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, Audiobook, Classics, Adult, Oral History

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2025

Reviews

[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 :)

[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.*

[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.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot to enjoy here, but there was also a lot of extraneous material. A tighter editing job would have sharpened the book’s focus and improved its readability. Still, a fun ride for fans of the book and/or the movie.

[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.

[Haylee Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think there’s two types of people who will enjoy this: Film nerds and The Outsiders fangirls (I use that term loosely and gender neutrally).

This book does a wonderful job at walking through the entire process of how Susie Hinton’s book was turned into the hit movie featuring little-known actors (at the time) like Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, and Rob Lowe. I really loved hearing about how these budding actors had their lives flipped upside down. The book also gets into the nitty-gritty of finding the perfect locations to film, finding extras for big scenes, costume design, and many other pieces of the film industry that I’ve never thought about. That was really neat for me! I would say that is 80% of the book.

The other 20% is about the other adaptations (TV show, musical), the Outsiders museum, and the impact the book has had on society. I wish more of the book focused on this section. There is only one chapter about the musical, which is my favorite musical in the world and the reason I became a fangirl despite reading the book in middle school & teaching it for 4 years as a middle school teacher. I wanted to hear more about the actors in that show, just like I did for the movie! However, I know that the movie has had 40 years to make its mark on the world and the Broadway musical has only had (almost) 3 years. I just think there could have been more commentary on how this musical is doing and will continue to do for the original Broadway and tour cast what it did for the movie cast.

Either way, I really enjoyed this and loved listening to it because it is written in an interview form. The audiobook is a full-cast recording, with Danny Boy O’Connor (the founder of The Outsiders Museum and author of this book) being one of the narrators! Thanks to Libro.fm for offering an educator ALC, even though I didn’t read it until several months later!

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I would like to say that I LOVE The Outsiders. It is one of a couple of books that I reread from time to time. I always cry at the end and then I want to turn immediately to page one and start again. “Stay Gold Ponyboy!”
This is an oral history of the book, the movie, the people involved (author, actors, extras, director etc) and on to the musical and house museum. I think since it is an oral history with lots of individual commentaries, I would say the audiobook is the way to go. It was so fun to hear all the interviews from the actors on down to people living in Tulsa. It is clear from this book how much Tulsa, Oklahoma cherishes SE Hinton, her novel and the movie.
Knowing that the home the Greasers used in the film is a museum makes me excited. It goes on my ever growing list of places to visit on my road trip across America which may actually never happen but it’s fun to think about.
If you love The Outsiders, I think this is a must to add to your TBR.

[Jill booksandescape · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book in physical format from the publisher for review.

Staying Gold: The Oral History of The Outsiders by Danny Boy O’Connor and Jimmie Tramel is an incredible history of the groundbreaking YA novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, and the film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola. It is full of fascinating stories from countless people involved with everything from the novel, film, and the Broadway musical.

I loved reading this so much. I’m a huge fan of The Outsiders book and film. I learned a lot from the cast and crew interviews. Some stories were very funny, so I really liked those.

[Nicole (readwithnicolepdx) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating look at how The Outsiders jumped off the page into the cult favorite movie. I loved all of the behind the scene tidbits and how so many of the cast and crew participated in this book. The poor costume department sure had their work cut out for them!
It was interesting to hear how the house was turned into a museum (“This is our generations Graceland”) and even how the new musical came to be.
I wasn’t sure it worked as an audiobook because there are sooo many people who contributed to the book but only 3-4 different voices. I think this would’ve been a 5 star if I’d read the physical copy. Definitely a must read for fans of The Outsiders though.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bit about the book, a little bit about the play, but mostly about the movie. It was fun to read all the behind the scenes friendships, artistry, talent, and community that made The Outsiders the classic it is today.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars…mostly because I just love The Outsiders! It was a bit long and drawn out in some parts, but I still enjoyed it.

[Katherine]

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[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.

[Wren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot of association with The Outsiders, so that impacted my thought process going in. The main 2 being my love of the musical (it’s one of my most favorite musicals I’ve seen in person) and my memoirs of middle school antics post watching the movie (lots of fanfic on IG was passed around those hallowed halls.)

With that in mind, going into this book, it was a bit of a ride. The oral history style took some time to get used to, but then you start to sink into the stories, and contradictions. There were often times when the actors or other interviewees would contradict each other. “Yes, we did x.” “No, we did not.” It was kind of funny to see the way the stories were lined up. But you also got some random side notes that weren’t super related.

What I learned was the rich history of the movie. I didn’t know that a group of school kids and their librarian petitioned Coppola to make it. I didn’t know that the casting process was grueling and put each potential actor in multiple roles against other actors to see what worked. I didn’t know about the forced rivalries between the Soc and greaser actors with the different hotel rooms and the football games. It was beautiful seeing how all of these pieces needed to fit to make this movie special.

And I loved learning about the legacy, not just in the musical but also in the way The Outsiders movie kickstarted a lot of people’s careers in film. Film truly is one of the mediums that requires a lot of people’s ideas and action. And that’s why I love it as a medium.

And it’s quite amazing that this film and SE Hinton’s other books and films really hyped up the Tulsa art scene. NYC and LA are great and all, but give it up for the smaller towns!

