Fabulous Books by RuPaul’s Drag Race Contestants and Winners

Bimini Bon Boulash is the illustrious fashion queen known for the biggest glow-up of RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK Season 2, where she had to lipsync for her life in episode one but went on to finish the season as runner-up. Now, Bimini continues to perform drag while also modeling and recording music. And she wrote a book! In A Drag Queen’s Guide to Life, Bimini shares her story and journey to drag fame, hoping to inspire readers to find their own truth and live it out loud. From exploring her nonbinary identity in and out of drag to advocating for a plant-based lifestyle, Bimini’s book is just as iconic and impressive as her talent on the runway.

If you caught Bianca Del Rio’s big win on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6, there’s probably one thing you know for sure: Bianca is funny. Big time funny. She can roast the entire judges panel during a comedy challenge, read her fellow queens to filth, and still somehow come out of the competition as a beloved, secretly nice fan favorite. She uses her talent for insult comedy and signature snark in her book Blame it on Bianca Del Rio. From answering common fan questions to a rundown of everyday things she vehemently hates, it’s full of the no-holds-barred humor that made Bianca a drag superstar.

Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 is the queen of perseverance. She auditioned for each of the first four seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race and was repeatedly rejected. But when she made it onto season 5, she proved everyone who doubted her wrong by becoming runner-up, and then she took home the crown as the winner of RPDR All Stars Season 2. Her macabre sense of humor and embrace of the dark side of drag showcases the best of queer counterculture. In her memoir My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?, she’s unafraid of airing the darker moments in her life and the mistakes she’s made on her path to fame. If you want a real look behind the curtain of filming RuPaul’s Drag Race, the T on Alaska’s relationship with season 4 winner Sharon Needles, and more unexpected truths, it’s a must-read.

Mama Ru herself has written three books, all of which are full of gems for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race. This most recent (with a foreword from Jane Fonda!) is a guide to living your best life for anyone, not just drag queens. Because we’re all born naked and the rest is drag, right? Full of Ru’s personal philosophies and advice on life, performance, art, authenticity, and more, it’s an affirming book that finds glimpses of spirituality and the divine in drag. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like inside the mind of the great RuPaul Charles, this book is for you.

Fans of RuPaul have likely also encountered queer icon Big Freedia, queen of Bounce, legendary musician, performer, sometimes collaborator of RuPaul, and one-time guest judge on Drag Race. If you’re interested in memoirs by queer innovators and people who have impacted the world of drag, Big Freedia’s self-titled memoir is a must-read. It tells her story, including her childhood in New Orleans, her discovery of the underground hip-hop sub-genre of Bounce, elevating Bounce to the mainstage, and so much more.

The drag world is so much bigger than RuPaul’s Drag Race, partially because drag has been around for centuries, and partially thanks to how RuPaul’s Drag Race has made drag culture visible and accessible for people around the globe. For a different perspective on the world of drag, check out Unicorn by drag performer and writer Amrou Al-Kadhi, AKA Glamrou. Al-Kadhi shares their story of growing up queer in a strict Iraqi Muslim family, discovering their nonbinary identity through their love of marine biology, embracing their drag persona, and relearning Islam through a queer lens. It’s a powerful memoir from a talented writer and beloved artist.