Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul

24 reviews

gay_for_jay's review

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

If you expect this book to be full of other people's drama and Drag Race, think again and find different expectations. Including those elements would have negatively impacted this book because RuPaul is much more. 

RuPaul wrote and narrated a phenomenal book about their life and journey to becoming who they are today. There are quotable moments - cause Ru is almost always quotable, but there is so much more as you dive deeper into what is on the page. 

I loved learning more about the person under the wig and costume. RuPaul has always been semi-vulnerable but revealed a different side of them (IMO). Learning more about their struggles, life, what drove them, and their relationships (platonic and romantic) was humanizing. Overall, it is digestible, easy to read (and listen to), and insightful. 

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devynreadsnovels's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0


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macncheese_pdf's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0


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_aurora_'s review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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brea's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

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ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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emotional informative fast-paced

4.0


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boomwormbrittany's review

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emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

The House of Hidden Meanings is the memoir written by RuPaul that reflects on his life and how he grew up into the superstar he is today.
I really liked this memoir and thought it was a pretty interesting read! RuPaul is very candid about his life experiences in this book from growing up with parents who were dysfunctional with each other to his years trying to find his fame. I really liked seeing his candor in this and how he didn't shy away from talking about the things that he did that most would find hard to believe.
I thought his reflection not only on the drag scene but the LGBTQIA+ scene from the 70's to today was really interesting. He was very enmeshed in those scenes and it was interesting ot see him talk about the big players he got to be around and become friends with during this time.
This memoir is a lot of reflection on RuPaul's life as he grew up and learned hard truths that we all have to learn. I thought he did this with great poise and I appreciated getting a look into his story.
I would say if you ever wanted to know more about RuPaul and his past, definitely pick this book up.

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harryjandrews_99's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

I’m not normally a huge fan of celebrity memoirs, I’ve only read a couple by celebs that I like or find funny. Reading RuPaul’s House Of Hidden Meanings changed that. It was a deep dive into RuPaul’s early life and it was a whirlwind, I was fascinated and shocked by the things he’s experienced and I loved his outlook on life that he came to learn. One of the best memoirs I’ve read. I just wish it carried on to current day Ru, but I think a second book may be in the works for that 

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aus10england's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

3.75

Written very well but then it just... ended? This felt like part one in a two part memoir. 

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emma_ekb's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

4.25

“I’ve always believed that kindness is the highest form of intellect.”

rupaul, my problematic queen. this memoir doesn’t have drag race drama or many celebrity anecdotes, but instead details ru’s rise to fame, from childhood to his mid-30s. he shares his family traumas, his relationship challenges, bouts of homelessness and the general struggles of being a queer, Black fem man in the united states. it was heartfelt and honest and the audiobook narration was wonderful. i do wish we had heard more about more about how he landed “drag race” and some more recent happenings. i also think the narrative was at times repetitive. but overall, a solid memoir and i could see ru writing a sequel!



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