Caught in the Act: A Memoir by Courtney Act
- Downloads：6464
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-01 00:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Shane Jenek
- ISBN：0645412902
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Boy， girl， artist， advocate。 Courtney is more than the sum of her parts。
Meet Shane Jenek。 Raised in the suburbs of Brisbane， Australia， by loving parents， Shane realises from a young age that he’s not like all the other boys。 At a performing arts agency he discovers his passion for song， dance and performance， and makes a promise to himself: to find a bigger stage。 Meet Courtney Act。 Born around the turn of the millennium， Courtney makes her name in the gay bars of Sydney。 Years later， she makes star turns on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Celebrity Big Brother UK， bringing her unique take on drag and gender to the world。 Behind this rise to global fame is a story of searching for and finding oneself。 Told with Courtney’s trademark candour and wit， Caught in the Act is about our journey towards understanding gender， sexuality and identity。 It’s an often hilarious and at times heartbreaking memoir from a beloved drag and entertainment icon。 Most of all， it’s a bloody good time。
Meet Shane Jenek。 Raised in the suburbs of Brisbane， Australia， by loving parents， Shane realises from a young age that he’s not like all the other boys。 At a performing arts agency he discovers his passion for song， dance and performance， and makes a promise to himself: to find a bigger stage。 Meet Courtney Act。 Born around the turn of the millennium， Courtney makes her name in the gay bars of Sydney。 Years later， she makes star turns on RuPaul’s Drag Race and Celebrity Big Brother UK， bringing her unique take on drag and gender to the world。 Behind this rise to global fame is a story of searching for and finding oneself。 Told with Courtney’s trademark candour and wit， Caught in the Act is about our journey towards understanding gender， sexuality and identity。 It’s an often hilarious and at times heartbreaking memoir from a beloved drag and entertainment icon。 Most of all， it’s a bloody good time。
Reviews
Natalie Schwarz-Hancock
，
What a fabulous and educational read！ Shane’s writing is comfortable， personal and feels like you are talking with a friend。 I loved the Courtney Facts， I have come out of reading this book with so much more knowledge on gender， representation of LGBTQ+ and identity。 It has helped me think more about how I will raise my own child to make sure she has opportunities to be able to truly express who she is。 Thank you Shane and Courtney！
April
，
Educational， Inspiring and hilarious this is an easy to read book that highlights topics of importance regarding the LGBTQIA+ community。 I highly recommend！
Katie Clews
，
A wonderful story about this boy from Brisbane who has become a household name 。。 loved it
Kathleen Stuart
，
I was really interested in reading this after I found out about it。 I remember watching Courtney’s audition on Aust。 Idol。 I got way more than I thought I would out of this book。 It was so interesting and I learnt a lot。
Brooke Seychelle
，
I haven’t read a memoir since I was literally 12 years old。 They never really appealed to me and I honestly didn’t care for them。 But this one was different。 From page 1， all the way until the end， I loved every word！ I’ve been a long time fan of Courtney Act， ever since I saw her promoting Mardi Gras on SBS when I was a kid。 It was lovely to read more about her childhood in Brisbane。 Having grown up and lived in this city my whole life too， I enjoyed her references to different places and her o I haven’t read a memoir since I was literally 12 years old。 They never really appealed to me and I honestly didn’t care for them。 But this one was different。 From page 1， all the way until the end， I loved every word！ I’ve been a long time fan of Courtney Act， ever since I saw her promoting Mardi Gras on SBS when I was a kid。 It was lovely to read more about her childhood in Brisbane。 Having grown up and lived in this city my whole life too， I enjoyed her references to different places and her overall feelings about Brisbane。 I too am dying to escape， and Courtney’s teen angst turmoil was very relatable。 I love how Shane recognises the place of privilege he comes from with such a supportive family。 He’s had a wild life， and while there were no hugely shocking periods， it was still an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable memoir。 The final chapter was a little weak and rushed， but I loved the Closing Act and think it ended on a great note。 This was a book where I genuinely looked forward to reading every word。 Informative， fun and funky， this is a great memoir that I’d recommend for light and fluffy reading！ 。。。more
Jo
，
I learnt so much！Thanks Shane。Thanks Courtney。May all people simply feel comfortable to express themselves and their identity without fear， prejudice and ridicule。I hope the worl gets there soon。With more books like this， the journey to acceptance will be faster。
Jo
，
honest and funny opens up your mind to the LGBTQIA community and what they/he/she etc would like to be called， what a life you have had Shane Jenek/Courtney Act， very interesting
Anielle
，
