Nonfiction

My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?: A Memoir

My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?: A Memoir

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  • Create Date：2021-11-07 14:15:59
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Alaska Thunderfuck 5000
  • ISBN：1797203223
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Summary

Alaska Thunderfuck spills the tea on her meteoric rise from timid Pennsylvania kid to drag superstar in this intimate photographic memoir that will appeal to diehard Alaska admirers and broader drag fans alike。

Before RuPaul's Drag Race became a worldwide phenomenon， Drag was mostly an underground art form， performed by the daring and the quick-witted， with maximum energy and a minimal budget。 This is the story of one of the galaxy's greatest queens， Alaska Thunderfuck 5000， as she transforms from wearing dresses made of trash bags because she has to， to wearing dresses made of trash bags because she wants to。 Finally coming clean on her home planet （earth）， this dishy， visual memoir tells the stories that shaped Alaska into an All Star: from prom king to the House of Haunt， to the very public breakup that almost destroyed her。 Intimate and alluring with exclusive photography throughout， and illustrations by the author， My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？ is the ultimate backstage pass。

UNIQUE & PERSONAL: Chronicling Alaska's journey from small-town kid to drag superstar， this memoir stands out for its emotional resonance， distinct humor， and unapologetic realness。 Filled with compelling personal stories told in Alaska's unique voice， it gives fans an exclusive look at Justin Honard the person， not just Alaska Thunderfuck the drag queen。

LGBTQIA+ REPRESENTATION: LGBTQIA+ consumers will see their experiences and passions reflected in Alaska's authenticity and openness about her childhood struggles， and will be excited by a drag memoir that celebrates the whole story of queerness， not just the sassy， shady highlights。

GREAT GIFT FOR FANS OF RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: Behind the scenes stories of Alaska's journey to RuPaul's Drag Race fame， alongside full-color photography of Alaska's iconic trash-glam looks throughout her career， will deliver the exclusive content fans crave。

Perfect for:
• Diehard drag fans
• Fans of Alaska Thunderfuck， RuPaul， Michelle Visage， Trixie Mattel， Bianca del Rio， Sharon Needles， Magnus Hastings， Cherri Baum， Veruca， and more
• RuPaul's Drag Race enthusiasts who want to deep dive into a famous queen's rise to stardom

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Reviews

Victoria I ，

This book was a new， more human side to the larger than life drag queen we met on Drag Race and All Stars。 Alaska gets very personally in this debut， with tales from her failures， abusing drugs and alcohol， her toxic relationship with Sharon Needles and her complicity in her and Sharon's racist past actions。"My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？" reads like a diary with its vulnerability shining in every page。 I love that Alaska chose to use this platform to bring up a few controversial things others This book was a new， more human side to the larger than life drag queen we met on Drag Race and All Stars。 Alaska gets very personally in this debut， with tales from her failures， abusing drugs and alcohol， her toxic relationship with Sharon Needles and her complicity in her and Sharon's racist past actions。"My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？" reads like a diary with its vulnerability shining in every page。 I love that Alaska chose to use this platform to bring up a few controversial things others may have avoided。 She validated trans drag queens， expressed opinions on RuPaul's and other drag competitions transphobic rules and mindsets， and the discomfort of former partner Sharon's racism。 She also highlighted how toxic drug and alcohol use became for her and how that tarnished relationships with her lifelong friend， coworkers and Sharon。 Alaska didn't shy away from the uncomfortable truths of her doing bad things throughout her stories。Pictures included were really great as well， they were a great selection to accompany Alaska's writing。I do think there could have been a bit more accountability for racist acts that Alaska herself admits to having done and maybe use her platform to speak more on her being complicit in it。 。。。more

Jennifer Gallo LeBlanc ，

I thought this book was authentic and real and laugh out loud funny。 Girl is HILARIOUS！ This books follows Alaska's journey from small-town to drag superstardom。 I loved reading all of the behind the scenes stories from RuPaul's Drag Race。 The pictures were AMAZE -- full color， full GLAM！ I would recommend this book to any die hard RuPaul or Drag Race fans or anyone interested in reading personal stories about a drag queens rise to stardom。 Lots of fun， behind the scenes anecdotes about your fav I thought this book was authentic and real and laugh out loud funny。 Girl is HILARIOUS！ This books follows Alaska's journey from small-town to drag superstardom。 I loved reading all of the behind the scenes stories from RuPaul's Drag Race。 The pictures were AMAZE -- full color， full GLAM！ I would recommend this book to any die hard RuPaul or Drag Race fans or anyone interested in reading personal stories about a drag queens rise to stardom。 Lots of fun， behind the scenes anecdotes about your fave people from Drag Race: RuPaul， Trixie Mattel， Cherri Baum， Sharon Needles， Bianca del Rio， to name a few。。。 I subscribed to her Race Chaser and Moguls of Media Podcasts after reading book because I just want more， More， MORE Alaska content！ Let's hear it for LGBTQIA+ representation in the mainstream！ We need more books like this on the market。Check out My Name’s Yours， What’s Alaska？ : A Memoir by Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 wherever you buy books！ ✦ Goodreads ➜ https://bit。ly/3kl4AZZ✦ Amazon ➜ https://amzn。to/2XxlOKH✦ Apple ➜ https://apple。co/3zyDPG9✦ Google ➜ https://bit。ly/3ArobNP✦ Kobo ➜ https://bit。ly/3u0hEav ✦ Nook ➜ https://bit。ly/3tUU7Ic TAGS: LGBTQIA， non-fiction， autobiography， memoir， comedy*Thanks to NetGalley & the book's publisher for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review。 #NetGalley #MyNamesYoursWhatsAlaska #LGBTQIA 。。。more

