I am not myself these days: A memoir, by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

I seem to be on a roll of reading the earlier books by authors whose new releases I have enjoyed. Intrigued to learn what Josh’s days as a drag queen were like before he became the “gentleman farmer” in his recent book, The Bucolic Plague, I picked up his memoir of those times. Like The Bucolic Plague, it is in essence a love story, but an unhappy one. He loves Jack, a gay male escort who lives off his earnings in a Manhattan penthouse; Jack loves both Josh’s persona as “Aqua,” a 7’ 1” tall (in heels and abundant wig) drag queen and his ad-agency daytime self as well. Often hilarious, and sometimes outrageous, their adventures over the months they are together spiral down to into alcohol abuse, crack addiction and a final parting. Like his later book, there is self-reflection, growth, and a great deal of good humor. Also detailed instructions on the hours needed to transform oneself into a drag queen – mostly, it sounds painful and I felt sorry for the goldfish – you’ll have to read the book. I may need to get cable so I can catch his Fabulous Beekman Boys docu-series. 334 pp.