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Tell Me Everything
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Memoir & Autobiography (2023)“A timely, urgent portrait of working-class American women.”
—Gabrielle Union
Minka Kelly takes readers behind the shiny silver-screen facade and reveals just how good an actress she really is.
Fans know her as the spoiled, rich cheerleader Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights or as the affluent, mysterious Samantha on the HBO megahit Euphoria. But as revealed for the first time in these pages, Minka Kelly’s life has been anything but easy.
Raised by a single mother who worked as a stripper and struggled with addiction, Minka spent years waking up in strange apartments as she and her mom bounced around the country, relying on friends and relatives to take them in. At times they even lived in storage units. She reconnected with her father, Aerosmith’s Rick Dufay, and eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she landed the role of a lifetime on Friday Night Lights.
Now an established actress and philanthropist, Minka takes this next step in her career as a writer. She has poured her soul into the pages of this book, which ultimately tells a story of triumph over adversity, and how resilience and love are all we have in the end.
—Gabrielle Union
Minka Kelly takes readers behind the shiny silver-screen facade and reveals just how good an actress she really is.
Fans know her as the spoiled, rich cheerleader Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights or as the affluent, mysterious Samantha on the HBO megahit Euphoria. But as revealed for the first time in these pages, Minka Kelly’s life has been anything but easy.
Raised by a single mother who worked as a stripper and struggled with addiction, Minka spent years waking up in strange apartments as she and her mom bounced around the country, relying on friends and relatives to take them in. At times they even lived in storage units. She reconnected with her father, Aerosmith’s Rick Dufay, and eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she landed the role of a lifetime on Friday Night Lights.
Now an established actress and philanthropist, Minka takes this next step in her career as a writer. She has poured her soul into the pages of this book, which ultimately tells a story of triumph over adversity, and how resilience and love are all we have in the end.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2023
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May 20, 2023*no ratings for memoirs*
i definitely was bamboozled by the marketing for this one. as a Friday Night Lights lover, i was hooked at the hope of FNL tea and drama (especially w Tim Riggins / Taylor Kitsch). we got MAYBE 5-10 pages total of FNL and all of it was extremely surface level. especially her relationship w Taylor. maybe 2 pages of that… so what you’ve seen teased in headlines is all you get. bummer 😭😩
with that said, i still enjoyed this book and would recommend it. it’s definitely more about her past, her relationship w her mother and her healing journey than her life as an actress / FNL star. so if you adjust your expectations that will help.
🎧 the audiobook was in her voice and was a quick read. i reco that version for sure (and for all memoirs!)
i’m so shocked what she went through and my heart truly broke for her. she’s been through it ALL. parents w addiction, abandonment, abortion / miscarriage, abuse (of all forms), loneliness, depression, toxicity in all forms and relationships and so much more. it’s truly so inspiring to see what she turned out to be and see her mental and emotional strength. she made me want to give her a great big hug.
Minka Kelly is truly inspirational and i’m so happy for her success—it’s so well deserved. a beautiful woman inside and out ❤️
TLDR:
- if you’re expecting some juicy drama and celebrity gossip with FNL / Taylor Kitsch tea, you’ll get none
- if you’re open to learning about her past and how she’s overcome it, how she is who she is today, etc., that’s what you’ll get
i definitely was bamboozled by the marketing for this one. as a Friday Night Lights lover, i was hooked at the hope of FNL tea and drama (especially w Tim Riggins / Taylor Kitsch). we got MAYBE 5-10 pages total of FNL and all of it was extremely surface level. especially her relationship w Taylor. maybe 2 pages of that… so what you’ve seen teased in headlines is all you get. bummer 😭😩
with that said, i still enjoyed this book and would recommend it. it’s definitely more about her past, her relationship w her mother and her healing journey than her life as an actress / FNL star. so if you adjust your expectations that will help.
🎧 the audiobook was in her voice and was a quick read. i reco that version for sure (and for all memoirs!)
i’m so shocked what she went through and my heart truly broke for her. she’s been through it ALL. parents w addiction, abandonment, abortion / miscarriage, abuse (of all forms), loneliness, depression, toxicity in all forms and relationships and so much more. it’s truly so inspiring to see what she turned out to be and see her mental and emotional strength. she made me want to give her a great big hug.
Minka Kelly is truly inspirational and i’m so happy for her success—it’s so well deserved. a beautiful woman inside and out ❤️
TLDR:
- if you’re expecting some juicy drama and celebrity gossip with FNL / Taylor Kitsch tea, you’ll get none
- if you’re open to learning about her past and how she’s overcome it, how she is who she is today, etc., that’s what you’ll get
January 17, 2024
me 🤝 memoirs about women and their relationships with their mothers
had me sobbing on the floor
had me sobbing on the floor
May 10, 2023
Tell Me Everything is actress Minka Kelly’s memoir. She shares the story of her life, primarily growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Minka had a very rough upbringing, often shuffling between her mom’s friends’ houses and without a solid parental role model. She had unhealthy relationships with family members and boyfriends, and worked as a dancer at a night club when she was 17 in an effort to save money and move out on her own.
