John Waters Popular Books

John Waters Biography & Facts

John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974). Waters wrote and directed the comedy film Hairspray (1988), which was later adapted into a hit Broadway musical and a 2007 musical film. Other films he has written and directed include Desperate Living (1977), Polyester (1981), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), and Cecil B. Demented (2000). His films contain elements of post-modern comedy and surrealism. As an actor, Waters has appeared in Sweet and Lowdown (1999), Seed of Chucky (2004), 'Til Death Do Us Part (2007), Mangus! (2011), Excision (2012), and Suburban Gothic (2014). He hosted and produced the television series John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You (2006). Throughout his career, Waters has often collaborated with actor and drag queen Divine and his regular cast of the Dreamlanders. More recently, he performs in his touring one-man show This Filthy World. Waters also works as a visual artist and across different media, such as installations, photography, and sculpture. The audiobooks he narrated for his books Carsick and Mr. Know-It-All were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 2015 and 2020, respectively. In 2018, Waters was named an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in France. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. Early life and education Waters was born on April 22, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland, one of four children born to Patricia Ann (née Whitaker) and John Samuel Waters, a manufacturer of fire-protection equipment. He was raised Catholic by his mother, though his father was not Catholic. Through his mother, who immigrated to the United States from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada as a child, he is the great-great-great-grandson of George P. Whitaker of the Whitaker iron family. Waters grew up in Lutherville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. His boyhood friend and muse, Glenn Milstead, later known as Divine, also lived in Lutherville. Waters lived at 313 Morris Avenue in Lutherville from his early teenage years until he moved out in his early twenties. Waters and Milstead shot many of their early films at the house, dubbing the front lawn the "Dreamland Lot".The film Lili inspired an interest in puppets in the seven-year-old Waters, who proceeded to stage violent versions of Punch and Judy for children's birthday parties. Biographer Robrt L. Pela says that Waters's mother believes the puppets in Lili had the greatest influence on Waters's subsequent career (though Pela believes tacky films at a local drive-in, which the young Waters watched from a distance through binoculars, had a greater effect).Cry-Baby was also a product of Waters's boyhood, because of his fascination as a seven-year-old with the "drapes" then receiving intense news coverage because of the murder of Carolyn Wasilewski, a young "drapette", and his admiration for a young man living across the street who had a hot rod.Waters was privately educated at the Calvert School in Baltimore. After attending Towson Jr. High School in Towson, Maryland, and Calvert Hall College High School in nearby Towson, he graduated from Boys' Latin School of Maryland. While still a teen, he made frequent trips into downtown Baltimore to visit Martick's, a beatnik bar, where he and Milstead met many of their later film collaborators. He was underage and could not enter the bar proper, but loitered in the adjacent alley, where he relied on the kindness of patrons to slip him drinks. Career Early career Waters's first short film was Hag in a Black Leather Jacket.MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939) had a profound effect on Waters' creative mind. He said about it: I was always drawn to forbidden subject matter in the very, very beginning. The Wizard of Oz opened me up because it was one of the first movies I ever saw. It opened me up to villainy, to screenwriting, to costumes. And great dialogue. I think the witch has great, great dialogue. Waters has stated that he takes an equal amount of joy and influence from high-brow "art" films and sleazy exploitation films.In January 1966, Waters and some friends were caught smoking marijuana on the grounds of NYU, and he was soon kicked out of his dormitory. He returned to Baltimore, where he completed his next two short films, Roman Candles and Eat Your Makeup. They were followed by the feature-length films Mondo Trasho and Multiple Maniacs.Waters's films became Divine's primary star vehicles. All of Waters's early films were shot in the Baltimore area with his company of local actors, the Dreamlanders—which, in addition to Divine, included Mink Stole, Cookie Mueller, Edith Massey, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce, Susan Walsh, and others. Waters met Edith Massey while she was a bartender at Pete's Hotel.Waters's early campy movies present exaggerated characters in outrageous situations with hyperbolic dialogue. Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble and Desperate Living, which he labeled the Trash Trilogy, pushed hard at the boundaries of conventional propriety and censorship. Move toward the mainstream Waters's 1981 film Polyester starred Divine opposite former teen idol Tab Hunter. It was the first time that Waters was not the primary camera operator for his own work, as he had started collaborating with local film student David Insley. Since then, his films have become less controversial and more mainstream, although works such as Hairspray, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, Pecker and Cecil B. Demented still retain his trademark inventiveness. Hairspray, the last film he produced, became a hit Broadway musical that swept the 2003 Tony Awards; and a film adaptation of the Broadway musical was released in theaters on July 20, 2007, to positive reviews and commercial success. Cry-Baby, itself a musical, also became a Broadway musical.In 2004, the NC-17-rated A Dirty Shame marked a return to Waters' earlier, more controversial work of the 1970s. Having received mixed reviews and bombing at the box-office, it would prove to be his last film as a director for almost two decades. In 2007, Waters became the host ("The Groom Reaper") of 'Til Death Do Us Part, a program on America's Court TV network. In 2008, he planned to make a children's Christmas film, Fruitcake starring Johnny Knoxville and Parker Posey. Filming was set for November 2008, but the project was shelved in January 2009. In 2010, Waters told the Chicago Tribune that "Independent films that cost $5 million are very hard to get made. I sold the idea, got a development deal, got paid a great salary to write it—and now the company is no longer around, which is the case with many independent film companies these days."In October 2022, it was announced that Waters will adapt his novel, Liarmouth, into a film. Village Roadshow Pictures will produce, and Wate.... Discover the John Waters popular books. Find the top 100 most popular John Waters books.