Sacha ，

5 stars It would be irresponsible to avoid mentioning this essential point: I love Alaska。 I have loved Alaska since I came to know of Alaska many years ago （as part of Rolaskatox）。 This book could have been terrible， and I probably still would have thought it was great。 But good news: this bio is solid on its own merits， too。 Come for the story and stay for the photos。 Throughout this piece， readers learn about Alaska's early life， rise in the Drag scene， relationship with Sharon， _Drag Race_ a 5 stars It would be irresponsible to avoid mentioning this essential point: I love Alaska。 I have loved Alaska since I came to know of Alaska many years ago （as part of Rolaskatox）。 This book could have been terrible， and I probably still would have thought it was great。 But good news: this bio is solid on its own merits， too。 Come for the story and stay for the photos。 Throughout this piece， readers learn about Alaska's early life， rise in the Drag scene， relationship with Sharon， _Drag Race_ and _All Stars_ experiences， and finally post-Ru （if there is such a thing for any of the folks who have been on this circuit）。 Folks who are sensitive to talk about drug and alcohol abuse should know that there is a decent amount of this here， but it's not the focal point; it's just a part of the backdrop for a good chunk of the chapters。 While I was expecting this - and a generally intriguing set of circumstances surrounding Alaska， I was not expecting so many fantastic photos。 I expect I spent almost as much time enjoying these - and going back to them - as I did actually reading。 Definitely get a color copy of this book。 Alaska is a fixture and for good reason。 I have loved her drag for as long as I've been aware of her， and now I think she's a pretty fascinating person on the inside， too。 If you saw this title， said， "Hiiiiiiieeeeee，" and knew you wanted to read it， I expect you'll be pleasantly surprised; it may be better than you expect， too！ *Thanks to NetGalley and Chronice Books for this arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions expressed here are my own。 。。。more

Colleen Myers ，

I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this book - the ebook really doesn’t do the photos justice！ This book is part memoir， part photo album， and I loved the visual evolution of Alaska’s drag paired alongside her memories。 While she doesn’t spill much tea about her time on Drag Race， she does get into her relationship with Sharon， which was hard to read at times， particularly as Alaska tells about her lowest points with alcohol and cocaine。 The ending also felt a little rushed to me - a I will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this book - the ebook really doesn’t do the photos justice！ This book is part memoir， part photo album， and I loved the visual evolution of Alaska’s drag paired alongside her memories。 While she doesn’t spill much tea about her time on Drag Race， she does get into her relationship with Sharon， which was hard to read at times， particularly as Alaska tells about her lowest points with alcohol and cocaine。 The ending also felt a little rushed to me - a quick note about her podcast success and Drag Queen of the Year， but I would have loved more insight into her life in recent years。 I was also bummed not to have any content about her time with the Triple A girls， though there are a couple of gorgeous photos from that period。 Still， it’s a great book for fans of drag， and as Alaska is easily one of my favorite queens， I will definitely be recommending this to friends。 。。。more

Kayla Rae ，

First off， I love Alaska。 I’ve rewatched season 5 many times and I’ve even seen Alaska live at Pride before。 I appreciate her righting this and seeing what she has to say。 However， this was messy。 Extremely messy。 I felt as though the timeline skipped chunks of her life or just lightly glossed over things。 I feel like most people would read this for her perspective on her seasons。 Yet it was only addressed as quickly as possible。 Truly only people who know Alaska will read this and semi like it。 First off， I love Alaska。 I’ve rewatched season 5 many times and I’ve even seen Alaska live at Pride before。 I appreciate her righting this and seeing what she has to say。 However， this was messy。 Extremely messy。 I felt as though the timeline skipped chunks of her life or just lightly glossed over things。 I feel like most people would read this for her perspective on her seasons。 Yet it was only addressed as quickly as possible。 Truly only people who know Alaska will read this and semi like it。 I have a feeling there was a ghost writer， but I could be wrong。2/5 stars 。。。more

Olivia ♡ ，

I've become a fan of Drag Race recently， so it was fun to learn more about Alaska as a person， rather than just her drag persona and what's shown on the show， especially since so many other drag queens usually have nothing but praises for Alaska， and I've listened to podcasts where Alaska is a guest and enjoyed them a lot。I really loved reading Alaska's journey， the way that she discovered doing drag， and how she evolved her drag as she learned about the history and the art of drag。 It was so co I've become a fan of Drag Race recently， so it was fun to learn more about Alaska as a person， rather than just her drag persona and what's shown on the show， especially since so many other drag queens usually have nothing but praises for Alaska， and I've listened to podcasts where Alaska is a guest and enjoyed them a lot。I really loved reading Alaska's journey， the way that she discovered doing drag， and how she evolved her drag as she learned about the history and the art of drag。 It was so cool to see pictures of her throughout the years， where you can really see the growth to where she is now。There isn't much about Drag Race in this book， but I was sad to read about how Alaska describes her time on season five compared to how she describes her time on All-Stars。 Despite winning All-Stars， there's a line about how she didn't really leave the show feeling close to any of her sisters since she went into the season so focused on winning， and I liked the comment she made about how production seemed to really build her up throughout the season only to tear her down close to the end， resulting in her tantrum on TV。Alaska's relationship with Sharon is described very candidly in the book， with all the messiness and regrets that come from a relationship that's not particularly healthy but obviously a big part of Alaska's life and very much formed a part of who she is today。This was a super-fast read that engaged me from all the glossy pictures to the funny anecdotes to the pink brush-lettered chapter titles， I felt like I got a much better picture of who Alaska is and I enjoyed every second of it。Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC。Blog ♡ Tumblr ♡ Instagram 。。。more