Minka eventually made her way to LA, and trained as a surgical nurse before and while pursuing her acting career. So often actors and actresses are asked what they would do if they didn’t work in Hollywood and it was refreshing to hear a story of someone who had done something else first.
Minka talks about her role as Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights which is the only role that comes to my mind when I think of her though I know she has been in other movies and shows. FNL is one of my all-time favorite shows, like Top 3 forever, so I enjoyed hearing about this though there wasn’t quite as much about it as I would have hoped.
She attempts to make amends with her mom and their volatile relationship and also with her biological dad. I felt bad for what Minka has been through and Tell Me Everything was another example of how we often have more in common with people than we think, even those who live different lives than us. Hearing Minka’s story and stories like hers, gives me further appreciation for my great family and how I grew up.
Minka eventually made her way to LA, and trained as a surgical nurse before and while pursuing her acting career. So often actors and actresses are asked what they would do if they didn’t work in Hollywood and it was refreshing to hear a story of someone who had done something else first.
Minka talks about her role as Lyla Garrity on Friday Night Lights which is the only role that comes to my mind when I think of her though I know she has been in other movies and shows. FNL is one of my all-time favorite shows, like Top 3 forever, so I enjoyed hearing about this though there wasn’t quite as much about it as I would have hoped.
She attempts to make amends with her mom and their volatile relationship and also with her biological dad. I felt bad for what Minka has been through and Tell Me Everything was another example of how we often have more in common with people than we think, even those who live different lives than us. Hearing Minka’s story and stories like hers, gives me further appreciation for my great family and how I grew up.
March 13, 2024
If you only know actress Minka Kelly from the TV series, Friday Night Lights, or one of her other acting roles, you don’t know everything. In her honest, raw memoir, Tell Me Everything, Kelly lays it all out, from her unstable childhood to growing up in Albuquerque, later breaking into modeling and acting, and eventually ketamine treatments to rewire her neural pathways and learn from her unhealthy life patterns. The audiobook read by the author is, in my opinion, the best way to experience this book. Just be prepared for Kelly to tell you everything. -Diana F.
I didn't have very high expectations for this one going in, because I usually read celeb bios just for giggles. However, this is one that you must absolutely read if you can (fair warning, she does discuss abuse and other unfortunate happenings; read with caution!). It made me cry and have newfound respect for Minka. We know her from shows like Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Titans, and Euphoria, but there is so much more to her than meets the eye. Her upbringing wasn't as glamorous as other celebs, and she doesn't hold back, telling us everything from going to her mom's work at a gentleman's club to being practically homeless and abandoned while trying to finish high school. Minka explores her childhood with brutal honesty while explaining how she made it to Hollywood on her own. While diving into her years as an adult, we see the struggles she has endured and how she has had to work on herself through therapy as well as other measures. She truly has a story that everyone can learn from, and this book lays everything out in the open. – Alyssa C.
I didn't have very high expectations for this one going in, because I usually read celeb bios just for giggles. However, this is one that you must absolutely read if you can (fair warning, she does discuss abuse and other unfortunate happenings; read with caution!). It made me cry and have newfound respect for Minka. We know her from shows like Friday Night Lights, Parenthood, Titans, and Euphoria, but there is so much more to her than meets the eye. Her upbringing wasn't as glamorous as other celebs, and she doesn't hold back, telling us everything from going to her mom's work at a gentleman's club to being practically homeless and abandoned while trying to finish high school. Minka explores her childhood with brutal honesty while explaining how she made it to Hollywood on her own. While diving into her years as an adult, we see the struggles she has endured and how she has had to work on herself through therapy as well as other measures. She truly has a story that everyone can learn from, and this book lays everything out in the open. – Alyssa C.
August 17, 2023
Is having a fucked up childhood a prerequisite to becoming a celebrity? Minka’s story was so sad. I only knew of her as Lyla Garrity on the hit TV show Friday Night Lights, my comfort show that I turn on any time I am sick or not feeling well. Let me tell you, her life was not as rich as Lyla’s in any way, shape, or form. This book has basically every single trigger warning in the book so if you want to look them up, do yo’ thang, girl. It’s amazing that she was able to drum up so much success for herself after the multiple hells she went through. This was a great memoir.
February 28, 2023
4.5 stars, rounded up!
I seldom told friends and kept a low profile about my history. Whenever I was interviewed on talk shows, I’d demur when I was asked about my background. How do you reduce your experience down to a sound bite when you haven’t processed or even had the time to understand and accept or make peace with all that’s happened?
