Scan barcode
A review by readingunderadesk
My Name's Yours, What's Alaska?: A Memoir by Alaska Thunderfuck 5000
4.0
Alaska, most well-known for her time on RuPaul’s Drag Race and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, takes us on a journey from a little kid in Erie, PA who loved dress up, through a life of really wanting to be on TV and be successful in drag, to the fabulous and smart person we see today— with some road bumps of a toxic relationship and substance abuse along the way…
So my guilty pleasure is Drag Race, and not because of the queens really (additionally, I rarely go on Reddit or in the comments of Instagram!!) but because we know RuPaul, despite all he’s done to better the community, has personally been responsible for some gross things too (the fracking, but also disallowing trans women to be on drag race if they were on HRT/had a surgery — until fairly recently). I’m here for most of the queens! I’ve always thought Alaska was pretty cool and have been meaning to check out her autobio for a while and slammed that borrow button as soon as I found out the library had an audiobook reserve.
If you’re looking for all the tea on her time on Drag Race know it’s minimal chapters (but still interesting) and there’s a LOT to do with alcoholism and drugs if you’re sensitive to that. Also awkward considering how big a part of the book Sharon Needles is (extremely makes sense considering) because of how toxic she was to Alaska, and also you know, all the current issues with her grooming and general awful current choices.
But it’s a look into the self-told tale of how Alaska came to be, and even historically how clubs and drag were pre-how big Drag Race is now too. The chapters are relatively short, witty, and told with Alaska’s sort of lazy affectation that’s endearing. It’s also a pretty short listen, as the physical book has photographs throughout, so I’d recommend it if you want a short-ish autobio! Or if you just like Drag Race.
So my guilty pleasure is Drag Race, and not because of the queens really (additionally, I rarely go on Reddit or in the comments of Instagram!!) but because we know RuPaul, despite all he’s done to better the community, has personally been responsible for some gross things too (the fracking, but also disallowing trans women to be on drag race if they were on HRT/had a surgery — until fairly recently). I’m here for most of the queens! I’ve always thought Alaska was pretty cool and have been meaning to check out her autobio for a while and slammed that borrow button as soon as I found out the library had an audiobook reserve.
If you’re looking for all the tea on her time on Drag Race know it’s minimal chapters (but still interesting) and there’s a LOT to do with alcoholism and drugs if you’re sensitive to that. Also awkward considering how big a part of the book Sharon Needles is (extremely makes sense considering) because of how toxic she was to Alaska, and also you know, all the current issues with her grooming and general awful current choices.
But it’s a look into the self-told tale of how Alaska came to be, and even historically how clubs and drag were pre-how big Drag Race is now too. The chapters are relatively short, witty, and told with Alaska’s sort of lazy affectation that’s endearing. It’s also a pretty short listen, as the physical book has photographs throughout, so I’d recommend it if you want a short-ish autobio! Or if you just like Drag Race.