Susie Dumond ，

In this photographic memoir， we get a hilarious and brutally honest look at Alaska’s life pre- and post-Drag Race fame。 Alaska doesn’t hold back， even from some of the most unflattering parts of her life。 From her small town childhood to experimenting with form in drag to her messy public breakup， this memoir shares the story behind the drag queen with Alaska’s signature humor。 I really appreciate Alaska's willingness to face her past mistakes and bad behavior， and I enjoyed the behind-the-scene In this photographic memoir， we get a hilarious and brutally honest look at Alaska’s life pre- and post-Drag Race fame。 Alaska doesn’t hold back， even from some of the most unflattering parts of her life。 From her small town childhood to experimenting with form in drag to her messy public breakup， this memoir shares the story behind the drag queen with Alaska’s signature humor。 I really appreciate Alaska's willingness to face her past mistakes and bad behavior， and I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look at RuPaul's Drag Race。 This is a great read for fans of Alaska and the art of drag。Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell ，

OMG THIS SOUNDS AMAZING

Heather ，

I had mixed expectations going into this book。 I'm a fan of Alaska's from RuPaul's Drag Race and on the one hand she's always been a top competitor and shown how creative and capable she is。 On the other hand， after Drag Race the queens are often doing something gimmicky like releasing really， really terrible music。 So I figured this could go either way。 I was very pleased to find Alaska's book was just as interesting， colorful， and creative as she is！I found this book to be very readable。 The w I had mixed expectations going into this book。 I'm a fan of Alaska's from RuPaul's Drag Race and on the one hand she's always been a top competitor and shown how creative and capable she is。 On the other hand， after Drag Race the queens are often doing something gimmicky like releasing really， really terrible music。 So I figured this could go either way。 I was very pleased to find Alaska's book was just as interesting， colorful， and creative as she is！I found this book to be very readable。 The writing is great and I could hear Alaska's voice in the narration。 Her story is told in a chronological order， from her childhood to the present。 I expected to see more highlights from her time on Drag Race and Allstars， but it's true what she said， that the audience that knows her from the show is already aware of what went on。 I guess I was hoping for a little more behind-the-scenes info， but her story was strong even without it。 I always liked Alaska but it was interesting to see， in her own words， where she came from and what shaped her into the person she is today， and what influenced her craft。I've seen other reviews saying this book is all about Alaska's relationship with drag queen and fellow Drag Race alumni， Sharon Needles。 I didn't feel that was true。 Alaska and Sharon don't meet until a third of the way into the book。 And while Sharon was a big part of Alaska's life and an integral part of her story， they weren't the focus of the book。 The story was always about what else was going on while Alaska was caught up in this toxic relationship。I will say I was surprised by just how toxic Alaska's relationship with Sharon was。 I enjoy watching RPDR but I'm not so obsessive as to follow all the social media accounts and forums about it， so prior to reading the book I'm not sure I even remembered that the two of them had a history。 By Alaska's account Sharon seemed to have serious issues and all the classic signs of an abuser。 It was really shocking and disturbing to see how she manipulated and tormented Alaska。 I'm glad they were able to move past it and be friends again， but I'm even more glad that Alaska got out of that web。I loved the book's formatting。 The leopard print at the start of every chapter with the hot pink chapter titles， and the glossy photos that accompany the story。 I received an e-book from NetGalley but this is a book I'd enjoy having on my shelf and would enjoy rereading。 。。。more

Lindsay Hughes ，

Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the advanced copy of this book！ Alaska Thunderfuck is probably one of the more notable characters to come out of the Rupaul's Drag Race machine since the show's inception， and though a bit of a controversial queen， she has always intrigued me in a kind of car crash that you can't look away from kind of way。 My stance on her kind of depends on the day， but she has certainly left a mark on Drag and provided some iconic moments。 Though I wouldn't necessar Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the advanced copy of this book！ Alaska Thunderfuck is probably one of the more notable characters to come out of the Rupaul's Drag Race machine since the show's inception， and though a bit of a controversial queen， she has always intrigued me in a kind of car crash that you can't look away from kind of way。 My stance on her kind of depends on the day， but she has certainly left a mark on Drag and provided some iconic moments。 Though I wouldn't necessarily say this book spilled a ton of tea， it was unflinchingly honest。 Alaska talks a lot about her path to stardom and is very frank about the missteps along the way。 She discusses her very public relationship with Sharon Needles and isn't afraid to shine a light on the unhealthy way they both fed into the relationship's toxicity。 It was also refreshing to hear a bit more of Alaska before she was Alaska。 It humanized her to learn about her upbringing and how she got into performing。 There's also a lot of growth throughout as Alaska reflects on choices she's made and things she's done， which made no moves to hide her flaws， which I appreciated。 This book is definitely for a niche audience but I am part of that audience and enjoyed it！ Lots of good pictures throughout， though the photos rarely matched up with the chapter content。 。。。more