Being perfectly honest， as a 22 year old Australian woman heavily invested in queer culture I had no idea who Courtney Act was。 This book had been promoted heavily at my local library and as a lover of drag and someone trying to get more into non-fiction I had to pick it up。To my surprise， my boomer-aged parents piped up about the fact that I was reading the famous Courtney Act's book！ How could my parents， who came from a generation of Australians who were alive while the White Australia Policy Being perfectly honest， as a 22 year old Australian woman heavily invested in queer culture I had no idea who Courtney Act was。 This book had been promoted heavily at my local library and as a lover of drag and someone trying to get more into non-fiction I had to pick it up。To my surprise， my boomer-aged parents piped up about the fact that I was reading the famous Courtney Act's book！ How could my parents， who came from a generation of Australians who were alive while the White Australia Policy was around be familiar with a drag queen， yet I was not？I will admit， I had only seen up to Season 5 of RuPaul's drag race at the time （I am currently working on that） and was too young to have seen Australian Idol at the time of Courtney's season。This memoir is written in a style that I absolutely was not expecting - it has an educational tone in many places that I felt didn't apply to me in the slightest。 I belong to a generation that have been called 'overly sensitive' and 'snowflakes' time and time again; a majority of us know everything under the sun about drag， queerness， gender and sexual identity。 For this reason， I really didn't see this book as one that is targeted at myself。 In fact， I had to skim sections of the 'lessons' and associated events as they made me feel patronised。However I did thoroughly enjoy reading all about Shane and Courtney's life experiences and how they merged together。 It's a life experience that is so outside of my own full of parties， hookups， a wide variety of jobs and shows that I could never even imagine encountering。I think this book would be a great read for Aussies those that know Courtney Act as a 'household name' yet don't understand the concept of drag or are unfamiliar with aspects of queerness and queer culture。 。。。more
Zalie
，
It’s because of books like this that I love reading。 It really is a privilege when someone shares their life experiences。
Kel
，
This was a pretty good read， great insight and would be very helpful to people going through the same
Zoe
，
I’ve been a fan of Courtney’s for a while， and so when I got a signed copy of this book from my local Dymocks when it first came out， I was really keen to read it。 First half of the book was interesting and I found the stories about growing up queer， coming out and becoming a drag queen engaging。 After that though I found it hard to get through。 Waaaayyyy too many stories about Shane’s sex life with no point at all to them。 The Courtney Facts throughout felt a bit patronising to someone who is v I’ve been a fan of Courtney’s for a while， and so when I got a signed copy of this book from my local Dymocks when it first came out， I was really keen to read it。 First half of the book was interesting and I found the stories about growing up queer， coming out and becoming a drag queen engaging。 After that though I found it hard to get through。 Waaaayyyy too many stories about Shane’s sex life with no point at all to them。 The Courtney Facts throughout felt a bit patronising to someone who is very familiar with terms like gay and trans。 The book really turned out to be literally Shane telling his life story， but no themes or life lessons to go into。 I just remember getting to the end and wondering what the point of this book is， it just felt so … pointless for lack of a better word。 I just didn’t feel like there was much of a message to impart， and I closed the book feeling like I’d wasted my time。 。。。more
Jo Horan
，
A brave raw memoir。 It dragged on a wee bit （pardon the pun）。
Nomesy B
，
This book was open and honest which I really appreciated。 The Courtney Facts were well placed and no doubt helpful for those not already familiar。 As an overall read though there were points that were a little boring and repetitive。 Might have benefited from a tighter edit。 I see someone else read it as audio with Courtney\Shane narrating and I imagine that would be very enjoyable。
Chloe
，
This book is interesting but quite flawed。 The biggest issues for me were the constant repetition and the strange structural and content mix。 Large portions of the book were just recounts of sexual exploits which didn’t really serve a narrative purpose and became very repetitive。 The other parts included definitions， facts， and essays on gender and sexuality。 Then there were recounts of Shane’s life and career and his constant gender querying。 I listened to the audiobook and there was even a ver This book is interesting but quite flawed。 The biggest issues for me were the constant repetition and the strange structural and content mix。 Large portions of the book were just recounts of sexual exploits which didn’t really serve a narrative purpose and became very repetitive。 The other parts included definitions， facts， and essays on gender and sexuality。 Then there were recounts of Shane’s life and career and his constant gender querying。 I listened to the audiobook and there was even a very cringey （and pitchy） song… it just felt a bit messy and read more like a diary where Shane was working through some internalised trauma rather than an actual memoir。 。。。more