In Tell Me Everything, actress Minka Kelly shares her life story, and it’s an intense, compelling one. I was a fan of Friday Night Lights, have seen some of her more recent work, and—yes—read a good deal of celebrity news, so I knew the bits and pieces of her early life that became part of her public profile: Stripper mom. Absent musician dad. Nomadic, underprivileged childhood. These scant details were already heavy enough, yet I always had the feeling she had much more to say. With this memoir, she finally reveals a fuller picture of herself, and while it’s not one that can be easily packaged in glossy print magazines and clickbait headlines, it’s an important story about what it was like to grow up in a world in which food on the table and a bed to sleep in wasn’t guaranteed and how being pliable, uncomplaining, and emotionally guarded helped her survive her childhood but would later make adult interactions and relationships difficult for her.
If you’re looking for a celebrity memoir with juicy Hollywood gossip, let me save you some trouble: This is not that kind of book. It’s more complex and substantial than that. Tell Me Everything is about the neglect and abuse Minka endured in her young life. It’s about her complicated relationship with her mother Maureen, both as a child desperate for attention and stability from her and as an adult trying to understand and make peace with her shortcomings. It’s about Minka trying to avoid making the same mistakes as her parent, but still on occasion getting close to following in her footsteps because all she was familiar with was dysfunction. And, most of all, it’s about the work she’s done and is doing to unlearn the unhealthy behaviors and perspectives she picked up growing up in chaotic, harmful environments and witnessing toxic relationships.
One of the few weaknesses of this memoir is that a chunk of Minka’s life appears to be missing from it. The book seems to jump from her working on Friday Night Lights and losing her mom in her mid-20s to dealing with another loss later in her life when she’s more established in Los Angeles, possibly in her late 30s/early 40s though the timing isn’t clearly stated. Since this gap was a busy time in her film and television career—and typically a formative period in most people’s lives—the omission is somewhat puzzling and leaves the reader a bit wanting. She may have skipped over this period because events from then are not as relevant to the themes of her memoir, or maybe she is still working on processing and accepting those events, or perhaps she’s not comfortable sharing details about famous friends, romantic partners, and work colleagues. It could very well be all of those things. Nonetheless, the memoir and its messages are still strong and worth reading without it.
Given the difficult situations she has had to overcome and the complicated people in her life, it’s understandable why Minka has held back her life story from the public for so long. It is an account that needed to be told from her perspective when she was ready to share it, with sensitivity and nuance. Though Tell Me Everything can be raw and painful at times to read, it’s also a beautiful and touching tribute to unconventional women and families of all forms.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I seldom told friends and kept a low profile about my history. Whenever I was interviewed on talk shows, I’d demur when I was asked about my background. How do you reduce your experience down to a sound bite when you haven’t processed or even had the time to understand and accept or make peace with all that’s happened?
In Tell Me Everything, actress Minka Kelly shares her life story, and it’s an intense, compelling one. I was a fan of Friday Night Lights, have seen some of her more recent work, and—yes—read a good deal of celebrity news, so I knew the bits and pieces of her early life that became part of her public profile: Stripper mom. Absent musician dad. Nomadic, underprivileged childhood. These scant details were already heavy enough, yet I always had the feeling she had much more to say. With this memoir, she finally reveals a fuller picture of herself, and while it’s not one that can be easily packaged in glossy print magazines and clickbait headlines, it’s an important story about what it was like to grow up in a world in which food on the table and a bed to sleep in wasn’t guaranteed and how being pliable, uncomplaining, and emotionally guarded helped her survive her childhood but would later make adult interactions and relationships difficult for her.
If you’re looking for a celebrity memoir with juicy Hollywood gossip, let me save you some trouble: This is not that kind of book. It’s more complex and substantial than that. Tell Me Everything is about the neglect and abuse Minka endured in her young life. It’s about her complicated relationship with her mother Maureen, both as a child desperate for attention and stability from her and as an adult trying to understand and make peace with her shortcomings. It’s about Minka trying to avoid making the same mistakes as her parent, but still on occasion getting close to following in her footsteps because all she was familiar with was dysfunction. And, most of all, it’s about the work she’s done and is doing to unlearn the unhealthy behaviors and perspectives she picked up growing up in chaotic, harmful environments and witnessing toxic relationships.
One of the few weaknesses of this memoir is that a chunk of Minka’s life appears to be missing from it. The book seems to jump from her working on Friday Night Lights and losing her mom in her mid-20s to dealing with another loss later in her life when she’s more established in Los Angeles, possibly in her late 30s/early 40s though the timing isn’t clearly stated. Since this gap was a busy time in her film and television career—and typically a formative period in most people’s lives—the omission is somewhat puzzling and leaves the reader a bit wanting. She may have skipped over this period because events from then are not as relevant to the themes of her memoir, or maybe she is still working on processing and accepting those events, or perhaps she’s not comfortable sharing details about famous friends, romantic partners, and work colleagues. It could very well be all of those things. Nonetheless, the memoir and its messages are still strong and worth reading without it.
