by RuPaul
First published 2024
RuPaul opens his life completely in this raw autobiography. The global drag icon examines his childhood as a Black, queer kid in San Diego, raised in poverty by an absent father and volatile mother. He traces his path through Atlanta and New York's punk and drag scenes, where he built his performing identity from scratch. RuPaul details his rise from club performer to television producer, creating one of the world's biggest entertainment franchises. He explores his marriage to Georges LeBar and his journey to sobriety, showing how he learned self-acceptance. The memoir reveals the chameleonic adaptability that built his career while making him mysterious to fans. RuPaul writes with complete honesty about relationships, identity, and the power of chosen family. This book serves as his philosophy for living, showing readers how to harness what makes them different and face themselves without fear.
Genres: african-american, autobiography, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, raw
Tropes: coming-of-age, memoir
Setting: San Diego, Atlanta, New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
256 pages · Hardcover · Dey Street Books
Content warnings: abuse