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emilysbookblog's review
3.0
Drag: The Complete Story (A Look at the History and Culture of Drag) by Simon Doonan (3.5 stars) is a beautiful coffee table book with a brief history of drag.
Drag is expression, it's transformation, it's a way of communicating like nothing else. The book details some of the world of drag from the twentieth century to today and spanning sophisticated drag to bizarre expressions. The beautiful photos are really what bring Drag: The Complete Story to life. I enjoyed that Doonan did include a brief introduction to Drag Kings and the information about the transgender community.
I am by no means a Drag Queen history expert but, I can say that Iearned very little this "complete story" about drag. I enjoyed the historical references and old photos. But with the current queens, I feel like so much was skimmed off the surface. A lot of opportunities were missed. Often there was just name dropping when I think a small interview or quote would have made the section so much more impactful.
Though Doonan apologizes for this in the beginning of the book, I had issues with some of the wording in the book. I feel like more research could have been done to avoid the usage of incorrect pronouns for the performers. Also, so many of these amazing queens fall into more than one category of drag so it made the whole book feel like a bit of a sloppy mess. A fellow reviewer reported that Legendary Children is so much of what I hoped this book would be, so I can't wait to read that one.
Anyways, Drag: The Complete Story serves as a good introduction to the wild world of drag; it's good for someone just wanting to dip their toes in.
Drag is expression, it's transformation, it's a way of communicating like nothing else. The book details some of the world of drag from the twentieth century to today and spanning sophisticated drag to bizarre expressions. The beautiful photos are really what bring Drag: The Complete Story to life. I enjoyed that Doonan did include a brief introduction to Drag Kings and the information about the transgender community.
I am by no means a Drag Queen history expert but, I can say that Iearned very little this "complete story" about drag. I enjoyed the historical references and old photos. But with the current queens, I feel like so much was skimmed off the surface. A lot of opportunities were missed. Often there was just name dropping when I think a small interview or quote would have made the section so much more impactful.
Though Doonan apologizes for this in the beginning of the book, I had issues with some of the wording in the book. I feel like more research could have been done to avoid the usage of incorrect pronouns for the performers. Also, so many of these amazing queens fall into more than one category of drag so it made the whole book feel like a bit of a sloppy mess. A fellow reviewer reported that Legendary Children is so much of what I hoped this book would be, so I can't wait to read that one.
Anyways, Drag: The Complete Story serves as a good introduction to the wild world of drag; it's good for someone just wanting to dip their toes in.
brianajae's review
5.0
First off, this is one of the most beautiful books i've ever seen. It has a gorgeous cover, thick pages with full, colorful portraits. It's more of a showpiece book than one to hide away on a shelf. It's also informative and well-written, with loads of information. I loved it.
lucasrene's review
1.0
For a book published in 2019, the language around trans and non-binary folks is cringeworthy. “Biologically intact females - with gender neutral pronouns - who identify as gay males.” Ugh I know there’s a note about language in the intro, but this language is something I would expect from a book written in the 90s, not 2019. The pictures are nice, but the book barely skims the surface.
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