Who Is RuPaul?

Who Was . . . ? Series

by Nicolas David Medina, Who H.Q., Andrew Thomson (Illustrator)

Learn how this Emmy-winning host, producer, and television personality became the world's most famous drag queen.

RuPaul Andre Charles always knew he was meant to be a performer. Even as a young child, he loved to dress up and imitate the glamorous women he saw on television. When he turned fifteen, he began studying theater in a performing arts school in Atlanta and never looked back. Ru developed his drag-queen personality and launched his career in the 1980s. He now hosts and judges the widely popular and long-running show RuPaul's Drag Race, which has raised the profile of the art of drag, and drag queens around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, LGBT, Biography, Childrens, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Middle Grade

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2021

Reviews

[Kirsten Hankinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

beaRUtiful

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In current times I can really appreciate RuPaul's message of acceptance and self expression.

[Nazanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book, I always wanted to know more about him.

[Kris Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does anyone know how I can watch RuPaul’s Drag Race without cable?

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great audio

[Raegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

A little interesting.

It mentions things about drag I didn't know. This was brief and to the point. He did come off conceited at times (for example, he put up posters that said "RuPaul is red hot"). Overall, if you are interested in RuPaul as a person or drag, this is a good introduction.

[Elle Bouchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about 80-90 pages in length. I really found this book very interesting. It was all about his life and how he came to where he is today. I liked how short the book was and it was a very easy book to read. I liked how the book also included pictures of RuPaul. The pictures also included people that he encountered along his journey in life. The pictures look like sketches that the author drew themselves. There are mostly pictures on every page that try to capture what the words are saying. The book also included a quick snippet of information about people or things. The snippets are added when there needs some clarification about not popular topics. I like the book. The series of books is very good for students to learn about important famous people. The words are very big, so they are easy to read. It was a very informational book that could help the younger students. The cover of the book is the only thing that has color. It brings attention to what the book could bring if it is read. The head of RuPaul is very big compared to the rest of his body. I think that is for the students to want to read the book. There are a few chapters that talk about different aspects of his life. At the beginning of the book, there is a table of contents that displays all of the chapters included in the book. The words are very easy to read and the font is big enough for young children to be able to read. I think that students do enjoy these types of books because they are fun and exciting to read. I plan to have these books inside my classroom when I become a teacher.

[Vanessa (V.C.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on a whim, not knowing what to expect, but curious because, wow, a children's book on RuPaul? How cool (and ADORABLE) is that?! It's a book that I wish existed for me as a kid when I looked up to RuPaul as my hero and idol. This went above and beyond anything I could have imagined. For one, this book is SO INCLUSIVE. With it being published in 2021, it's clearly on the money on describing what drag is and how drag is for everyone, I was very pleasantly surprised at how it even gives a nod to drag kings, trans queens, and non-binary queens, and how even cis women can be drag queens too! Being that this is a children's book, it's not going to dig too deep into RuPaul and the nuances of his celebrity, but there's enough basic information and fun facts here that will make even a longtime fan of RuPaul learn something new about him. It's written for a young audience but doesn't read like it, I felt like it was written in a way where teens and adults can enjoy it too. Loved the illustrations which made an already super-cute book even CUTER! The inner child in me was so happy reading this, knowing that this book exists is truly a sign of how far queer representation has come and makes me so glad that kids, queer kids especially, can read about one of our most famous and beloved LGBT icons.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the WHOHQ series, this accessible title follows the formative years and career path of entertainer RuPaul. Known for his over-the-top performances and host duties on RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul was certainly not an overnight success. But once he was able to take advantage of several opportunities, he rocketed to fame and stardom, all by dressing and behaving larger than life as a polished drag queen. I might be the only person in the world who has never seen his show, but clearly, he has quite a following and has faced plenty of life challenges on his way to the top. This biography includes discussion of some of those challenges as well as providing tidbits of information about drag shows, drag lingo, and drag performers. The message that is at the heart of his story, this book, and the black-and-white illustrations is one of self-love and self-acceptance, a strong reminder for future generations of potential stars like RuPaul. There is a brief reference list at the back of the book, and the book itself is a quick read.

[Jennifer Worrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another book with undue controversy. The issue in question here is a small ink sketch that takes up less than a third of a page, in which Ru's leather-clad figure spells out "VIVA". Spelling things with one's body has been a thing since Busby Berkeley, albeit with less leather and more feathers, so why it's an issue today I'm not sure. Especially since it's a nod to RuPaul's ad for MAC cosmetics way back in 1994. Really, parents should be glad the artist only portrayed "VIVA" and not "GLAM", a much smuttier layout by comparison. There's a lot more to this book than that sketch, and it's a pretty fascinating story to boot. Pun absolutely intended.

[Danielle Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the wide spread attacks on Drag Queens and Drag Performances by Republicans going on, I felt it was imperative to read a book about Drag this Pride Month. And I am so glad I did, because I learned quite a bit about RuPaul.

