little aspect of the film with pages of information, but when it comes to the other properties they are lucky to get 10 page chapters. I think the TV show is all of three pages, and as something I knew nothing about, that would have been nice to have more on. The musical gets more space, but we don't get anything from the cast and no direct quotes from Susie.

That leads me to my other big issue - we often don't hear from the people we should - even when they are participants in the book. We talk about Johnny's death but don't hear from Ralph. We talk about the musical and TV show and don't hear from Susie. There are examples like that throughout the book.

In general, it also just feels slapdash in terms of throwing information together. A lot of the film chapters are highly specific, but then they evolve into something that feels only tangentially related.

It's a little too rose-colored as well. I get that it's for people who love "The Outsiders", but acknowledging critiques is not a bad thing, and I feel like the closest this comes is pointing out the musical further develops Cherry.

Finally, I don't think there's enough on the impact. I think there should be stats about how often it is assigned and maybe discussion from other writers or publishers or directors about how it impacted them as creators. It wouldn't hurt to talk about how it has impacted Tulsa as a travel destination over the years (or if it has).

A lot of complaints, but at the same time, I really did like reading it. I learned a lot, and I flew through the short chapters. I just know it could be more than it is, and that's a little sad.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Penguin Young Readers Group, for providing the copy of Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders by Danny Boy O'Connor; Jimmie Tramel. If you love The Outsiders, you will love this book! It’s an easy read, pretty much a collection of people involved in the making of the movie talking about what they remember from the experience. Occasionally there is explanatory text, but we mostly read other peoples’ thoughts. While some of the first-person perspectives were more interesting than others, I was still inspired to buy and watch The Outsiders The Complete Novel. I loved watching it, knowing some ‘insider’ details about the making of the movie! The genre is Teen and YA, but anyone who was impacted by the book or the movie would learn something new from this book. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars

[Luv2TrvlLuvBks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love letter to a remarkable book and memorable film is how this reader would describe this read.

Conspicuously absent, other than references from a third part perspective is Tom Cruise. Couldn’t help but wonder why? That puzzled this reader, With that said, the first person interviews with Rob Lowe and C. Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio more than made up for this minor blip.

Then there's all the fascinating tidbits like who also
tried out for roles but was rejected, how it came to be filmed in Tulsa, and why particular roles were considered for a select few.

This ARC was provided by publisher, Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.The

#StayingGoldTheOralHistoryofTheOutsiders #NetGalley.

[Zak Schmoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a lot of fun. It provides a great deal of behind-the-scenes information, and it really makes you love the city of Tulsa. It seems like it was almost a perfect combination of director, cast, city, and story. If you are a film fan and enjoy funny anecdotes about stars before they became stars, this is an enjoyable read. Just the story behind the creation of The Outsiders Museum is enough to make you happy.

[Ashley Galletti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved reading about how much The Outsiders meant to other people. It is my comfort book that I re-read, at least, once every year. It was the first book I read in school. It was the book I read after I lost my favorite person (my papaw). I am so glad Francis listened to other people about the movie because I don't think I'd feel the same about it being just as good as the book if it was a Western. 🤣

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely an interesting read in preparation for my second viewing of the musical. I was a bit disappointed that the consideration of the musical seemed to be tacked on to the end to grab a new audience for the book. The treatment of the movie was VERY detailed and hit all possible aspects. I almost wish they hadn't put the musical in at all if it wasn't going to get a similar treatment.

[Dobie9 Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every lover of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders needs to get their hands on this book!

The audio is very well done and due to being an oral history, it really comes to life listening to it. The audio does mention pictures contained in the book, so you do miss out on that aspect but the interviews are so detailed that you can envision what is being talked about.

[Carole Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders by Danny Boy O’Connor and Jimmie Tramel is a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the enduring legacy of S. E. Hinton’s classic. Through interviews with cast, crew, and the author, it captures how the novel, film, and musical have stayed “gold” for decades, offering fans a rich, nostalgic exploration of its cultural impact.

[Tyra Damm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read The Outsiders at least 12 times, watched the movie a few times and enjoyed the musical on Broadway and in Dallas. This oral history, mostly of the film, is fascinating. It could have been more tightly edited — there are some redundancies — but overall a worthwhile read for this super-fan.

[Michael Berquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stunning retrospective for Outsiders Fans. A real life Daisy Jones and the six about the making of The Outsiders. Wonderfully captivating. As a director of an upcoming production of the play, this was an awesome asset. Thank you to Netgalley for the free copy.

[Kaitlyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved The Outsiders since I read it in 7th grade. This book is perfect for super fans wondering how the movie came about. I didn’t rate it higher because I do feel like it would read better as an audiobook or podcast with it being an oral history.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought back so many memories.

[Cassandra Staudacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done. A beautiful story.
This was a Goodreads giveaway.

[Tiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

No because ending it with asking people what stay gold means to them was absolutely diabolical and I'll never recover.