Given the difficult situations she has had to overcome and the complicated people in her life, it’s understandable why Minka has held back her life story from the public for so long. It is an account that needed to be told from her perspective when she was ready to share it, with sensitivity and nuance. Though Tell Me Everything can be raw and painful at times to read, it’s also a beautiful and touching tribute to unconventional women and families of all forms.
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2023
Well dang, Minka, you blew me away with your courage, vulnerability and compassion. Your Mama would be proud.
A favorite memoir of the year. I read this for my irl book club and I'm so glad someone put it on my radar. The discussion was great but there triggers a plenty.
Minka narrates the audiobook. She shares her difficult upbringing and exemplifies incredible compassion, vulnerability and courage. What a life! I had no idea.
This doesn't have celebrity hot gossip so don't get your hopes up. Instead grab the tissues and guard your heart.
A favorite memoir of the year. I read this for my irl book club and I'm so glad someone put it on my radar. The discussion was great but there triggers a plenty.
Minka narrates the audiobook. She shares her difficult upbringing and exemplifies incredible compassion, vulnerability and courage. What a life! I had no idea.
This doesn't have celebrity hot gossip so don't get your hopes up. Instead grab the tissues and guard your heart.
August 13, 2023
I saw Tell Me Everything by Minka Kelly on Bookstagram, and even though I haven't seen basically anything she's been in, I knew I had to read it. There are a lot of rave reviews out there and I can see why. If you are looking for a tell-all about her life in Hollywood, you really aren't going to find it here, but if you want to get to know Minka and her life growing up, that is what you will get. The end of the book completely wrecked me, and I was sitting on my couch bawling like a baby. I wouldn't have known she had such a rough childhood, but that isn't even the part that had me crying. She has so much emotion in her story, and it really comes across in her writing.
I did listen to the audiobook, and if you listen to them too you HAVE to go that route. Even though there is no doubt that she has a knack for writing, it is even better to listen to her talk about her life and childhood rather than just reading her words. I also didn't realize all of the various jobs she held before she got her break in Hollywood, and she is a very fascinating woman. I was completely wrapped up in her life, and this is a very real, raw, no holds barred type of memoir. She does touch on Hollywood to a certain extent since she's an actress after all, but I'm really happy Tell Me Everything didn't actually focus on that part as much. It was moving to hear what she has been through, and I appreciate what it had to have taken to share so much with the world.
I did listen to the audiobook, and if you listen to them too you HAVE to go that route. Even though there is no doubt that she has a knack for writing, it is even better to listen to her talk about her life and childhood rather than just reading her words. I also didn't realize all of the various jobs she held before she got her break in Hollywood, and she is a very fascinating woman. I was completely wrapped up in her life, and this is a very real, raw, no holds barred type of memoir. She does touch on Hollywood to a certain extent since she's an actress after all, but I'm really happy Tell Me Everything didn't actually focus on that part as much. It was moving to hear what she has been through, and I appreciate what it had to have taken to share so much with the world.
March 1, 2023
Never judge a book by its cover. It's a simple phrase that comes with so much complexity. We see a beautiful celebrity and assume that equals happiness. Minka Kelly shatters all of the preconceived notions and stereotypes that come with being famous. She tells us everything; the good, the bad, and everything in between.
I have been a fan of Minka's since I saw her on 'Friday Night Lights'. Her character was a wholesome girl who seemed to have a picture-perfect life, and if I'm being honest I assumed that translated to her personal life. Boy was I wrong.
From childhood, Minka never had a 'normal life'. Her mother worked as a stripper, was a single mother, and dealt with addiction. That left Minka to fend for herself and do whatever she could to survive. She jumped around a lot never having a steady place to live. As she described her younger years going into her teenage years, I could see how she put on a brave face to hide her vulnerability. I also realized how childhood/young adult trauma can leave a lasting effect on a person. There are times when she mentions not wanting to become her mother, and yet she can't help but fall into some of the same patterns.
I felt for Minka because she had to grow up really fast. As a reader, it was easy to put the blame on her mother for not taking care of her the way a mother should. But at the same time, I felt compassion for her because she was dealt a tough hand. And I continued to feel this way especially when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Minka was in her late 20s filming 'Friday Night Lights' and was dealing with this news all on her own. She denied it until she couldn't anymore. The beautiful part of this tragedy is that Minka finally understood, forgave, and respected the choices Maureen made.
I didn't expect this book to hit as hard as it did emotionally. I shed a few tears, which isn't normal for me because the writing is so compelling yet brutally honest. I applaud Minka for telling me everything about love, loss, heartbreak, guilt, hope, and forgiveness . Tell Me Everything is one of my favorite memoirs I have read this year!
I have been a fan of Minka's since I saw her on 'Friday Night Lights'. Her character was a wholesome girl who seemed to have a picture-perfect life, and if I'm being honest I assumed that translated to her personal life. Boy was I wrong.