Before reading the book, I had heard of RuPaul, but really only that he was the host of RuPaul's Drag Race. I've never seen an episode, so I really only knew it was a competition show with Drag Queens. But through this book, I was able to learn about RuPaul's adolescence and rise to fame.

The book is geared towards elementary aged readers, but there is still a lot of educational content for adults as well.

[Cory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Who Is RuPaul?
Author: Nico Medina
Illustrator: Andrew Thomas
Page Count: 108
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Favorite Quote: “Everybody say love!”
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This book gives us an inside look at who is RuPaul. I think it gives some fun information about the popular superstar and their raise to fame. I enjoyed learning about his family and their time in the spotlight. The Who Was Series is an easy way to learn more about the people that have impacted our world, and people can truly learn a lot from these easy to read books.

[Brian Gresham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice biography of a great man

I am not the target audience for this book. I picked up this book because I had read it was targeted by some parents or religious groups for porn, explicit images. Knowing this book was directed at kids and a skeptic, I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

What I found was a fabulous story about a kid who knew what he wanted to be and achieved it, an inspiration. RuPaul is an interesting person whose life should be celebrated.

I also really enjoyed the asides, information about other celebrities and important facts.

I’m glad I read it.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to see RuPaul, a gay icon, in a children's book and was interested to see how well they did. I was very pleasantly surprised to see how inclusive and relatively extensive it was. In my opinion, it serves as a decent introduction both to RuPaul and drag culture/terms in general for very young people. Obviously, it's missing some context and nuance, but I still give it a solid thumbs up given the format. I even learned some fun facts myself!

[Max · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just boring to me. The author uses a lot of filler language, such as “Ru was ready to take on the world! Ru wanted to be a star! We can all shine bright!” I made up these examples but that’s how it felt to me the whole book. I wish there were more facts about Ru, rather than inspirational words on every page. The message of LGBT rights felt forced to me, but this is a kids book and I understand that some things need to be spelled out for them.

[Keiko SHIKITA Yasushima · Rating 4 out of 5]

　去年初めてPlastique Tiaraの存在を知り、その美しさに衝撃を受けた（それまでdrag raceについてほとんど知らなかった）。その後Netflixで「POSE」を見たうえでこの本を読んだことで、90年代前後のアメリカでクイア・カルチャーの発展にdrag raceが寄与していたこと、AIDSが蔓延する中でセクシャル・マイノリティの人々が壮絶な差別を経験していたこと、レーガン大統領の政策や方針がマイノリティの排除を助長するようなものであったことなど、歴史的な流れの中でのdrag raceの果たした役割を理解できた。
　授業の教科書的に使えるかと思って読んだのだが、クイア・カルチャーやdrag queenを含むアメリカのカルチャーについて全く知らない状態だと使いづらいかもしれないと思ったので保留。

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introductory reader on this fashion and Drag icon. Perfect for middle-grade readers, as they're introduced to the early life of Rupaul and how he got his start and made a name for himself. I appreciate the insertion of historical events to give context to the accomplishments of RuPaul, as well as the challenges they faced.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been waiting since February to read this book. I was not disappointed. It is a very good summary of RuPaul's life. It reads fast and will introduce those who have no idea what drag is about to the interesting culture. Ru is a true self made person. Enjoy the read.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this fun to read and a great intro to drag for young children.

Found it funny how they introduced some aspects of Ru's life/drag life into the book. Club Kids, drag phrases/words, drag culture...

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my little sister just to see how it was. I really liked it! If you like biography’s I recommend this. It took me about 35 minutes to read the 105 page book, but it gives good information and I would recommend reading it if you are interested in biographies.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good summary of the fascinating life of RuPaul. Explanations of drag culture and vocabulary are included, as is some historical context. This book is an accessible and fast way for kids and adults alike to learn about RuPaul, drag and LGBTQ2+ rights. We should all have RuPaul's positive energy.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids grab every “Who Is” book off the shelves of the library. I’m curious to find out why they picked out this one since I don’t think they’ve ever heard of RuPaul. I didn’t know much about him beforehand, but I learned a lot from this book and thought it was well written.

[Allenhuss · Rating 5 out of 5]

RuPaul putting up thousands of posters of himself across Atlanta that said things like "RuPaul is red hot!" is the energy we all need.

[Susan's Sweat Smells Like Literature · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I want to binge watch several seasons of Rupaul's Drag Race.

[Ashlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good! I just wish it talked a little bit more about Rupaul himself than drag in general, though I do understand that decision as well.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to life of RuPaul. He really is a fascinating person.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and empowering!!

[K Morlando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative children's book, we enjoyed learning about this

[Kaitlin Harrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice quick read

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, short, inspiring. Perfect for a quick road trip.