And Don’t F&%k It Up: An Oral History of RuPaul’s Drag Race (The First Ten Years)

Fernandez’s oral history of the first 10 seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race is an immensely entertaining look at how a little TV show shot in a basement studio went from a cult favorite to a taste-making cultural juggernaut and global success. This epic compilation offers first-hand observations from virtually all of the first 10 seasons’ contestants as well as RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Ronan Farrow, and others. Each season gets its own exhaustive chapter explaining the science of casting as well as eyewitness memories of meltdowns, catfights, conspiracy theories, and camaraderies. As Bianca Del Rio notes, “It’s a pressure cooker of a show. It makes people crazy.” Discover the origin story of the phrase “She’d already done had herses”; Sasha Velour’s alternative plans for her iconic rose petal reveal; and the real story behind Willam being kicked off season four. Loaded with heartbreaking and hilarious first-person confessions, this book’s a winner, baby!