Jülie ☼♄
，
A memoir…Intelligent， edifying and enjoyable…What a beautiful soul you are Shane Jenek！Shane Jenek is not a name you might be too familiar with， though I suspect that is about to change with this book fast climbing to the top of the shelves。 It’s more likely that you are more familiar with his glamorous alter ego Courtney Act， who’s television appearances and on stage presence in drag has brought his beautiful persona to our attention in recent years。Some of the words used to describe Shane/Cour A memoir…Intelligent， edifying and enjoyable…What a beautiful soul you are Shane Jenek！Shane Jenek is not a name you might be too familiar with， though I suspect that is about to change with this book fast climbing to the top of the shelves。 It’s more likely that you are more familiar with his glamorous alter ego Courtney Act， who’s television appearances and on stage presence in drag has brought his beautiful persona to our attention in recent years。Some of the words used to describe Shane/Courtney are: “Boy， girl， artist， advocate。 Courtney is more than the sum of her parts。” She also identifies as Queer or Genderfluid…words which are becoming more acceptably descriptive these days among the LGBTQIA community and generally。I have watched him on television here and there and am really taken by how relaxed and confident he is in his own persona。 He always comes across as totally genuine， which is so refreshing。 He speaks with obvious intelligence and eloquence on many subjects which he has clearly researched extensively。From politics to promiscuity， he is very switched on to what’s going on， not only in his world， but in the world at large。 His clear focus and devotion to the work he does （in any field） is admirable and testament to his authenticity。I really admire him for his candid honesty， his delivery is casual yet sensitive and respectful。 Before you sit down to read or listen…and I highly recommend the audio version… do try to suspend any preconceived ideas or beliefs and close your ears to any bits you might find uncomfortable…but do listen…listen to Shane’s open honesty， his integrity。It comes through， so you can’t help but notice that he is comfortable in his own skin and does not seek approval…just acceptance。 Would that we could all feel such confidence and self respect， I feel certain the world would be a far better place。Shane is not trying to sell himself to you， he’s just trying to prove （by example） that people who are different from the mainstream perception of “normal”…queer people…are not a threat to anyone else’s existence， they just want to be。I am reminded of an old quote: “All my life I wanted to be somebody， only to discover that I am。”We could learn a lot about tolerance and acceptance from Shane’s example…I’m not talking about his more personal proclivities， which I know will bother some people， but his example of being true to himself and others by honouring his true self without self limiting inhibitons。Don’t overlook this book， Shane’s story may not be everyone’s cup of tea， but it is a valuable story， worth listening to if you are interested in facts as opposed to speculation， and of promoting a more inclusive mentality。The story is laugh out loud funny with heartrendingly honest confessions of poignant moments in his developing evolution。It is a serious expose of a unique soul trying to find his groove in an often uncompromising world。I loved it！ Read the book and listen to the audio！*The audio version gives you the added bonus of hearing Shane singing。5 Glittering ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️s！ 💫 。。。more
Cody Stebbings
，
A fantastic memoir， beautifully written with an abundance of education on LGBTQIA+， a gritty portrait of an early 2000s Sydney queer scene and a myriad of anecdotes that really have crafted the life if Courtney Act。
Shane Jones
，
I really enjoyed reading about Courtney Act and Shane Jenek as the same person。 The way they identify is really interesting and it’s cool to read something relatable。
Robert Grigor
，
I couldn’t put this book down。 Full of raw， emotional stories and insightful reflections。 Especially loved the gay Sydney nostalgia chapters。
Alonso
，
Courtney’s memoir is fun， enlightening and endearing。 The first part felt a bit too worked to make it worthy to be in a book but as the memoir progressed the story gets more interesting and the writing style improves。 If you’re a Drag race fan， this is definitely a must as Courtney spills the tea about season 6 and Mama Ru
Steven Garner
，
'Caught in the Act' is a rather rare example of the memoir genre: it’s far far more frank and real than others I’ve read， even those by other queer （and non-queer） entertainers。My introduction to Courtney really came through Eurovision: Australia Decides， but I enjoyed learning about Shane’s early life in Brisbane， the emergence of Courtney in Sydney， their time in the US （including on Drag Race） and the UK （as the winner of Celebrity Big Brother） and， more generally， the clear， thought-provokin 'Caught in the Act' is a rather rare example of the memoir genre: it’s far far more frank and real than others I’ve read， even those by other queer （and non-queer） entertainers。My introduction to Courtney really came through Eurovision: Australia Decides， but I enjoyed learning about Shane’s early life in Brisbane， the emergence of Courtney in Sydney， their time in the US （including on Drag Race） and the UK （as the winner of Celebrity Big Brother） and， more generally， the clear， thought-provoking and informative discussion of issues of gender and sexuality。 。。。more