From childhood, Minka never had a 'normal life'. Her mother worked as a stripper, was a single mother, and dealt with addiction. That left Minka to fend for herself and do whatever she could to survive. She jumped around a lot never having a steady place to live. As she described her younger years going into her teenage years, I could see how she put on a brave face to hide her vulnerability. I also realized how childhood/young adult trauma can leave a lasting effect on a person. There are times when she mentions not wanting to become her mother, and yet she can't help but fall into some of the same patterns.
I felt for Minka because she had to grow up really fast. As a reader, it was easy to put the blame on her mother for not taking care of her the way a mother should. But at the same time, I felt compassion for her because she was dealt a tough hand. And I continued to feel this way especially when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Minka was in her late 20s filming 'Friday Night Lights' and was dealing with this news all on her own. She denied it until she couldn't anymore. The beautiful part of this tragedy is that Minka finally understood, forgave, and respected the choices Maureen made.
I didn't expect this book to hit as hard as it did emotionally. I shed a few tears, which isn't normal for me because the writing is so compelling yet brutally honest. I applaud Minka for telling me everything about love, loss, heartbreak, guilt, hope, and forgiveness . Tell Me Everything is one of my favorite memoirs I have read this year!
June 5, 2023
You never know what someone has been through in their life. We should always choose kindness. My respect has shot up for Minka and I wish I could give young Minka a long healing hug. She’s been through so much and it’s shaped her into the incredible compassionate woman that she is today.
November 2, 2023
3 stars
Minka Kelly is gorgeous and I loved her on ‘Friday Night Lights’. Honestly I didn’t know much about her story but it wasn’t what I expected. My heart hurt for a lot that she went through. The writing is okay, the narration is fantastic and the bulk of the book follows her relationship with her mom, and other relationships when she was younger. Very little about her acting career. I found it interesting but the ending was little odd to me. Still, I really just want to give her a hug after reading this.
Minka Kelly is gorgeous and I loved her on ‘Friday Night Lights’. Honestly I didn’t know much about her story but it wasn’t what I expected. My heart hurt for a lot that she went through. The writing is okay, the narration is fantastic and the bulk of the book follows her relationship with her mom, and other relationships when she was younger. Very little about her acting career. I found it interesting but the ending was little odd to me. Still, I really just want to give her a hug after reading this.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 3 stars
Narrators: Minka Kelly
Narration Rating: 4.5 stars
Genre: Memoir
Length: 8h 40m
July 12, 2023
I’m a mess no one talk to me
March 22, 2023
Here is a full list of things that I knew about Minka Kelly prior to reading this book:
1. She was on Friday Night Lights
2. She's very pretty
I am glad to now know so much more, but I'm having a hard time describing the reading experience I had with this memoir for a few reasons. The first of which is that I would not describe Minka Kelly as a particularly gifted writer or storyteller (I do not think she worked with a ghost-writer on this). I think a lot of this was fairly clunky both thematically and in terms of timeline. However, I do think that she's a person who's had a fascinating and often tragic life, and she writes with the wisdom of someone who has done a lot of work to process her childhood trauma and offers a healthy perspective on what she went through and how it complicates her current feelings on the people who failed her, but were ultimately trying their best with the tools at their disposal.
Because of that, I think this book is probably best suited for women who are in the process of understanding their own trauma and definitely not for anyone looking for any kind of dishy celebrity gossip. This is a fairly quick read and is broken up into pretty short sections, which I really prefer particularly when digesting some of the tougher topics that she has to discuss. She's also very upfront about the fallibility of her memory, and gives clear credit for the parts of her story that have had to be told to her again in adulthood, just due to the sheer instability of her childhood.
Please look up a full list of content warnings, but these are the ones that really stuck out for me: child neglect/abuse, domestic violence, drug abuse/addiction, coercive sex work, dubious consent, revenge porn, cancer/terminal illness, loss of a parent
1. She was on Friday Night Lights
2. She's very pretty
I am glad to now know so much more, but I'm having a hard time describing the reading experience I had with this memoir for a few reasons. The first of which is that I would not describe Minka Kelly as a particularly gifted writer or storyteller (I do not think she worked with a ghost-writer on this). I think a lot of this was fairly clunky both thematically and in terms of timeline. However, I do think that she's a person who's had a fascinating and often tragic life, and she writes with the wisdom of someone who has done a lot of work to process her childhood trauma and offers a healthy perspective on what she went through and how it complicates her current feelings on the people who failed her, but were ultimately trying their best with the tools at their disposal.
Because of that, I think this book is probably best suited for women who are in the process of understanding their own trauma and definitely not for anyone looking for any kind of dishy celebrity gossip. This is a fairly quick read and is broken up into pretty short sections, which I really prefer particularly when digesting some of the tougher topics that she has to discuss. She's also very upfront about the fallibility of her memory, and gives clear credit for the parts of her story that have had to be told to her again in adulthood, just due to the sheer instability of her childhood.