Best Seller John Waters Books of 2024

  • The Little Blue Book of Sailing Wisdom synopsis, comments

    The Little Blue Book of Sailing Wisdom

    Stephen Brennan

    “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch ...

  • The Problem of Jesus synopsis, comments

    The Problem of Jesus

    Mark Clark

    The modern world portrays Jesus in many ways for many reasons. Some are wellintentioned but misguided, others are aberrations, still others have some but not all the essential keys...

  • Philippians synopsis, comments

    Philippians

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Experience joy in any situation...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the letter of Philippians in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the...

  • Windy City Blues synopsis, comments

    Windy City Blues

    Renée Rosen

    In 1960s Chicago, a young woman stands in the middle of a musical and social revolution. A new historical novel from the bestselling author of White Collar Girl and ...

  • Romans synopsis, comments

    Romans

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Jesus is our salvation...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the book of Romans in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was wri...

  • The Me I Want to Be synopsis, comments

    The Me I Want to Be

    John Ortberg

    The Me I Want to Be will help you discover spiritual vitality like never before as you learn to "live in the flow of the spirit."Why does spiritual growth seem so difficult?God's v...

  • The Joy of Art synopsis, comments

    The Joy of Art

    Carolyn Schlam

    An Artist’s Insights on Art Appreciation Written by a practicing artist, this book decodes and maps the basic elements of visual art, leading the reader to a greater understanding ...

  • Face It synopsis, comments

    Face It

    Debbie Harry

    Filled with neverbeforeseen photos and art throughout, the muchanticipated autobiography from rock icon and lead singer of Blondie, Debbie HarryBRAVE, BEAUTIFUL AND BORN TO BE PUNK...

  • 1 Corinthians synopsis, comments

    1 Corinthians

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Living as citizens of Christ's Kingdom...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the book of 1 Corinthians in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people...

  • Bushcraft 101 synopsis, comments

    Bushcraft 101

    Dave Canterbury

    “With advice on not just getting along, but truly reconnecting with the great outdoors, Dave Canterbury’s treasure trove of worldrenowned wisdom and experience comes to life within...

