The House of Hidden Meanings

From international drag superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul, comes his most revealing and personal work to date—a brutally honest, surprisingly poignant, and deeply intimate memoir of growing up Black, poor, and queer in a broken home to discovering the power of performance, found family, and self-acceptance. 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.

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.

Stripping away all artifice, RuPaul 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, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.

Throughout The House of Hidden Meanings, readers are treated to unforgettable narratives that depict the trials and triumphs of a life led on one’s terms. We learn about RuPaul’s early struggles with identity and acceptance in a society that was often unkind to those who dared to be different. His journey through the underground drag scene, vibrant yet perilous, is a testament to his indomitable spirit and relentless pursuit of self-expression.

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. It's a celebration of authenticity and a reminder that embracing one’s true self is the most powerful act of defiance against a world that often demands conformity.

If we're all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.

Praise

'Mama Ru has already given us all so much, so you'd think you have the whole picture. You don't. This memoir is a gift. A vivid masterclass in resilience, glamour, and the pursuit of authenticity.' Rhys Nicholson