Seeing Through

A Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera

By: Ricky Ian Gordon

Write A Review

Paperback | 22 July 2025

At a Glance

Paperback
496 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
3.3 x 14.6 x 22.3

Paperback

$42.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $10.69 with

or

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

The true confessions of a working opera composer: an exhilarating story of "a life that comes out of chaos."

At eight years old, Ricky Ian Gordon pulled The Victor Book of Opera off his piano teacher's bookshelf, and his world shifted on its axis. Though scandal, sadness, and confusion would shake that world over the next few decades, its polestar remained constant. Music has been the guiding force of Gordon's life; through it, he has been able not only to survive great sorrow but also to capture the depths of his emotion in song. It is this strength, this technical and visceral genius, that has made him one of our generation's greatest composers.

In Seeing Through, Gordon writes with humor, insight, and incredible candor about his life and work: a tumultuous youth on Long Island, his artistic collaborations and obsessions, the creation of his compositions (including The Grapes of Wrath, 27, Orpheus and Euridice, Intimate Apparel, Ellen West, and more), his addictions and the abuses he endured, and the loss of his partner to AIDS and the devastation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As Gordon writes of that period: "We were, thousands of us, Lazarus. We had to rise from the ashes. We didn't have to rebuild our lives, we had to build new ones."

Gordon has succeeded in building a remarkable life, as well as a body of work that bears witness to all he survived in the process—one that will endure as a pivotal chapter in America''s songbook.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.