Book Review – ‘Faux Queen: A Life in Drag’

In a time where the art of drag is exploding across the mainstream comes Faux Queen: A Life in Drag. This memoir, written by Monique Jenkinson, AKA Fauxnique, aims tells a story of a life as a drag queen and the experiences that led her to it. Fauxnique entered the drag world in a time much different from our own and broke boundaries along the way. What boundaries did she break? Well, Fauxnique identifies as a straight, cis woman, and entered the San Francisco drag scene long before drag was accepted as mainstream.

I must confess, I’m not typically someone who enjoys a memoir very much, but by writing this book and piquing my interest through its main subject matter, Jenkinson challenged me to question my ideas and preconceived notions of what a memoir is and can be. I found myself drawn in by the foreword to the book and as soon as Jenkinson begins telling her story, I was immediately enthralled. All in all, I sat for hours reading the book and was slightly dismayed at having to put it down to even interview Fauxnique herself.

Faux Queen is many things at once; it is a life story; it is a coming-of-age story; it is funny, insightful, and at times sad. Yet, despite being all these things, it is never once boring. It also avoids the pitfalls I see so many books fall into. It does not try to be all those things and get lost in them. Instead, it takes all those things and expertly weaves them into its own DNA.

In short, Faux Queen is a masterfully written memoir that even someone like me who rarely enjoys a memoir will love. Faux Queen: A Life in Drag will be available for purchase January 25, 2022 online at Amblepressbooks.com, Amazon.com and bn.com