Read with JD ，

Alaska Thunderfuck 5000's memoir "My Name's Yours， What's Alaska" is definitely for the essential RuPaul's Drag Race fan which follow's Alaska/Justin's journey from child and teen in Erie， PA， to world traveling drag superstar。Alaska's beginnings are very relatable。 A supportive mother。 A feeling of being different than most other boys。 The obsession with fame and success。 But， the true gem of the story is the journey itself。 Alcoholism。 Drug use。 Cheating on a partner。 What intrigued me most is Alaska Thunderfuck 5000's memoir "My Name's Yours， What's Alaska" is definitely for the essential RuPaul's Drag Race fan which follow's Alaska/Justin's journey from child and teen in Erie， PA， to world traveling drag superstar。Alaska's beginnings are very relatable。 A supportive mother。 A feeling of being different than most other boys。 The obsession with fame and success。 But， the true gem of the story is the journey itself。 Alcoholism。 Drug use。 Cheating on a partner。 What intrigued me most is that she is fully honest in this book。 Drag Race fans will especially appreciate how much text is dedicated to the start and terrible ending to her relationship with fellow Drag Race winner， Sharon Needles。 I also appreciated a lot of the Drag Race behind-the-scenes: what it took to be on the show， the hard time she had on All Stars， and the fact that the season fan favorite episode "The Snatch Game" was actually really "boring" to film。 I have always liked Alaska， although there is a big chunk of her personality that I can't relate to。 I still am in awe of the drag character she has created。 It says a lot that I was interested enough to finish the book all in one sitting， yet when I came to the end I asked myself if I liked her more after reading her story and the answer was no， and that's only because I adored her to begin with。 I don't think someone who is not a huge fan of the Drag Race series would enjoy reading this book， but then again I doubt any person who has not seen the show would pick it up to begin with。 My only complaint is that it wasn't longer。 I would have loved more detailed stories about her time on the show。Note: the copy I received did not yet have the introduction by Jackie Beat added。 Thank you to Net Galley， Chronicle Books and Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 for the advance copy of the ebook。 。。。more

John Amory ，

This is the shit we want。 Alaska has， thankfully， done something different than her sisters Willam and Bianca del Rio with her book and given us an actual memoir！ This is a book about her life！ It tells stories from her career！The most surprising， illuminating portions of Alaska's story involve her （very troubled， pretty abusive） relationship with Sharon Needles。 I'll just say， if you're one of the folks who hasn't canceled Sharon yet for whatever reason （and honestly， take your pick， there are This is the shit we want。 Alaska has， thankfully， done something different than her sisters Willam and Bianca del Rio with her book and given us an actual memoir！ This is a book about her life！ It tells stories from her career！The most surprising， illuminating portions of Alaska's story involve her （very troubled， pretty abusive） relationship with Sharon Needles。 I'll just say， if you're one of the folks who hasn't canceled Sharon yet for whatever reason （and honestly， take your pick， there are plenty of them）， you may find yourself deleting her music from your library and unfollowing her on social media after you read this book。There are some holes （nothing about the AAA Girls？！） and it kind of just fades away by the end when there was an obvious struggle with where and how to end things， but this was mostly enjoyable and very vulnerable while still being entertaining。 。。。more

Kevin McKeehan ，

It’s always interesting to hear someone’s life story from their point of view。 Learning the moments they feel impacted their life and made them who they are today。 Alaska’s story starts out like most drag queens story （Including mine and 99% of the rest of the queens I know）。 The beginning of the book made me nervous， thinking to myself， “any queen could have written this。” However after we get past a few “in the beginning” chapters we start learning the stories… and I couldn’t get enough！Alaska It’s always interesting to hear someone’s life story from their point of view。 Learning the moments they feel impacted their life and made them who they are today。 Alaska’s story starts out like most drag queens story （Including mine and 99% of the rest of the queens I know）。 The beginning of the book made me nervous， thinking to myself， “any queen could have written this。” However after we get past a few “in the beginning” chapters we start learning the stories… and I couldn’t get enough！Alaska takes us through the ups and downs in her life， those critical moments that shaped her into the person she is today！ It was not too heavily focused on one specific part of her life， but gave fun short stories about the most impactful parts。 Fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race will get a few glimpses of behind the scenes， but more importantly， fans of Alaska will get glimpses into her mind！The photos are great， the stories are great。 。。。more

Diane Hernandez ，

“By senior year of high school， I felt like I knew who I was as a person。 I knew I didn’t care what people thought about me， I knew I liked playing with the meaning of gender， and I knew I wanted to be an actor。”—from My Name’s Yours， What’s Alaska？ I’m envious of Alaska。 Not for her beauty or fame。 I envy her confidence and don’t give a f attitude IN HIGH SCHOOL！ It took me thirteen more years to reach that level。“It didn’t matter if you were really good at make up or if you were a giant hairy “By senior year of high school， I felt like I knew who I was as a person。 I knew I didn’t care what people thought about me， I knew I liked playing with the meaning of gender， and I knew I wanted to be an actor。”—from My Name’s Yours， What’s Alaska？ I’m envious of Alaska。 Not for her beauty or fame。 I envy her confidence and don’t give a f attitude IN HIGH SCHOOL！ It took me thirteen more years to reach that level。“It didn’t matter if you were really good at make up or if you were a giant hairy dude; you could make magic happen with Drag。 It was like they were taking pop culture， flipping and inverting it， chewing it up， turning it queer， and spitting it back out again。 It wasn’t lofty or unattainable; it was for everyone。 It didn’t matter if you had money or an education。”Alaska seems like a nice enough person。 Sharon Needles is maybe not so nice。 But we are only hearing Alaska’s side of their relationship。I was expecting much more tea to be spilled in My Name’s Yours， What’s Alaska？ The best revelation is that RuPaul films all three finalists winning Drag Race live。 Only when the televised version airs do the winner （and the losers） discover who has really won。 Overall， this book is best for hardcore fans of Alaska or Sharon Needles。 It would also be fascinating for any new Justins thinking about a career in Drag。 4 stars！Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

April Harris ，

Alaska made me love her even more with her book！ My Name's Yours， What's Alaska is a detail account of growing up and blossoming into one of the most memorable drag queens。 Alaska talked about hiding her masculine side through most of school。 She was blessed with a wonderful bestie， mother， and grandmother that supported her through coming out and being a drag queen。 I enjoyed the fact Alaska was so open and honest in this book。 She covered drug and alcohol abuse， the drag scene， and her love fo Alaska made me love her even more with her book！ My Name's Yours， What's Alaska is a detail account of growing up and blossoming into one of the most memorable drag queens。 Alaska talked about hiding her masculine side through most of school。 She was blessed with a wonderful bestie， mother， and grandmother that supported her through coming out and being a drag queen。 I enjoyed the fact Alaska was so open and honest in this book。 She covered drug and alcohol abuse， the drag scene， and her love for Sharon Needles。 Alaska and Sharon were so ying and yang！ I could totally see why they were each others enabler。 I will definitely say I admired Alaska was so persistent to be on RuPaul's Drag Race。 This was overall a great read for me。 I mostly recommend Alaska's book for all drag queen loving friends and others。 。。。more

Shelby Stafford ，

I really enjoyed this book， it felt like a conversation with a friend。 It was super accessible too， I feel like someone who saw this book and knew little to nothing about drag culture could pick it up and still understand everything Alaska talks about。 She doesn’t hold back at all， which I loved。 My only complaint is that for the first like 75% of the book especially I didn’t feel like the pictures had much to do with what was being discussed most of the time。 Another issue I had was that right I really enjoyed this book， it felt like a conversation with a friend。 It was super accessible too， I feel like someone who saw this book and knew little to nothing about drag culture could pick it up and still understand everything Alaska talks about。 She doesn’t hold back at all， which I loved。 My only complaint is that for the first like 75% of the book especially I didn’t feel like the pictures had much to do with what was being discussed most of the time。 Another issue I had was that right before a chapter discussing her being chosen for season 5 of Drag Race， a photo is displayed congratulating her for it。 I feel like most people reading this would know she was chosen， but for those that do not this could be a major spoiler， and I think that picture would do much better at the end of the chapter。 Just a couple nitpicks， overall I loved taking a deep dive into the story of an iconic queen。 。。。more

Sterling Brittian ，

Received E-arc from NetGalley and Chronicle BooksI really enjoyed reading this memoir。 I loved how it felt like it was just Alaska talking and I could actually hear their voice in my head。 Seeing what made Alaska， Alaska， was very interesting and getting insight into Sharon， other Ru girls， and some insight into the show as well was fun。 Only issue was there were some things I wish were talked about but weren’t， like for example the AAA girls。 Especially since there was some pictures from that t Received E-arc from NetGalley and Chronicle BooksI really enjoyed reading this memoir。 I loved how it felt like it was just Alaska talking and I could actually hear their voice in my head。 Seeing what made Alaska， Alaska， was very interesting and getting insight into Sharon， other Ru girls， and some insight into the show as well was fun。 Only issue was there were some things I wish were talked about but weren’t， like for example the AAA girls。 Especially since there was some pictures from that time frame。 Other than that， I loved this book。 。。。more

Paige ，

I started watching Drag Race in high school， when season four was airing。 I was mesmerized by the artistry and hard work involved， as well as the community formed between LGBTQ+ people from different walks of life but who all faced similar hardships when it came to their identity and sexuality。 As a teenager who felt very much like the “odd one out” and had interests other kids my age may have found weird， I felt seen by a lot of the personalities that came and went on the show。 It’s interesting I started watching Drag Race in high school， when season four was airing。 I was mesmerized by the artistry and hard work involved， as well as the community formed between LGBTQ+ people from different walks of life but who all faced similar hardships when it came to their identity and sexuality。 As a teenager who felt very much like the “odd one out” and had interests other kids my age may have found weird， I felt seen by a lot of the personalities that came and went on the show。 It’s interesting to hear from a queen like Alaska （who has become so well known and widely loved） about not only the challenges she faced while being on Drag Race， but also the situations and inspirations that led her to drag。 She is truly an artist of experimentation， and simultaneously acting like she doesn’t care what people think but putting so much thought into her work and performance。 As a casual fan of hers， I didn’t know about the extremes she went through involving substance abuse at various points in her career， and how that affected her。 I imagine that’s a terribly difficult thing to talk about in detail and relive， but she does so in an eloquent and raw way with this book。I feel like Alaska covered a rather large span of time in not a lot of pages， which had me wishing for a little more detail about certain situations and moments from her career that she briefly mentioned or didn’t mention at all。 That being said， this isn’t advertised as a “tell-all”， so I can’t expect her to give away *all* of her secrets and honest opinions。 Overall， fans of Alaska and of drag in general will really enjoy this memoir。 It’s surprisingly heartfelt and earnest， while still maintaining the level of camp and humor she’s known for。 Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for an eARC for review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more

Claudio Rodrigo ，

4。75/5 starsThanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing this e-arc！This was such a fun and quick memoir that kept me wanting to here more from the author。 Its rawness makes it a perfect blend of the painful truth and the campness of the profession that consists of dressing up to entertain drunk gay people。 It also deals a bit with Alaska's troubles with love but i'm happy to see this book have a happier than expected ending。 Also a very fun book to read to then analuze the author's mus 4。75/5 starsThanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing this e-arc！This was such a fun and quick memoir that kept me wanting to here more from the author。 Its rawness makes it a perfect blend of the painful truth and the campness of the profession that consists of dressing up to entertain drunk gay people。 It also deals a bit with Alaska's troubles with love but i'm happy to see this book have a happier than expected ending。 Also a very fun book to read to then analuze the author's music and performances after！ps。 not giving this a full 5 due to lagging problems with the e-arc which the publisher and site should be responsible of 。。。more

Ashley ，

My Name’s Yours， What’s Alaska？ is a clever memoir about the hilarious queen Alaska Thunderfuck 5000。 The book shows Alaska’s rise from small down queen to becoming the winner of RuPauls All Stars season 2 and everything in between。 One of the things I loved most about this book is just how much of herself Alaska shared with us。 We got to see the lowest points as well as the highs and she didn’t try to hide the moments where she messed up。 In particular when she struggled with her issues with ov My Name’s Yours， What’s Alaska？ is a clever memoir about the hilarious queen Alaska Thunderfuck 5000。 The book shows Alaska’s rise from small down queen to becoming the winner of RuPauls All Stars season 2 and everything in between。 One of the things I loved most about this book is just how much of herself Alaska shared with us。 We got to see the lowest points as well as the highs and she didn’t try to hide the moments where she messed up。 In particular when she struggled with her issues with overcoming her substance abuse issue and how to navigate the drag world as someone other than Sharon’s boyfriend I was really rooting for her。 Even though she was not a great person at time， she seemed to learn from her mistakes and really grow。 I’ve been a fan of drag for awhile， so it was really fun to learn more about how much drag has changed just in the past ten years alone。 I also enjoyed learning a bit about some of the history of drag， and I’ve definitely added the documentary The Queen to my viewing list。 I also loved the photos throughout so we could really see the evolution of Alaska。 The first part of this book did drag a bit， but once I got about a quarter of the way through I finished the rest in one sitting。 That being said I really enjoyed this book。 Thanks so much to NetGalley and Chronicle for the advanced copy。 。。。more

Chelsie ，

Such an easy read for so many good reasons。Wonderfully written， I have so much more love for my fav queen。 It felt like we just stayed up late and spilled our guts to each other。 Loved the pictures to correspond with each chapter and all the times she made me giggle with her wording， phrases， and crazy anecdotes。

Molly ，

My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？ is an honest and engaging memoir about Alaska Thunderfuck 5000's road from a young boy obsessed with Catwoman to a Drag superstar。 I have watched Alaska on Rupaul's Drag Race and was excited to read about her life and what brought her to her stardom。I appreciated the humor as well as the vulnerability that Alaska showcases in this memoir。 She truly writes of the good， the bad， and the ugly in her life， such as the highlights of her career， her toxic relationship w My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？ is an honest and engaging memoir about Alaska Thunderfuck 5000's road from a young boy obsessed with Catwoman to a Drag superstar。 I have watched Alaska on Rupaul's Drag Race and was excited to read about her life and what brought her to her stardom。I appreciated the humor as well as the vulnerability that Alaska showcases in this memoir。 She truly writes of the good， the bad， and the ugly in her life， such as the highlights of her career， her toxic relationship with Sharon Needles， and her struggles with addiction。 I appreciated that she owned up to the mistakes she had made in the past rather than gloss over them。 All of that tied in with her strong， humorous voice made for a great read！ I also enjoyed all of the photos included。 I recommend My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？ to fellow fans of Alaska or Drag in general。Thank you to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more

Jonathan G Valentin ，

I absolutely adored this book。 Having such an insight into one of the most iconic’s drag queens to have ever grace the stage of RPDR has been an amazing experience！

Cody James ，

Memoirs can be tricky， particularly memoirs of drag queens。 Past drag queen books have been more “self help” or more “how-to” books， but in “My Names Yours， What’s Alaska？” Alaska does not shy away from the topics she knows her readers are picking her book up for。 It’s always fascinating to read how a person starts their path to fame， and Alaska’s path was a rocky one。 Her toxic relationship with Sharon Needles is talked about in depth and at length。 It’s clear there was a power dynamic between Memoirs can be tricky， particularly memoirs of drag queens。 Past drag queen books have been more “self help” or more “how-to” books， but in “My Names Yours， What’s Alaska？” Alaska does not shy away from the topics she knows her readers are picking her book up for。 It’s always fascinating to read how a person starts their path to fame， and Alaska’s path was a rocky one。 Her toxic relationship with Sharon Needles is talked about in depth and at length。 It’s clear there was a power dynamic between the two that we as viewers of the show had no clue was happening。 Alaska is also very candid about her substance abuse， and the role that played in her professional career。 She also speaks openly about her public meltdowns， namely her reaction to losing season 5 of Rupaul’s Drag Race to Jinkx Monsoon and of course her legendary breakdown on All Stars 2。 She peels back the layers of the character of Alaska and reveals her insecurities， her fears， and her drive for fame。 It’s not often a person， let alone a drag queen， openly admits to their faults， but in “My Names Yours， What’s Alaska” Alaska takes every opportunity to let you know that yes she’s flawed， but that is what makes her the amazing drag queen and person she is。 By far the best drag queen book I’ve read yet。 **I received an Advanced Readers Copy thanks to NetGalley** 。。。more

