about the author

Richard Barsam

Richard Barsam’s memoir about perseverance shares his journey from a small California town to becoming a Ph.D. scholar and Manhattan professor. Along the way, he met world-famous icons, wrote acclaimed film history books, and built a meaningful life with his partner. His story of persistence inspires countless others to keep moving forward.

New Release Book

Discovering Joyce's Ulysses

This comprehensive guidebook is for all general readers who wish to read James Joyce’s Ulysses, long considered the most important and influential novel of the 20th century. It offers the answers that encourage readers, young and old alike, to make their experience of reading it a pleasure and a major achievement. You can trust it, and it will not let you down.

my published books

About The Book

Richard Barsam’s LGBTQ memoir, Out & About, stands out as an inspiring account of identity, love, and resilience, offering readers an honest look at his life’s journey. Other than his memoir, his works include Nonfiction Film: A Critical History Revised and Expanded, Filmguide to Triumph of the Will, The Vision of Robert Flaherty: The Artist as Myth and Filmmaker, and the widely acclaimed textbook Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, a staple for students worldwide.

what inside

Out & About is an empowering coming out story book that shows how he overcame silence to live authentically and with pride. This gay autobiography captures his struggles and triumphs of coming out in a conservative community, his relationship with his parents, and the life he built with his partner. As Steve Jobs once said, Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

experience the book

Out & About
a memoir

To be out is to finally be free…free to live, free to love, free to be

Out & About is an honest and emotional LGBTQ memoir that follows Richard Barsam’s life from his childhood in a small California town to his years in New York City at 86. It’s one of those relatable coming out stories where a boy slowly learns he’s different and later accepts himself fully. Along the way, he shares how his parents shaped him, how twelve years of study led to a Ph.D., and what it meant to grow up gay in a conservative community. You may have read many gay coming of age books, but this one shows the real struggles and joys of learning to live openly as yourself