Please look up a full list of content warnings, but these are the ones that really stuck out for me: child neglect/abuse, domestic violence, drug abuse/addiction, coercive sex work, dubious consent, revenge porn, cancer/terminal illness, loss of a parent
May 17, 2023
4-4.5 rounded up. The audio was excellent. I don’t feel like you can rate a memoir, how do you put a rating on someone’s life story? I love MK, she was so vulnerable and real in this story, so props to her.
July 15, 2024
Disarmingly honest memoir where the ink must have burned as the words and memories flooded. Her childhood, if you could even call it that, as the daughter of a beautiful free-spirited stripper left her trying to hold everything together with abandonment after abandonment. Her making a life for herself was a karmic cry for stability and worth s she put herself through school becoming a surgical nurse, before establishing a career as an actor. I'm impressed by her resilience and her path to strength. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2023
☆☆ 4.5 stars ☆☆
"I knew deep in my bones what Maya Angelou once described: “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” That ache filled me."
Thought provoking and poignant, Minka Kelly's memoir, Tell Me Everything, illuminates the struggles young women face in today's society. Minka openly and honestly shares her tumultuous childhood and how it impacted her development into womanhood. I was unaware of how much adversity she experienced and my heart broke for her pain. A lost little girl trying to fit in and belong, seeking love and acceptance, wanting to be seen and valued, she often denied her feelings, obscuring the hurt in order to move forward. Everything she did was for the purpose of survival.
"You tell yourself whatever story you need to in order to accept certain realities."
Minka's life was consumed with hardship, an unending chaos marked by violence, trauma and sexual assault. Struggling emotionally and financially, she was often adrift, moving around to search for her place in the world. Feelings of low self-esteem and shame developed as reflections of her past, products of the environment she grew up in. This was not a story of the charmed life of a Hollywood starlet. Her struggles were eye-opening and called attention to the inequity perpetuated by the patriarchy and how women often fight a seemingly endless battle for equality.
Tangled up in old patterns and behaviors, Minka carried the hurt of previous generations, perpetuating the cycle of suffering and hopelessness. Although her options seemed to be exhausted and nonexistent, she finally found the courage, strength and resilience to take control of her life. She turned inward, owning her truth and taking responsibility for the consequences of her actions. She developed a sense of purpose and self-respect, rising above her circumstances and challenges to truly emerge a better woman on the other side.
Minka worked so hard to get to where she is today, taking nothing for granted, discovering new opportunities for growth and healing and, ultimately, hope. I admire her as a strong, independent woman who learned to take charge of her future while remaining true to herself. Her journey highlights the values of forgiveness and empathy along with the capacity to love and show grace. I loved how she redefined her relationship with her mother and how she came to understand why she was trapped in a vicious cycle in terms of her other relationships as well. She taught me how to love myself and embrace my sexuality and she inspired me through her philanthropic efforts to help other women overcome their own adversity by offering compassion to those on troubled paths. Her memoir was extraordinarily empowering and I highly recommend it for any woman to read.
"A woman fully awake to herself is a formidable creature. Just imagine what we’d all be capable of if we allowed ourselves access to our divine goddess power."
** Special thanks to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available May 2, 2023. **
"I knew deep in my bones what Maya Angelou once described: “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” That ache filled me."
Thought provoking and poignant, Minka Kelly's memoir, Tell Me Everything, illuminates the struggles young women face in today's society. Minka openly and honestly shares her tumultuous childhood and how it impacted her development into womanhood. I was unaware of how much adversity she experienced and my heart broke for her pain. A lost little girl trying to fit in and belong, seeking love and acceptance, wanting to be seen and valued, she often denied her feelings, obscuring the hurt in order to move forward. Everything she did was for the purpose of survival.
"You tell yourself whatever story you need to in order to accept certain realities."
Minka's life was consumed with hardship, an unending chaos marked by violence, trauma and sexual assault. Struggling emotionally and financially, she was often adrift, moving around to search for her place in the world. Feelings of low self-esteem and shame developed as reflections of her past, products of the environment she grew up in. This was not a story of the charmed life of a Hollywood starlet. Her struggles were eye-opening and called attention to the inequity perpetuated by the patriarchy and how women often fight a seemingly endless battle for equality.
Tangled up in old patterns and behaviors, Minka carried the hurt of previous generations, perpetuating the cycle of suffering and hopelessness. Although her options seemed to be exhausted and nonexistent, she finally found the courage, strength and resilience to take control of her life. She turned inward, owning her truth and taking responsibility for the consequences of her actions. She developed a sense of purpose and self-respect, rising above her circumstances and challenges to truly emerge a better woman on the other side.
