“Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold…”
In 1967, The Outsiders, written by 16-year-old S.E. Hinton was published. Ever since, it has been a representation of the teenage experience because of its everlasting themes that apply to all teenagers.
Susan Eloise Hinton was 15 years old when she began writing The Outsiders, loosely basing the first chapter on her friend’s experience of being jumped on the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma. From that one chapter blossomed the story of The Outsiders. Hinton completed writing the novel when she was 16 years old and by the time she was 18, the book was published.
Over the years, the book became popular among teenagers as it finally illustrated the harsh truths of adolescence. In many places it became part of school curriculum, while in others, it was banned for its themes of violence and depictions of underage drug use. Nonetheless, it rose as a story of teenhood, family, friendship, prejudice—prevailing through rough circumstances—and learning to understand the world around oneself.
In 1980, director Francis Ford Coppola received a letter from a class of 7th and 8th graders at Lone Star School in Fresno, California. 104 students had signed a letter requesting that Coppola direct a movie based on the book that they had read in school and had all come to love: The Outsiders. Coppola cherished this idea, and in 1982, auditions for the movie began.
The Outsiders came to hold one of the most prominent casts of all time. Actors like Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and more, kicked off their acting careers in The Outsiders before going on to film the hit movies that cemented their fame. Throughout 1982, the movie was filmed in the same city that the book took place in, also the city that the author, S.E. Hinton had grown up in: Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In March of 1983, the movie was released. The novel that so many had loved had been adapted into a visual masterpiece to be viewed on the big screen. People everywhere watched the movie: laughed, cried and bonded over its themes and their love for the story that had captured their hearts.
For decades, both the book and movie were cherished by so many people of all different backgrounds and generations. And then, in April of 2024, a musical of the same name came out on Broadway. It followed the same storyline as the book and movie that had come before it, with the addition of songs written by the folk rock band Jamestown Revival. This musical captured the interest of all those who had fallen in love with the book and movie. It was eventually nominated for numerous awards, including 11 Tony awards. Of those 11, the musical won four Tony awards including Best Musical.
Since 1967, The Outsiders has represented the experiences and emotions of teenagers everywhere. For 58 years, this book has been changing lives and drawing more and more people into its warm embrace. This story is likely to persevere through countless generations to come, teaching us all to ‘stay gold.’
