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The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir Hardcover – March 5, 2024

by RuPaul (Author)

4.5 1,143 ratings

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***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.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dey Street Books
Publication date

March 5, 2024
Dimensions

6 x 0.83 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0063263904
ISBN-13

978-0063263901
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

"RuPaul writes with a maturity that readers can sense he earned early in life and a memory that brings alive moments both outrageous and transcendent. Touching also on belonging, love, and sobriety, this vibrant and multifaceted celebrity memoir will have readers rapt." — Booklist (starred review)

"RuPaul punctuates his life story with knowledgeable opinions on issues like systemic oppression, Black victimization, and the queer community…fans will undoubtedly devour this meticulously recollected, heartfelt excavation of his life’s highs and lows. A highly candid, empowering celebrity self-portrait." — Kirkus Reviews

"A probing, emotionally raw memoir that’s an introspective examination of RuPaul’s family and the issues he confronted before embracing self-love." — Library Journal (starred review)

“[In The House of Hidden Meanings] RuPaul excavates his childhood, early romances, and rise to fame in this unvarnished personal history…intimate, almost conspiratorial, readers eager for a peek behind RuPaul’s glamorous persona will get just what they came for.” — Publishers Weekly

“RuPaul is a beautiful soul, and never has that beauty been more on display than in the pages of The House of Hidden Meanings. This memoir contains all the nuances of RuPaul’s story previously unknown, filled with universal and necessary truths everyone should embrace about identity and acceptance.” — Jane Fonda, Academy Award winning actress

"RuPaul will live forever. Like Cleopatra. Like Shakespeare. Not only as a creator but as a teacher and great source of inspiration. His memoir is deeply felt and beautifully written." — Isaac Mizrahi, producer & fashion icon

"More invaluable wisdom from my favorite GuRu." — Thandiwe Newton, Emmy & BAFTA award winning actress

“RuPaul’s memoir is brilliant, bold, beautiful, and brave. This book has balls." — Michael Patrick King, writer/director Sex and the City and ...And Just Like That

"RuPaul has poured his soul into his biography. And it’s a beautiful one." — Lee Daniels, director

"There are few people in history who can invent themselves and, through sheer love and determination, can transcend that invention. Bowie was one of those people and so is RuPaul. His taste is impeccable, and his soul is a shining thing. This book crisscrosses the United States like a cross-dressing On The Road. Pathos, wisdom and humor collide to enlighten the reader—it sounds like a cliché, but I just could not put it down." — Daphne Guinness, fashion designer, actress, and musician

About the Author

RuPaul Charles is a Tony Award® -winner and the 12-time Primetime Emmy Award® -winning executive producer of one of the world’s largest television franchises, RuPaul’s Drag Race. He holds the Guinness World Records title for most Emmy wins for Outstanding Host of Reality/Competition Program, and most Emmy awards of any Black artist in history.

A San Diego native, RuPaul became a popular fixture on the New York City nightclub scene and achieved international fame with the song "Supermodel (You Better Work)" from his 1993 debut album. He has written and recorded 18 studio albums to date.

RuPaul gained notoriety as a captivating and influential figure known for breaking down barriers and promoting self-expression and acceptance. In 1995, he became the first face of MAC Cosmetics, raising millions for the MAC AIDS Fund and becoming the first man to land a major cosmetics campaign. The next year, he landed a TV talk show on VH1. In 2017, RuPaul was named one of the TIME 100 list of the world’s most influential people.

RuPaul has appeared in over 50 films and television shows both in and out of drag. As an author, he has published three books: GuRu (Harper Collins, 2018), Workin' It! RuPaul's Guide to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Style (Harper Collins, 2010), and Lettin' It All Hang Out (Hyperion Books, 1995).

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dey Street Books; First Edition (March 5, 2024)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0063263904
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0063263901
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.83 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #6,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in LGBTQ+ Biographies (Books)
- #87 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #297 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 1,143 ratings

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RuPaul produces and hosts the reality competition series RuPaul’s Drag Race, for which he received four Primetime Emmy Awards in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He also hosts the podcast RuPaul: What’s the Tee? with Michelle Visage.

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G1977

RuPaul Gets Real

Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2024

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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.

4 people found this helpful

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Brittani Colleen

An Amazing Read

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2024

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I loved this book, from the very first page to the very last. So much of it I could relate to while other portions I could not. However, it is so well written that you feel like you are right there with RuPaul, going through the hard times with him. Such an amazing read! 10/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4 people found this helpful

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Juanjocruz

I Need More

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2024

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I could hear RuPauls voice as I read each page. This is an engaging book about one familiar and talented being who in spite of clearly knowing he is unique, time and time again acknowledges that we are all one. To see yourself in others and vice versa can be a rich and humbling practice, you just have to be wise eough to let it happen. I wish there were twice the number of pages and more pictures, but I am sure the mogul in Mr. Charles has more projects as an author in the future.

3 people found this helpful

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saddleup

Read

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2024

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This Book of RuPaul was a great Story of his life, and sad with happy too. He when through a lots of UPS and Downs...
Read this book for sure great !!

One person found this helpful

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Braden Pickering

A perfunctory look at RuPaul’s early years

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024

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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.

15 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2024

Verified Purchase

This was a very well written book. It was a fast read regarding Ru’s early life through his current famous career

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2024

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So good! Wonderful read but only goes through half of his life. Can’t wait for the sequel!

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ElyLibrarySec

Took Me A While To Figure Out The Meanings

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2024

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I've been a fan of the author for quite a few years now, since I first saw Ru on the television. It had been a few years but then I saw he had developed a show. I've been reading a few celebrity books and when I saw this one was coming out, I knew it was going to be part of my library.
This was a dark book of a person I didn't know had that kind of life. When you watch a famous person on the TV, you don't know the kind of life they live/lived. It was eye-opening. I'm glad that I read it and had me wondering about another book Ru has written.

One person found this helpful

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becarm

Great read! Love RuPaul!

Reviewed in Canada on May 24, 2024

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I recommend this book!

Daniele

Essa não é a capa dele

Reviewed in Brazil on May 6, 2024

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Comprei em capa dura por querer manter conservado depois de ler, pesquisei os tipos de capa e esse de capa dura pareceu ser lindo, mas quando chegou, me decepcionei que a capa original é vermelha e lisa.
Essa capa da imagem é só aquele papel de proteção que dá pra usar de marca página :(

One person found this helpful

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Elianne Aboumrad

Me encanto

Reviewed in Mexico on May 4, 2024

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Gran lectura

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Martyn

I love RuPaul

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2024

Verified Purchase

I got this from the library due to original cost but had been busy so when I realised it was now available for £11.00 I bought it so I can read it at my own leisure as don’t like to be restricted by time and other people wanting this read so got my own copy and will pass to a charity shop once read as what I had read was a great read so far Ru Paul Is Simply Himself 100% he’s lived a great life had great success and truly is iconic for all he has done in
Life live and impacted the world greatly what’s Not to like really
He’s Truly a Legend
So Big Up RuPaul I say

One person found this helpful

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Loved it! Kept thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it

Reviewed in Australia on May 27, 2024

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Loved reading about this period of Ru Paul’s life - the experiences he had living in San Diego, Atlanta and New York with his family and friends - a trail blazer all done on a dime - thanks for taking us on an adventure! 🥰

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