  • Carsick synopsis, comments

    Carsick

    John Waters

    Carsick is the New York Times bestselling chronicle of a crosscountry hitchhiking journey with America's most beloved weirdo.John Waters is putting his life on the line. Armed with...

  • Fish Out of Water synopsis, comments

    Fish Out of Water

    Eric Metaxas

    What Happens When One of America’s Most Admired Biographers Writes His Own Biography?For Eric Metaxas, the answer is Fish Out of Water: A Search for the Meaning of Lifea poetic and...

  • Galatians synopsis, comments

    Galatians

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    God's grace cannot be earned...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the letter of Galatians in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time...

  • Matthew synopsis, comments

    Matthew

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Jesus is the eternal King...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the gospel of Matthew in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it w...

  • Fusion Fly Tying synopsis, comments

    Fusion Fly Tying

    Greg Senyo & Matthew Supinski

    Thorough and complete howto guide for fusion fly tying Shares essential techniques with clear instructions Written by Greg Senyo, an expert on tying your own flies Do you wan...

  • The Water-Method Man synopsis, comments

    The Water-Method Man

    John Irving

    “John Irving, it is abundantly clear, is a true artist.”Los Angeles TimesFred "Bogus" Trumper has troubles. A divorced, broke graduate student of Old Norse in 1970s New York, ...

  • You Are Never Alone synopsis, comments

    You Are Never Alone

    Max Lucado

    When life gets difficult, is God paying attention? If I'm facing challenge after challenge, will God help? When my days become dark and stormy, does God notice? The answer in the l...

  • Ephesians synopsis, comments

    Ephesians

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Paul's reminder of our identity in Christ...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the letter of Ephesians in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the peopl...

  • The Truth and Beauty synopsis, comments

    The Truth and Beauty

    Andrew Klavan

    Follow Andrew Klavan to a deeper, richer understanding of the words of Jesus.Andrew Klavan believed what he read in the Gospels, but he often struggled to understand what Jesu...

  • The World As We Know It synopsis, comments

    The World As We Know It

    Joseph Monninger

    Critically acclaimed author Joseph Monninger has penned a subtle and heartrending love story of friendship, nature, and the surprising twists that can alter our destinies forever. ...

  • Tao Te Ching synopsis, comments

    Tao Te Ching

    Lao Tzu & D. C. Lau

    'Have little thought of self and as few desires as possible'Whether or not Lao Tzu was a historical figure is uncertain, but the wisdom gathered under his name in the fourth centur...

  • In the Absence of Men synopsis, comments

    In the Absence of Men

    Philippe Besson & Frank Wynne

    'An astonishing love story, beautifully told' Time Out'I am sixteen. I am as old as the century'It is 1916. Vincent is sixteen, on the brink of manhood. ...

  • Stand-In Star synopsis, comments

    Stand-In Star

    Rachael Johns

    As an anthropologist, Holly McCartney is more comfortable in a museum than shopping on Rodeo Drive. She isn't prepared for the media frenzy on her arrival in L.A. to accept a posth...

  • Outside Looking In synopsis, comments

    Outside Looking In

    Garry Wills

    "One of the country's most distinguished intellectuals [and] one of its most provocative." The New York Times Look out for a new book from Garry Wills, What the Qur'an Meant,...

  • Creepy Crawling synopsis, comments

    Creepy Crawling

    Jeffrey Melnick

    "Creepy crawling" was the Manson Family's practice of secretly entering someone's home and, without harming anyone, leaving only a trace of evidence that they had been there, some ...

  • John synopsis, comments

    John

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Jesus came to give us life...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the book of John in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was w...

  • Six Records of a Floating Life synopsis, comments

    Six Records of a Floating Life

    Shen Fu

    Six Records of a Floating Life (1809) is an extraordinary blend of autobiography, love story and social document written by a man who was educated as a scholar but earned his livin...

