The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir

***An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!***

From international drag superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul, comes his most revealing and personal work to date--a deeply intimate memoir of discovery, found family, and self-acceptance. The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag.

Central to RuPaul's success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world's largest television franchises, RuPaul's ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul. Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known.

In The House of Hidden Meanings, RuPaul strips away all artifice and recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography life-story, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.

Here in RuPaul's singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living--a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.

A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity, The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. "I've always loved to view the world with analytical eyes, examining what lies beneath the surface. Here, the focus is on my own life--as RuPaul Andre Charles," says RuPaul.

If we're all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.

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256 pages

Average rating: 7.03

33 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

fionaian
Sep 30, 2024
8/10 stars
RuPaul has lived such a storied life. I can't believe he's been in the entertainment business for so long and yet he doesn't age a day in my books. He doesn't shy away from his flaws and it's his innate ability to build community wherever he is that makes me admire him.
Codeliusthe2nd
Sep 04, 2024
8/10 stars
A deeply introspective dive into his early life, RuPaul pulls back the curtain and shows his truth, the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, the essential moments that crafted him into the person he is today. For those looking for scandals and dirty secrets, this isn’t the book for you. Rather, this focuses heavily on RuPaul’s childhood, focusing on his relationship with both parents, and how he was finding himself in the 80’s and 90’s before becoming the mega-star that we know him as. I only wish this were longer, since I know there is so much more to tell with his story, but I guess that’s for another memoir, which I’ll be very interested to read. I found this to be a very interesting read, as well as one you can easily breeze through. It offers much more depth than I was anticipating, making for an emotional read in the end.
Doll Face
Jun 29, 2024
5/10 stars
Well written, but not informative enough, nor interesting enough to recommend.
tracypants
Apr 27, 2024
10/10 stars
Honest, vulnerable, inspiring portrait of the person behind the Supermodel of the World and how she came to be. Juicy piece of history and culture as well. Devoured it.

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