Caught in the Act (Shane Jenek aka Courtney Act, Pantera Press) 

Shane Jenek’s drag queen alter ego Courtney Act has been in the public eye for almost 20 years, beginning with her groundbreaking appearance on the first series of Australian Idol. As an entertainer, she’s done it all: released music, toured the world, won Celebrity Big Brother UK and, of course, made it to the top three on RuPaul’s Drag Race. It was only a matter of time before she released a memoir—and it lives up to expectations. Caught in the Act is the candid and compelling story of Jenek’s journey from starry-eyed Brisbane boy to Oxford Street icon to international star. Warm and articulate as a speaker, Courtney has produced a memoir that is similarly smart, entertaining and accessible, full of witty one-liners and the Australian kitsch that informs her drag sensibility. While these days Courtney is a confident advocate for the queer community, it took a long time and a lot of work for Jenek to fully come to terms with his gender fluidity. Laying out honestly what he wishes he knew when he was coming of age as a young queer person in the 90s and early 00s, Jenek reckons with his past while also lightly educating the reader about everything from the realities of drug use in the queer community to the specifics of gender terminology. Alongside the exploration of these more serious issues runs the glittering narrative of Courtney’s rise to fame, including a fabulous, evocative portrait of queer Sydney at the turn of the millennium and, for Drag Race tragics, plenty of piping hot tea about her time on the show. Caught in the Act is a fun, highly readable memoir that is sure to delight fans both old and new, as well as young people looking for guidance from a proud queer role model. 

Kelsey Oldham is an editor of Books+Publishing. 

Category: Reviews