Sarah Jamieson
，
Courtney's story is wonderful， and she writes it like a seasoned veteran。 This isnt a chance to cash in like other drag race stars。 This is Courtney telling her entire story， unpacking it and making some wonderful notes and takes on gender， gender identity and drag。Incredibly moving and yet salacious and full of tea too！ Courtney's story is wonderful， and she writes it like a seasoned veteran。 This isnt a chance to cash in like other drag race stars。 This is Courtney telling her entire story， unpacking it and making some wonderful notes and takes on gender， gender identity and drag。Incredibly moving and yet salacious and full of tea too！ 。。。more
Dennis
，
I have never read a book like this， on such a subject， ever before。 I have seen Shane Jenek as the interviewer on the ABC program 'One Plus One'， but other than that， and being caught by his interesting stage name， the subject of homosexuality and alternative sex practices is one that I have never read about before。 However， I am aware of the cruelty and hurt that that has been inflicted in the past centuries and I was supportive of the Australian same-sex marriage legislation of a few years ago I have never read a book like this， on such a subject， ever before。 I have seen Shane Jenek as the interviewer on the ABC program 'One Plus One'， but other than that， and being caught by his interesting stage name， the subject of homosexuality and alternative sex practices is one that I have never read about before。 However， I am aware of the cruelty and hurt that that has been inflicted in the past centuries and I was supportive of the Australian same-sex marriage legislation of a few years ago and note that the dire predictions of the prophets of doom have not been realised。 The book itself， which is largely about Courtney's stage career and finding himself as a gay guy in Sydney， is interesting and again takes me to an area about which I was previously unaware。 So if you are a straight guy like me， it is a book that will be an eye-opener， but if you are gay， I am sure that it will be the autobiography of a hero。 。。。more
Matt Akersten
，
Excellent！ Loved it。
Leith Marshall
，
Shane has a wonderful way with words， like he’s sitting next to you and retelling moments of his life over a cup of tea or a couple of strong cocktails。 The brutal， sometimes graphic， honesty will be “too much” for a lot of people but I personally respect it。 I like the idea of laying everything out on the table from your own perspective， especially given their history of reality TV appearances。 Whether you know Shane or Courtney from Australian Idol， RuPaul’s Drag Race， Celebrity Big Brother or Shane has a wonderful way with words， like he’s sitting next to you and retelling moments of his life over a cup of tea or a couple of strong cocktails。 The brutal， sometimes graphic， honesty will be “too much” for a lot of people but I personally respect it。 I like the idea of laying everything out on the table from your own perspective， especially given their history of reality TV appearances。 Whether you know Shane or Courtney from Australian Idol， RuPaul’s Drag Race， Celebrity Big Brother or a bar on Oxford Street， there’s plenty to entertain you and make you think。 。。。more
Hannah McCauley
，
This book is insightful and entertaining。 I didn’t want it to end。
Sarah
，
Honest， thoughtful， fun， and a conversation starter。 Thank you Shane for bringing us Courtney and all her Courtney Facts。 For anyone who has ever felt constrained by binary choices， felt like they were in between the polar opposites that society said were the only options allowed， here's one person's journey to fame and more importantly， a sense of contentment within themselves as a fluid， non-binary person。 Honest， thoughtful， fun， and a conversation starter。 Thank you Shane for bringing us Courtney and all her Courtney Facts。 For anyone who has ever felt constrained by binary choices， felt like they were in between the polar opposites that society said were the only options allowed， here's one person's journey to fame and more importantly， a sense of contentment within themselves as a fluid， non-binary person。 。。。more
Kt
，
5⭐️“The prologue of a memoir is basically like the caption in an Instagram video that says， ‘Omg！ Make sure you keep watching to the end！’ But unlike so many of those clickbait videos， as you make your way from cover to cover you’ll be heartwarmed， entertained， scandalised and titillated - at least that’s my hope。 My other hope is that in reading this book you might see your own flaws reflected back through mine and still find the compassion to hold yourself， and me， in high esteem。” （Pg 2-3）The 5⭐️“The prologue of a memoir is basically like the caption in an Instagram video that says， ‘Omg！ Make sure you keep watching to the end！’ But unlike so many of those clickbait videos， as you make your way from cover to cover you’ll be heartwarmed， entertained， scandalised and titillated - at least that’s my hope。 My other hope is that in reading this book you might see your own flaws reflected back through mine and still find the compassion to hold yourself， and me， in high esteem。” （Pg 2-3）There is no possible way that I could sum up Caught In the Act better that Courtney Act herself did at the end of her prologue; so I’m not ever going to try。 