by John Waters
First published 2010
John Waters opens his artistic soul through portraits of the people who molded his creative identity. He introduces readers to Esther Martin, who ran Baltimore's most frightening bar, and traces how her fierce independence influenced his worldview. Waters examines playwright Tennessee Williams alongside atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair, finding common threads of rebellion in their vastly different lives. He profiles Saint Catherine of Siena, whose religious extremism fascinated him, and novelist Denton Welch, whose outsider perspective resonated deeply. Singer Johnny Mathis appears as an unexpected influence, representing a different kind of authenticity. Waters reveals how these diverse personalities, ranging from criminals to middle-class figures, contributed to what he calls his "neurotic happiness." The book functions as Waters' unconventional autobiography, told not through his own experiences but through the lens of those who inspired his subversive artistic vision.
Genres: memoir, non-fiction, biography-memoir, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, outsider-perspective
304 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux