Diary of a Drag Queen
by Crystal Rasmussen
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Pub Date 7 Feb 2019 | Archive Date 28 Mar 2019
Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing | Ebury Press
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Description
Life's a drag... Why not be a queen?
'Stories like the one where you shagged a 79-year-old builder and knocked over his sister’s ashes while feeding him a Viagra. Or the time you crashed your car because you were giving a hand job in barely moving traffic and took your eye off the car in front. That’s the kind of dinner-party ice-breaker I’m talking about.'
Northern, working-class and shagging men three times her age, Crystal writes candidly about her search for ‘the one’; sleeping with a VIP in an attempt to become a world famous journalist; getting hired and fired by a well-known fashion magazine; being torn between losing weight and gorging on KFC; and her need for constant sexual satisfaction (and where that takes her).
Charting her day-to-day adventures over the course of a year, we encounter tucks, twists and sucks, heinous overspending and endless nights spent sprinting from problem to problem in a full face of make-up.
This is a place where the previously unspeakable becomes the commendable – a unique portrayal of the queer experience.
(c) 2019, Crystal Rasmussen (P) 2019 Penguin Audio
Available Editions
EDITION | Other Format |
ISBN | 9781785039492 |
PRICE | £14.99 (GBP) |
PAGES | 384 |
Featured Reviews
I adored this book so much! Crystal is a warm and exciting character to learn about and it gave me a chance to learn more about the history of Denim. The northerness she has definitely came through and it made me want to continue when i should have been sleeping. This book was funny and touching and it was a great book to end 2018 with. One particular section focused on the fast food/food options in Angel and it was so relatable i spent 5 minutes laughing at Crystal's views and opinion of the options. This is one you should pick up to feel all the emotions in one book!
If you are not a fan of sex and a bit of a prude then this is not the book for you. This is a rip roaring diary of a year in the life of a drag queen and gay man as he explores sex and finding a career with his ultimate true goal of finding love and acceptance. It’s rude and at times will make you laugh and cry but a great read.
This was quite the read. Fair warning. If you're not into scatological humour, detailed explanations of the fetish and gay club scene and a lot of information about fisting, this book is going to be either hard going or an eye opener for you. I learned a lot! Not just about gay sex, mind you. Rasmussen is fascinating on the politics of queer culture, the sheer exhausting nature of having to fight to be seen, heard and included in a positive way and not have your head kicked in. They throw light on a world I knew almost nothing about. It appears that my obsession with RuPaul's Drag Race is a dead giveaway of my casual, tourist like approach to what is a full, complex and fascinating world. Eloquent, funny, exhausting and at times difficult, I found this absorbing.
Diary of a Drag Queen is excerpts from a British drag queens diary. It's not for the faint of heart as it features quite a lot of sex and spares no details! It chronicles Crystal's journey over a year and describes finding work as a drag queen and a lot of self acceptance. I don't think there's really anything else out there quite like this book and it is definitely a necessary read for those who are fans of drag or just have an interest in human stories.
Sassy, Sexy, intriguing, and endearing!!
I loved reading this book, I laughed and cried along with the author of this diary. This book follows the life of a drag queen, via their diary entries. It addresses issues pertaining to identity along with the trials they face during a lifelong journey.
I urge anyone to read this book, and thank crystal rasmussen for a beautiful insightful journey through a year of their life!
Truth, wrapped in humour, sprinkled with self doubt, mixed with self acceptance and the occasional fisting anecdote that is dusted with glitter and rhinestoned to the gods.
A great book- but it’s not for the faint hearted. If your easily offend or a little bit of a prude sense of humour then sadly this will not be for you.
It leave very little to the imagination.
Funny, emotional
Fab book
What an honest open and intriguing insight into the life of the writer. It's very frank which I liked, there is no point in sugarcoating ( no pun intended) a book like this. Every page really was an adventure into the unknown for me and I loved it all
First off, Crystal’s preferred pronouns are they/ them, so I’ll apologise in advance if any of my terminology is off!
When I first picked up this book I was expecting a sparkly, slightly sassy piece of Drag Queen fluff. This wasn’t what I got! This book really is a warts and all diary of an (extremely) honest, candid and complex personality. It is fun, it is fluffy, it’s a love story, but it’s also dark and upsetting.
I learned more about gender politics, terminology, biases, and gay sex (feltching?! Wow) from this book than from anywhere else.
Crystal should be applauded for their courage; they laid themselves bare and showed all their vulnerabilities in a way that I’d never be able to.
One of the most touching diary entries was about their Mum and the way in which they have worked at improving their relationship.
This is such a complex book and I loved the time with Crystal. Recommended.
Diary of a Drag Queen by Crystal Rasmussen a five-star read that will thrill you. This is one of the most thought provoking, funny, informative and moving novels you will read this year. This isn’t one for those of faint-heart but if you like a thrill in your life then you need to go get this!! What a year, the days fly by like seasons in the year and it will go by so quickly you won’t notice until you are at the last few pages. I know not many would pick this up as it’s not something they would like, but I can’t tell enough people to put the judgements aside and pick this up you will love it.
Wow, where to start. Firstly it's as over the top as a queen can be and for that reason there were parts that made me laugh out loud. But equally there are other parts that made me feel like I did at a long neck village in Thailand, humans shouldn't have to make a buck by being entertainment to others. I felt like i was looking into the very soul of the author, their thoughts on society, pride, gay marriage, RuPaul. At times i was uncomfortable, grossed out (if your uncomfortable reading about farting cum into someone's else's mouth this probably isn't the right book for you) sad, hopeful, fabbity fab. And for that this is a solid 4 star book as it brought out so many emotions.
I absolutely adored this book. Crystal's writing is so raw and personal it feels like the words are just for you. I had such a book hangover after reading this that I would read any and everything they write. I laughed out loud, cringed, flinched and cried more times than I can count this and I don't think I've ever felt such an array of emotions whilst reading.
I've recommended it to most of my friends and family now (including my mum!!) and can't wait for it to be published.