She hits the nail on the head with the plethora of emotions you’ll go through as you read it and you’ll most definitely hold both her and Shane in very high esteem once it’s finished， even more than you did before。To say that I enjoyed this memoir is the understatement of the century。 It was an absolute eye opener; for not only does Courtney kiss and tell， she also is not backward in coming forward about any facet of her life。 It was as educational as it was entertaining; and as the kids say， it has all the feels。What I appreciated the most was the raw， honest and heartfelt manner in which Shane and Courtney talk about their lives。 They leave nothing in the tank and certainly don’t gloss over the hard， sad and difficult times。 It was the multiple emotions that oozed from the pages that saw me devour Caught In Act in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down。I’ve always wanted to meet Cortney Act （even more so now I know she’s partial to a Fry’s Turkish Delight and a West Coast Cooler！） but after reading Caught In The Act， I’d equally love to meet and have a drink or ten with Shane。 I simply cannot recommend it enough。 It’s a book that absolutely everyone needs to read for not only will it make you laugh and will make you cry; but what I think and hope， is that it will also make you more tolerant and understanding and a better person for having read it。Caught In The Act by Shane Jenek aka Courtney Act is my sixth read in #ktbookbingo， category ‘Features a human you’d love to meet’。 To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading， go to #ktbookbingo or @kt_elder on Instagram。 。。。more
Kerri Guy
，
3 1/2 stars
Suzanne
，
This read like a theatrical show， Shane’s voice on the narration was great。 I think he should do more in this area。 It was not just an audio read; it was a performance。 I don’t watch reality television， so I really didn’t come into this with knowledge about Shane and Courtenay Act。 I was very interested as I have an affinity with anything related to identity， sexuality and a journey such as this as I lost a family member to HIV AIDS in the early to mid-1980’s。 I was told my uncle died of cancer This read like a theatrical show， Shane’s voice on the narration was great。 I think he should do more in this area。 It was not just an audio read; it was a performance。 I don’t watch reality television， so I really didn’t come into this with knowledge about Shane and Courtenay Act。 I was very interested as I have an affinity with anything related to identity， sexuality and a journey such as this as I lost a family member to HIV AIDS in the early to mid-1980’s。 I was told my uncle died of cancer because the truth was not to be revealed。 Oh， my how things have changed。This story will not be for everyone， it’s full of in-depth info about a rampant sex life and awakening， and a very turbulent self-discovery of sexual identity， addiction， longing， and a very complex search for how Shane identifies。 I am grateful he didn’t appear to succumb to addiction during this journey， and he was aware of this too。 He is so full of life and tells his story with such flair and flamboyance that absolutely suits him。 Full of self-doubt， seeking validation in often precarious ways， this is a no holds barred story。 He has done so much in a nonstop career - cabaret， a bit of 9-5 （SO not for him）， tours with drag queens， lots of solo touring， Ru Pauls show RuPaul's Drag Race， and Australian Idol as well， and so much more。I wasn’t surprised to see how horribly edited these reality shows are， all for ratings of course， and how shallow many of the players are （sorry for my judgemental anti reality television stance， just being honest）。 But in his ever-accepting way， seems to hold no real resentment about this。 A natural performer Shane started performing in his hometown of Brisbane as a young boy （with The Veronicas no less） which was fun to read about， he was a winner from the start and found his niche。 It was a long road to find where he truly fit， though。 Traveling the world and meeting so many people， finding mentors such as Chaz Bono who gave him advice about things he hadn't even thought of before。I found it hard he found validation through external means such as winning Celebrity Big Brother in the UK though （this may sound judgmental though I don’t mean to be）， I’d love to see his self-validation。 Perhaps I misunderstood what he meant by this， but that his performance abilities were finally accepted， not his ‘person and identity’。 It’s hard to witness an individual not fitting， not understanding how they should morph， or even if they should morph to fit any type of mould。 Imagine not knowing？ And imagine taking 30 odd years to work it out。， then laying it all out。Shane candidly says how difficult and wrought it was for him， of this I have no doubt。 I’d love for him to find someone that loves him with as much passion and love he has inside， he falls hard and fast and wasn’t able to hold on to for the long run。 The book read in a conversational tone， written well， and narrated well。 Dressing and preparing as Courtenay in drag sounds like such hard work， but he prepares so fastidiously as Courtney which certainly shows， and she shines in many ways。 。。。more
Emma Campbell
，