The House of Hidden Meanings

Such a fantastic book!
A really thoughtful and in depth, honest account into the challenges growing up as a black, gay man. A brilliant read.

Many cool episodes of the life of one of the greatest personalities of all times

While RuPaul definitely does NOT need a review from me to help his book sales, I want to put this out there for the world to see. As a straight, white, married female from Louisiana, I LOVE this story. It is raw, real, in your face, and explores shameful, embarrassing, and humiliating experiences in life. The author puts it all out there in a way which pulls you in from the start and you are emotionally invested. You come to understand WHY he began transforming his outward image (and it’s probably not what you think). You come to understand the complicated dynamics of having parents from the South – especially from Louisiana. You will see and hear Mama! I love this story and appreciate the courage he displayed in sharing these private details with the world. I cannot believe this man is in his 60s! He looks great. He has been through many of the same things we all have. Even if one isn’t gay, we still experience siblings, a regular home life, school, work, seeking a parent (s) love, understanding, friendships, etc… So if you are interested in a story about love, life, regrets, joys, and peace – please consider this memoir. I’m writing my memoir now and will reference this manuscript in my own Query Letter to professionals when I get ready to pitch my own project. Thank you, RuPaul, for sharing this story. It’s very profound. I love it.

I’ve always been peripherally aware of RuPaul, and was interested enough to pick up a few CDs over the years and casually catch the odd episode of Drag Race along the way. (I still regularly listen to the remix single of “Snapshot” I bought when I was fourteen. Hey, style is style.) Even as a gay man myself I don’t have any particular inclination toward or knowledge of the drag culture, so it was somewhat on a whim I decided to pick up his new memoir in an effort to learn a little bit more about the man behind the woman, so to speak. If anyone’s life made for a good book, surely it would be RuPaul, I thought.

Well…yes and no. First, this isn’t really a fully realized autobiography as it is just a few random reminiscences about his early years in San Diego, Atlanta, and New York. Even then, every chapter reads like a sort of copy-and-paste of the one before it; a new set of friends, a new set of couches to crash on, a new club to go to, a new drug to get high on, and so forth. There are a lot of names and places casually strewn about and it’s a little hard to keep up, honestly. I will say he does paint a pretty good picture of his childhood and family dynamics, though trying to trace every break-up or unfortunate turn of events to something his mother or father did is a little forced; I’m all for introspection but sometimes you just gotta say “it is what it is” and not impart influence where there perhaps is none.

Other reviews have described this book as depressing, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. It’s just told in a very matter-of-fact, humorless sort of way, often meandering off into dry, lengthy non-sequiturs which caused me to start entire paragraphs over again to remind myself what he was talking about. Ru is just a serious guy; truth be told, for as colorful and irreverent as his celebrity persona may be, he has always struck me as the kind of person who is incapable of taking a joke in real life, and this book definitely solidifies that opinion. And then there’s the page describing his icy 1984 encounter with Madonna which seems just plain bitchy; god-like and inaccessible as she may be, even back then, I somehow doubt she was intentionally minimizing your entire existence with just a glance.

After about 239 pages of this, it just ends. There was a bit of redemption in that RuPaul gets sober, but frankly, other than just stating objective facts, I never felt the struggle, as it were, or got the sense he was descending into darkness of addiction to begin with. And the bizarre epilogue left me scratching my head completely. Still…good for him?

I realize I’ve done a lot of criticizing, but “House of Hidden Meanings” is still an interesting glimpse into the early life of a pop culture icon and I don’t want to take away from that. I appreciate RuPaul for telling his story, or at least part of it. However, it’s curious what he DIDN’T say. There is literally not one word about Drag Race, his marriage, or even his music, aside from the “Supermodel” single. And we never do truly see his journey from “sissy” boy to full-fledged drag queen. It’s like he fell out of the womb as the fully-formed glamazon we all know and love today. So, in the end it’s a fine enough read if you go into it knowing nothing at all, but I think it’s going to leave both casual and hardcore fans wanting more on all fronts.

This was a fast read and very different from RuPaul’s first biography, “Lettin’ It All Hang Out.” He goes into more detail about his mother, his family life, and his the start of his career as a Drag performer. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything–he’s more honest, forthright and introspective. His other biography was more humorous and upbeat. I recommend you read both.

Ru worked very hard to get where he is today, and he details his struggle for recognition and fame. He doesn’t go into his Drag Race years; this book is about his childhood and salad days as a club regular. He discloses how he got into Drag, and how he met Lady Bunny and became friends. I am hoping he will continue with another autobiography detailing his career as a Drag Superstar, such as his Talk Show and Drag Race show, along with his film and singing career. I’d like to know how he met such close friends like Michelle Visage and Mathu Andersen. I don’t know if Ru will ever discuss his private life in an autobiography–it seems he wants to keep his husband and domestic life out of the public eye. I have to respect him for that. So many celebrities tell all instead of leaving certain aspects of their life private.