Paige ，

A massive thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？ by Alaska Thundeefuck 5000。 I love Alaska。 I loved her from seeing her audition tapes that didn't result in her being on the show。 I loved how 'out there' and different she was from the drag I had seen before。 This book was a fantastic， truthful， open and honest look in to the life of Alaska and the life of Justin。 I was proud to read about Alaska's successes， but also really proud to read about their mistakes and ho A massive thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of My Name's Yours， What's Alaska？ by Alaska Thundeefuck 5000。 I love Alaska。 I loved her from seeing her audition tapes that didn't result in her being on the show。 I loved how 'out there' and different she was from the drag I had seen before。 This book was a fantastic， truthful， open and honest look in to the life of Alaska and the life of Justin。 I was proud to read about Alaska's successes， but also really proud to read about their mistakes and how she has owned up to them， recognised them， learnt and grown from them。 There is always more going on with a person you see on a reality TV show， and Alaska was no exception。 Reading about what the drag race experience was like for her， and how chaotic the aftermath was was really humanising for me。 I felt like I was sat down with one of my favourite Queens whilst she shared her experiences。 Alaska has been one of my favourite RuGirls since her run on season 5， and reading her open-hearted， blunt and honest memoir has stoked the fire of my love for her more。 。。。more

Alexander Peterhans ，

"Meanwhile I was expected to play with the drab and dismal G。I。 Joe。 He didn’t even have more than one outfit。 I could have given Barbie fashion！ I could have given her haircuts！ I could have given her life！"HIEEEEEE！！！* Which reminds me。 one of the many things that made me laugh while reading this book， is Alaska telling us which bits of her shtick she nicked and from who or where， the most funny being her very catchphrase。If you are a longtime viewer of Rupaul's Drag Race like me， you'll be aw "Meanwhile I was expected to play with the drab and dismal G。I。 Joe。 He didn’t even have more than one outfit。 I could have given Barbie fashion！ I could have given her haircuts！ I could have given her life！"HIEEEEEE！！！* Which reminds me。 one of the many things that made me laugh while reading this book， is Alaska telling us which bits of her shtick she nicked and from who or where， the most funny being her very catchphrase。If you are a longtime viewer of Rupaul's Drag Race like me， you'll be aware of Alaska Thunderfuck 5000， and if you're even more like me， you'll find Alaska's whole。。。 thing to be hilarious。So she done wrote a memoir， and it's very honest， and very funny。 Her life before Drag Race is actually interesting - the 'before' story in celebrity biographies can be quite boring - and so are her first steps in the Drag world （Alaska always capitalises the word 'drag'， so I'll follow）。 It's interesting to read how her ideas on Drag formed， and what it means to her - it used to be a lot more extreme。 A LOT more （be warned！）:"I chose Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You，” which was then considered an “overdone” Drag song。 No one performed it anymore because everyone had already done it。 It was a terrible song selection， which made it perfect for my needs 。 I wore a yellow plastic dress and came with two sexy boys， each wearing yellow jockstraps and pig masks。 At the crescendo of the song， right as the key changes and Whitney really lets it all out， the two guys in pig masks turned around and pissed on me。 Being the ever-considerate performer， I’d put down a tarp to facilitate an easy cleanup。 I left the stage dripping wet， to roaring applause。"Not to worry， Drag Race quickly pops up， at first just in the background of their lives。 Sharon Needles （who used to be in a relation with Alaska） also quickly enters the story。 Sharon doesn't come off too good， but this feels more like painful truth， than vindictiveness on Alaska's part。There's the whole story of Sharon winning Drag Race， how it affected their already rocky relationship， and how large amounts of cocaine entered their lives。 When Alaska gets on Drag Race herself， we get some insight into the production of the show。"I had achieved everything I ever wanted。 But the feeling of achievement and happiness was so brief， followed by an overwhelming feeling of it never being enough。 I’m not good enough， rich enough， famous enough; I don’t have enough followers， don’t get enough likes， don’t get treated like other famous people get treated。 I need more。 That was my greatest demon: compare and despair。"The more succes Alaska has （winning Drag Race All Stars， for example）， the more Alaska drops down a drug- and alcohol-induced black hole; she doesn't hide this darker side of herself。It's not a glossy memoir （well， there are lots of photos， almost never relating to the text's subject）， it gets quite dark in content， but it always stays light and very funy， in that Alaska-y way。* Place your bets now on how many GR reviews will start with the ole HIEEEEE。。（Picked up an ARC through Edelweiss） 。。。more