Minka worked so hard to get to where she is today, taking nothing for granted, discovering new opportunities for growth and healing and, ultimately, hope. I admire her as a strong, independent woman who learned to take charge of her future while remaining true to herself. Her journey highlights the values of forgiveness and empathy along with the capacity to love and show grace. I loved how she redefined her relationship with her mother and how she came to understand why she was trapped in a vicious cycle in terms of her other relationships as well. She taught me how to love myself and embrace my sexuality and she inspired me through her philanthropic efforts to help other women overcome their own adversity by offering compassion to those on troubled paths. Her memoir was extraordinarily empowering and I highly recommend it for any woman to read.
"A woman fully awake to herself is a formidable creature. Just imagine what we’d all be capable of if we allowed ourselves access to our divine goddess power."
** Special thanks to Henry Holt & Company and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available May 2, 2023. **
June 21, 2023
Many thanks to both Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Tell Me Everything.
Minka Kelly’s life has been anything but easy. She was raised by a single mother who worked as a stripper and struggled with addiction. They sometimes lived in storage units or a garage. Her bio father is Aerosmith’s Rick Dufay but he was never around long enough to make a difference in Minka's life. Bottom line: resilience and love are all we have in the end.
This was a difficult book to read. It repeatedly broke my heart and I found myself having to put down from time to time. I can understand why Minka hasn't shared the details before now. Tell Me Everything absolutely teaches the lesson that things aren't always what they seem.
Kudos to you, Minka Kelly for being so brave and so strong!
Minka Kelly’s life has been anything but easy. She was raised by a single mother who worked as a stripper and struggled with addiction. They sometimes lived in storage units or a garage. Her bio father is Aerosmith’s Rick Dufay but he was never around long enough to make a difference in Minka's life. Bottom line: resilience and love are all we have in the end.
This was a difficult book to read. It repeatedly broke my heart and I found myself having to put down from time to time. I can understand why Minka hasn't shared the details before now. Tell Me Everything absolutely teaches the lesson that things aren't always what they seem.
Kudos to you, Minka Kelly for being so brave and so strong!
May 5, 2023
All I know about Minka Kelly is she’s beautiful and was on my very favorite Friday Night Lights. This memoir is a good example of you can’t judge a book, as she has certainly not led the picture perfect life one might envision. Lots of trigger warnings in this book from child neglect, domestic violence, and the most difficult one for me personally watching a parent stolen slowly from cancer. The writing is just decent but it’s very heartfelt and genuine. If you are looking for celebrity gossip type book, this is not it. This is more a trauma/healing book. Worth a read if those topics interest you, she has a brave story.
January 4, 2024
Tbh I’ve never seen the show Friday Night Lights but I heard this memoir was really good, so I gave it a go! Been in my memoir era lately too 💁♀️
Happy to report it was incredible! It was beautifully written about her hardships… wow has this woman been through some sh!t 😵💫😩 It felt super authentic & raw!
I definitely recommend the audio bc she narrates it!! 🎧
🌟 Note— I rate memoirs 5 stars if I enjoyed the book, regardless of content. If I didn’t enjoy it, no stars/rating. All or none kinda thing bc rating someone’s life story doesn’t feel right. Plus, celebrities aren’t authors. I never expect perfect writing or flawless storytelling. Writing is not their true talent/career.
Happy to report it was incredible! It was beautifully written about her hardships… wow has this woman been through some sh!t 😵💫😩 It felt super authentic & raw!
I definitely recommend the audio bc she narrates it!! 🎧
🌟 Note— I rate memoirs 5 stars if I enjoyed the book, regardless of content. If I didn’t enjoy it, no stars/rating. All or none kinda thing bc rating someone’s life story doesn’t feel right. Plus, celebrities aren’t authors. I never expect perfect writing or flawless storytelling. Writing is not their true talent/career.
May 24, 2023
At the end of the book Minka Kelly writes that she's writing this book because it might "hopefully mean something to someone somewhere, struggling to find her place in this world, struggling to understand the cards they'd been dealt and how best to play them."
Overdoses, physical violence, her step dad "wailing on [her] with the cable TV cord until [she] was bruised and broken", being forced to make a sex tape. It's all in Minka Kelly's past. There are people, though, who believe in her (the daughter of a stripper); there are women who give her space, grace, encouragement and model what life can be like.
TELL ME EVERYTHING is the story wrapped up in one sentence on page 257: "Women have never enjoyed the fruits of equality or equity in the history of humankind and it continues to shape the paths available to us."
Bravo, Minka Kelly. TELL ME EVERYTHING is troubling; it's unsettling; I couldn't put it down; truly, you've written a powerful tribute to your grace and vision. You -- and this book -- are remarkable. Thank you for bravely sharing your story with us.
Overdoses, physical violence, her step dad "wailing on [her] with the cable TV cord until [she] was bruised and broken", being forced to make a sex tape. It's all in Minka Kelly's past. There are people, though, who believe in her (the daughter of a stripper); there are women who give her space, grace, encouragement and model what life can be like.