  • Casual Friday synopsis, comments

    Casual Friday

    Shane Kuhn

    Casual Friday is the story of hit man John Lago’s very first assignment as a recruit with Human Resources, Inc., a placement agency that sends assassins, disguised as interns, to t...

  • Mundo Cruel synopsis, comments

    Mundo Cruel

    Luis Negron & Suzanne Jill Levine

    Luis Negrón’s debut collection reveals the intimate world of a small community in Puerto Rico joined together by its transgressive sexuality. The writing straddles the shifting lin...

  • Leave No Trace synopsis, comments

    Leave No Trace

    Mindy Mejia

    “Dark and atmospheric, with palpably vivid details and complex characters harboring plenty of secrets” (Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of The Marriage Lie), thi...

  • Sleep No More synopsis, comments

    Sleep No More

    Greg Iles

    The beautiful stranger John Waters has just met reminds him too much of his old girlfriendbecause she is.

  • Acts synopsis, comments

    Acts

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    God guides our witness and our walk...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the book of Acts in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time...

  • Mark synopsis, comments

    Mark

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Jesus is always at work and active...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the gospel of Mark in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the tim...

  • Luke synopsis, comments

    Luke

    Dr. David Jeremiah

    Jesus is the Great Physician...Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the gospel of Luke in a chapterbychapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it w...

  • Never Say Never synopsis, comments

    Never Say Never

    Ricki Lake

    The world first met Ricki Lake in 1988 as Tracy Turnblad in the film Hairspray. Weighing in at just over 200 pounds, the 5'3" teenager challenged what it meant to be an overweight ...

  • Fear the Dark synopsis, comments

    Fear the Dark

    Chris Mooney

    'One of the best thriller writers working today' Lee Child'If you want a thriller that will chill your blood, break your heart and make your pulse race, Chris Mooney is your man' M...

  • The Chill synopsis, comments

    The Chill

    Scott Carson

    A supernatural forceset in motion a century agothreatens to devastate New York City in this spinetingling national bestseller that “grips from the first page” (Stephen King, #1 New...

  • The Broken Hours synopsis, comments

    The Broken Hours

    Jacqueline Baker

    In the cold spring of 1936, Arthor Crandle, downonhis luck and desperate for work, accepts a position in Providence, Rhode Island, as a livein secretary/assistant for an unnamed sh...

  • Instinct synopsis, comments

    Instinct

    Ben Kay

    Hidden in a remote corner of the South American jungle is a clandestine research facility known simply as MEROS. Here, working in laboratories buried a thousand feet underground, m...

  • An Everlasting Meal synopsis, comments

    An Everlasting Meal

    Tamar Adler

    In An Everlasting Meal, Tamar Adler has written a book that “reads less like a cookbook than like a recipe for a delicious life” (New York magazine).In this meditation on cooking a...

  • Note to Self synopsis, comments

    Note to Self

    Gayle King

    In this New York Times bestseller, Gayle King collects her favorite inspiring letters from the popular CBS This Morning segment Note to Self, in which twentyfirst century luminarie...

  • Rememberings synopsis, comments

    Rememberings

    Sinéad O'Connor

    From the acclaimed, controversial singersongwriter Sinéad O’Connor comes a revelatory memoir of her fraught childhood, musical triumphs, fearless activism, and of the end...

  • Aquanaut synopsis, comments

    Aquanaut

    Rick Stanton & David Rose

    The enthralling inside story of the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailandtold by the leader of the daring underwater rescue mission.In July 2018, twelve boys ...

  • Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter synopsis, comments

    Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter

    50 Cent

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFor the first time, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson opens up about his amazing comebackfrom tragic personal loss to thriving businessman and cable’s highestpaid e...

  • Pacific synopsis, comments

    Pacific

    Simon Winchester

    One of Library Journal’s 10 Best Books of 2015Following his acclaimed Atlantic and The Men Who United the States, New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester offers an enthr...