Review of 'The House of Hidden Meanings' by RuPaul

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RuPaul was always an interesting celebrity, even before I peeked behind the curtain. Everything he did with RuPaul's Drag Race for our community and beyond is remarkable. There are some stories coming from the Queens that paint different pictures of him. Sometimes he even opens up about his experiences and his life story, but I never knew who he truly was. The legacy that he has speaks volumes, right? Well, hearing this audiobook blew my mind. RuPaul comes clean about a huge period of his life and unveils his addiction problems, family struggles, lack of money, and lack of a home, and the connections between them. I found it so profound that he was able to connect the moment when his mother set his father's car on fire with his addiction. From there, he dissociated, and from that moment on, he would try to escape every time he could with drugs, weed, or alcohol; the order is not important right now. He obviously works very hard with his therapist and has been able to understand his emotions, which gives him clarity and somehow control over them. I found RuPaul's brutal honesty to be absolutely refreshing compared to his TV persona. My admiration and respect for RuPaul skyrocketed to new levels after hearing about his struggles and the power of his determination. I know streamlining it into a book skips a lot of the story, but it feels like the most important moments are there, and I was able to connect to each and every one of them. "The House of Hidden Meanings" sounded like a crazy title at the beginning, but now, somehow explained, it carries so much wisdom and truth. I love when RuPaul said (said because I listened to it), "I always believed that the highest form of intellect is kindness." Hearing his voice, reading, and cracking up when the story was funny or serious was another plus for the experience. That is what I would say about this book: it is an experience, full of it, and while you experience it, you can’t do anything but relate to and admire him. On the other hand, you develop a deeper relationship with yourself because it is super hard to put your life story into words, but when you hear someone explaining what you went through by telling their own story, everything becomes clear, and hidden meanings appear. This is more than just RuPaul's story; this is a story where you can resonate and be yourself, find yourself among it, and feel real. I love this book, and I can't believe how much I love RuPaul after hearing everything he has to say and how similar our struggles were, even though he was on a different continent years before I was born. At its core, addiction looks the same everywhere. Now, whenever I see Mr. RuPaul on TV, I'll have a deeper glimpse into his life, and for the truth and authenticity that he delivers, I'll always respect his hustle. What a legend.

Iliya Badev

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