Courtney Pate ，

I love Alaska， she was one of my favorite queen's on Drag Race。 I was so excited to be given an arc by Netgalley to review。 Alaska really goes into detail in regards to life， her journey in drag， to drag race， and her relationship with Sharon。 I loved seeing the intimate details of her life。 It made me love her even more！ The pictures in the book were great。 I loved seeing the way her drag transformed。 She's had some rough points in her personal life， but definitely came out on top！ The only rea I love Alaska， she was one of my favorite queen's on Drag Race。 I was so excited to be given an arc by Netgalley to review。 Alaska really goes into detail in regards to life， her journey in drag， to drag race， and her relationship with Sharon。 I loved seeing the intimate details of her life。 It made me love her even more！ The pictures in the book were great。 I loved seeing the way her drag transformed。 She's had some rough points in her personal life， but definitely came out on top！ The only reason this didn't get 5 stars was because the beginning was a little hard for me to get into。 After about 25% or so I couldn't put it down。 Definitely recommend to any Alaska or Drag Queen fans！ 。。。more

Lindsey ，

Hieeeeeeee！Sometime during the pandemic， I got hooked on watching Drag Race。 It brought levity and joy and color to some of the dark days of COVID。 Alaska captured my attention on the show， and reading this and learning more back story was a lot of fun。 I've always appreciated Alaska's conceptual take on drag and willingness to play with （and outside） gender， and that comes through in this book。While certainly far from a literary masterpiece （sometimes transitions are a little few and far betwee Hieeeeeeee！Sometime during the pandemic， I got hooked on watching Drag Race。 It brought levity and joy and color to some of the dark days of COVID。 Alaska captured my attention on the show， and reading this and learning more back story was a lot of fun。 I've always appreciated Alaska's conceptual take on drag and willingness to play with （and outside） gender， and that comes through in this book。While certainly far from a literary masterpiece （sometimes transitions are a little few and far between）， most of this reads well in Alaska's voice。 Providing loads of back story， this book details how Alaska started in drag （including life before drag）， auditioning repeatedly for Drag Race， dating Sharon Needles， getting on Drag Race， and how life changed after Drag Race。 I also learned a lot about the Pittsburgh drag scene in which Sharon and Alaska grew into their own。 I appreciated that throughout the book Alaska owned past mistakes， writing about the bad decisions alongside the good。 It's filled with photos， providing glimpses of how Alaska has developed as a queen over her career。I would have loved more tea on Drag Race， but even as it stands， this was a fun light read that I fully enjoyed。Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the eARC！ 。。。more

Online Eccentric Librarian ，

More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/This is a very quick read that mostly is a biography told in snippets。 When you add in all the photographs， you likely won't need much more than an hour to finish。 That is both good and bad in that it's a breezy read but also can be very unsatisfying。 The heart of the book is mostly the toxic relationship between Alaska and Sharon Needles while Drag Race memories pretty much equal a couple of pages before it is back t More reviews （and no fluff） on the blog http://surrealtalvi。wordpress。com/This is a very quick read that mostly is a biography told in snippets。 When you add in all the photographs， you likely won't need much more than an hour to finish。 That is both good and bad in that it's a breezy read but also can be very unsatisfying。 The heart of the book is mostly the toxic relationship between Alaska and Sharon Needles while Drag Race memories pretty much equal a couple of pages before it is back to sex， drugs， and alcohol again。The is laid out in chronological order with Alaska's memories of a fairly decent childhood （a counterpoint to so many queens' terrible childhoods and a definite issue Sharon used to put Alaska down over）。 Growing up as Justin， he had great friends， a perfect best friend， his parents were accepting， his school was accepting， and he was even voted Prom King。 But a love of dressing up and being made up by his bestie led him on a straight trajectory to the drag world。Things would go off the rails soon after for Alaska （named for a strain of marijuana）。 The party life， frustrations of trying to make money off drag， and several failed relationships。 There is honesty in what happened between Alaska and Sharon but one gets the impression that a lot was left out， as well。 Especially sad was when Alaska began to mistreat her friends and abuse substances。Those looking for inside information on Drag Race won't find it here。 Sharon's appearance in season 4 doesn't come up until 61% into the book and lasts only a few pages - Alaska wasn't involved in getting Sharon ready for her appearance and Sharon was gone for 6 weeks， so Alaska was out of touch anyway。 All we get was that when Sharon returned， "she shared everything" - which doesn't happen to us， sadly。 Alaska's own appearance on the next season also lasts only a few pages， in which she notes that the rivalries were tiring and she didn't feel she did that well/had to deal with the stigma of just being considered as 'Sharon's boyfriend。" All you'll get about Drag Race is that RuPaul really is a caring person and Michelle Visage is a nice person who tells it straight。That isn't to say the book doesn't have interesting things to reveal or say。 We get a lot about Pittsburg's drag scene， booking nightclubs， even some homophobic violence。 Sadly， most of the book feels like Alaska's attempts to apologize for being a jerk or insensitive in earlier years。 And to explain what happened with her and Sharon。I finished this book yesterday and very little stands out for me or even remembered。 There are several black and white images （the prom picture is great！） but none have captions， which was frustrating （perhaps the published version will have them）。 I had no idea who the others were in the images or if they even related to the paragraphs next to where they were placed。 It would have been great to put names to local drag queen faces in Pittsburg， for example， like Cherri and Veruca。So yes， a quick and enjoyable read。 Does provide some insight into Alaska's life and a tiny bit about the RuPaul experience。 It isn't deep and the snippets feel glossed over and there are a lot of plugs for her music。 It ends on a good note about Alaska recognizing changes she needs to make and regrets about wrongs done in the past。 Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher。 。。。more

Heather ，

As lovely， cleverly written and full of the humor I expect from Alaska。 A peek into the who， what of all is Alaska was a journey I’d happily read again。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?: A Memoir

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Name’s Yours, What’s Alaska?: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0