My small request: more musical history! I wanted interviews with the actors because I’ve seen most of them perform, and I adore them all. And more photos! I’d love to see what set was like from the perspective of the people in Tulsa

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely didn't live up to the hype that I was seeing. Yes, I liked The Outsiders. I also actually need to watch the movie that starred an up-and-coming pack of handsome young actors. I know the resonance of what The Outsiders means and how Hinton was a teenager herself when she wrote the story that became memorable for the portrait of a teenager, social class and structure, and of course, memorable characters including their names.

But the delivery of this "oral history" is not pleasing to the eye and a confused labyrinth of storytelling by gathering up those that were a part of the creation of the book and the movie from the actors and actresses to Hinton herself and shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as the librarian and her students who wrote the letter that this should be made (and who was credited at the end of the movie with being the impetuous). It is drawn out and (while seemingly organized) reads disorganized to me with the bouncing around of people to present the history. I needed more focus on first, the background to lay the groundwork for The Outsiders, second, the book, third, the movie, and fourth, the wrap up including its corner of the market that changed culturally. Instead it's all smooshed together.

I like the idea of the book, just not the execution. The Outsiders should be celebrated. In fact, I have tickets to see the play here in March. I know and understand, but this didn't do it for me.

[Stephanie R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: There were a couple of sections I skipped as they weren't of interest to me, but I read the majority of the book- enough that I could review it. The Outsiders has played a big part in my life, beginning when I was an eighth grader. Upon completion of the book, as a class, we went to see the movie. Later, I taught the book to my own students for over fifteen years. On the surface, Staying Gold seems to focus mostly on the movie and its impact, but, at its core, the book focuses on the impact of the story as a whole. And, that story has to begin with the publication of S.E. Hinton's book. I liked the set up of Staying Gold. I liked hearing from the actors, the crew, and the author. Each chapter narrowed its focus. For example, there was a chapter on the church in Windrixville. It described the importance of the scene in the book and how that was depicted in the film. There were quotes from the actors as well as Hinton and the people behind the scenes. I think anyone who enjoyed the original book and/or the movie would like this book. 4/5 stars

[Katie Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 Stars

It feels appropriate to be wearing my Do it For Johnny t-shirt while typing this review. “Staying Gold” was one of my Christmas presents and now I can put the book with my other Outsiders books. Reading interviews from cast members like C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio and more were fun to hear the personal stories. There were several interviews from extras on the set and people involved in the production crew.

Staying Gold is an entertaining book for anyone who’s a massive fan like me. One of the interesting stories was hearing about Francis Ford Coppola’s audition process. The behind-the-scenes stories about Coppola’s and the cast were the most interesting. Of course, several people had stories to share about Tom Cruise and Patrick Swayne.

Finishing the book makes me excited to see The Outsiders musical in Cleveland in May! Also, I’m thinking next year, I need to plan a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma to check out The Outsiders Museum and stay at The Outsiders Airbnb. Yes, there’s Airbnb with an Outsiders theme.

[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

[John Schorg · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you love the book and the movie, the rating probably would be higher, but there are some real problems with this oral history of The Outsiders. The plot isn't explained well at all, and much of the accounting of the filming is redundant. Worst of all, the book feels at times like an advertisement for The Outsiders museum, which just happens to be founded by one of the authors. Beyond that, this might be the first oral history I've read where that author gives himself such a prominent role in the recounting... this for a movie where he wasn't even a part of the filming. An author quoting himself so abundantly as part of the history gets a little odd, to say the least. On the plus side, the section of the book that deals with the school kids who helped convince Francis Ford Coppola to make the movie is quite affecting. It's enough to make you long for a documentary on this subject.

[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.

[Armando · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love Oral History books and I adored The Outsiders when I read it more than a decade ago, so this was, obviously, something I had to pick up and while some parts of this book were pretty choppy and this could've been a little bit shorter, I found this book really moving at parts in terms of the legacy of S.E. Hinton's seminal YA Novel. This book addresses the entirety of The Outsiders, from the book, to the film, The Outsiders House turned into a Museum in Tulsa, the short lived TV Series, and ultimately, the Musical. There's even a short tribute to Patrick Swayze. If you have any appreciation for The Outsiders, I'd recommend this.

[Tami Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, if you are a big fan of the book and especially the movie, this is the book for you. The Outsiders is one of my favorite books, and I was OBSESSED with the movie when it came out. I re-read The Outsiders last August and my review is here in my page. This book is all about the background of how the movie was made, and the Broadway musicial, and the Outsiders House Museum. (You can imagine how much I'd love to see that!) This book has interviews with the cast, the crew, every part of the crew, S.E. Hinton- the author of the book, and many others. It is co-wriiten by the owner of the museum. Great read with lots of amazing stories and photos.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all the behind-the-scenes anecdotes and trivia, and gossip even, from the making of the movie. That part is four stars. Towards the end it started to drag and get repetitive and less organized: Here are three random stories from "superfans". May as well shoehorn them in here. Why not?

Also, O'Connor should have kept himself out of the limelight. I am really glad O'Connor created the Outsiders House Museum and this book, but I am far less interested in behind the scenes details about purchasing and restoring the house than about the movie.

[Joelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an excellent book! It’s great on three levels: 1) if you love “The Outsiders”; 2) if you love detailed pop culture oral histories; and 3) because of the nature/detail of the recollections and information shared. In particular, there are wonderful contributions from the school librarian and students whose letter/petition to Francis Ford Coppola asking him to make the movie were successful. The affection for the subject matter by all participants makes for a really enjoyable read. Time to watch the movie again… or even reread the book!

[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.