Summary of The House of Hidden Meanings a Summary of RuPaul’s memoir

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RuPaul Andre Charles' memoir, The House of Hidden Meanings, is a deeply personal and honest exploration of his life, relationships, and identity. The memoir, which is his most intimate work yet, is a self-portrait of the legendary drag icon, who has become a global icon and changed the way the world thinks about drag. RuPaul's adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public, but in The House of Hidden Meanings, he strips away all artifice and recounts his life with clarity and tenderness. The memoir serves as a manual for living, testifying to the value of chosen family, harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookRix
• Release date: Mar 6, 2024
• ISBN: 9783755471097

Book preview

Prologue

In September, the author arrives in Atlanta, nearly half a century after their first visit. Despite the city's changes, the author still remembers the familiarity of the streets, the taste of the city, and the memories of their past. They recall the Piedmont Park Arts Festival, the club where they danced, the Grady Memorial Hospital where they said goodbye to their friend Cherry, and the stuffed donkey they carried home for the last forty years. The author also recalls the day they laid on the grass in Piedmont Park with their friend Larry Tee, who told them about the house of hidden meanings. The author realized that the house of hidden meanings was beautiful and stayed with them forever, possibly because they liked the way it sounded or because they saw themselves as a detective of the universe. When Larry moved to New York, the author realized it was time for them to leave Atlanta, although they could never say for sure if it was truly their time to leave or if they were just afraid of being left behind.

The author returns to an apartment building in Southwest Atlanta, where they were born over thirty years ago. They visit their old friend James, who lived in the basement, which they used as an informal studio and clubhouse for shooting episodes of The American Music Show. The basement is covered in dust, but the author finds a tape of the show, which is a living document of their transformation. The tapes are stacked deep, and the author finds dozens or hundreds of them for every episode they made over several years. The tapes are shipped back to Los Angeles and digitized.

Life comes in seasons, and the author reflects on the seasons when they are trying to stay alive and avoid the pain. However, when the world is shaken, they find themselves in the house of hidden meanings and study the patterns that keep coming up. They run into the fire, trusting that the only way out is through.

The author also remembers a demolition site, a skyscraper, which was built forty years ago and is now being torn down. Life reminds them that they have to dismantle the old to make space for something new.

Goodbye

The author recalls a childhood memory of eating homemade peanut butter cookies with his older sister, Renetta, in San Diego. This moment was an awakening to the discovery that one can create their own magic, which is essential for the pure love of it. Growing up in a canyon-filled neighborhood, the author felt magical but not in his immediate surroundings. Television set was the epicenter of possibility in their house, and they would watch it together, feeling close to their father.

The television set represented a window into something greater, a portal to new worlds. Commercials featured glamorous and adult characters, like Edie Adams and Mae West, who inspired the author to be glamorous and in control. Anne Francis' detective show Honey West and Mission: Impossible showed how people could cater to people based on their vulnerabilities. Additionally, the television showed terrors, such as a couple whose baby was bitten by a rat, which spoke to the author's anxieties.

The author also developed a fascination with rats, as they knew they were smart and sneaky, making them see them as dangerous. This experience made life worth living, as it taught the author to harness their magic and turn seemingly meaningless things into something special. The author's childhood experiences highlight the importance of creating one's own magic and the power of imagination in achieving success.

Television was a source of righteousness and progress, reflecting the advancements in technology and the moral clarity that the real world did not have. The author loved television because it represented the platonic ideal of reality, with good acting triumphing over evil. They enjoyed the performances of their mother, Renetta, who played their roles and invited them onto the set.

The author's mother was a stoic woman known as Mean Miss Charles, who was descended from freed slaves and had mixed-race parents. They had an incredible connection at first, but eventually, they ended up at odds due to their differences. Renetta was her mother's favorite, and her mother was pessimistic. Rozy, the author's sister, ran hot and cold. None of their sisters performed for their mother the way the author did: imitations, bits, sketches, and makeshift theater.

The author would sit in her bedroom, gazing into her big art deco vanity mirror, and do commercials for Coty cosmetics. When she broke character and laughed, it helped her forget that anything was wrong. The author's goal was to pierce the dark cloud of her unhappiness for just long enough to help her forget that anything was wrong.

In summary, television represented a moral code, moral clarity, and the morality of progress. The author's mother was a stoic, world-weary woman who loved her father Irving and his twin sister Renae.