TELL ME EVERYTHING is the story wrapped up in one sentence on page 257: "Women have never enjoyed the fruits of equality or equity in the history of humankind and it continues to shape the paths available to us."
Bravo, Minka Kelly. TELL ME EVERYTHING is troubling; it's unsettling; I couldn't put it down; truly, you've written a powerful tribute to your grace and vision. You -- and this book -- are remarkable. Thank you for bravely sharing your story with us.
Read
April 8, 2024Man, this was good. 🥹 I don’t rate memoirs in general, but this is one of the best I’ve read. Highly recommend the audio, because Minka narrates; I personally could listen to her voice all day! As a lover of Minka as an actress (especially in the Friday Night Lights TV show adaptation), I’ve had this book on my TBR since before it came out. I will always be in awe of stories like hers; from “quiet” celebrities who are gorgeous faces, who seem to live well-off lives, with no significant hardships (that are shared publicly)- of course I had NO IDEA the things that Minka went through. I am sure her story will help so many readers. So emotional and well-written.
Now time to go rewatch FNL. 🥲🫶🏼🏈
Now time to go rewatch FNL. 🥲🫶🏼🏈
August 14, 2023
I knew very little about Kelly before reading this book, and I found this book not only to be really well written, but a vulnerable and honest reflection on her life and upbringing. Highly recommend this memoir!
February 18, 2023
This is one of the most unexpected memoirs I have ever read. I've known Minka Kelly as an actress but knew nothing about her personal life and background. I cannot believe what she has been through as a child and teenager, growing alongside a drug-addicted mom, a mom she could not rely on, abusive men coming and going in her life. This is a great book to read about resilience. I personally enjoyed reading it as a mom always questioning if I do enough for my children to make them happy. After reading this, Minka confirmed that I am a terrific mom and we all come into motherhood with our own baggage and we all do the best we can with what we have.
May 11, 2023
I received an eARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley.
...and then, I found it that it was available as an audiobook with my Scribt membership, so I quickly downloaded and listened. I do find memoirs much more enjoyable when in audio format, especially when read by the author, as in this case.
This was a fascinating and often heartwrenching account of actress Minka Kelly's life from her own perspective. I always prefer a personal memoir to a third person biography because you get the personal experience and insight directly from the subject, which brings it to life. This was certainly the case here as well...
...and then, I found it that it was available as an audiobook with my Scribt membership, so I quickly downloaded and listened. I do find memoirs much more enjoyable when in audio format, especially when read by the author, as in this case.
This was a fascinating and often heartwrenching account of actress Minka Kelly's life from her own perspective. I always prefer a personal memoir to a third person biography because you get the personal experience and insight directly from the subject, which brings it to life. This was certainly the case here as well...
July 13, 2023
I was SUCH a fan of the TV series Friday Night Lights (#cleareyesfullheartscantlose), and so, when a friend of mine raved to me about Minka's new memoir, I knew I had to check it out.
I was ... not prepared for the whiplash of what I perceived this stunningly beautiful young woman's life to be and the reality of what it really was.
From the opening pages (when Minka pulls us DIRECTLY into her view from the peep show window she's working at a seedy club in Albuquerque), I felt like I was every GIF that exists of a slack-jawed cartoon character.
The trauma Minka endured throughout her young life was gutting, and juxtaposed against the portrayal of herself as a sweet, innocent, mature-beyond-her-years child? Well, let's just say it hurt my mama heart DEEPLY to read about.
It's clear Minka has done a LOT of work on herself in therapy to overcome the demons of her youth, but this memoir is a powerful example of how ghosts from a person's past can and will haunt every waking hour of one's life, well into adulthood. Kudos to her for finally telling her story. I am confident it's one that will help many, many other people with similar childhood hurts.
I was ... not prepared for the whiplash of what I perceived this stunningly beautiful young woman's life to be and the reality of what it really was.
From the opening pages (when Minka pulls us DIRECTLY into her view from the peep show window she's working at a seedy club in Albuquerque), I felt like I was every GIF that exists of a slack-jawed cartoon character.
The trauma Minka endured throughout her young life was gutting, and juxtaposed against the portrayal of herself as a sweet, innocent, mature-beyond-her-years child? Well, let's just say it hurt my mama heart DEEPLY to read about.
It's clear Minka has done a LOT of work on herself in therapy to overcome the demons of her youth, but this memoir is a powerful example of how ghosts from a person's past can and will haunt every waking hour of one's life, well into adulthood. Kudos to her for finally telling her story. I am confident it's one that will help many, many other people with similar childhood hurts.
June 3, 2023
I felt compassion for her as a child, but not so much as an adult. She had a very neglectful, abusive childhood and, to me, used that over and over as an excuse for her decisions and behavior as a teen and adult. She had such a huge break with Friday Night Lights. The kind of big break that changes your life in incredible ways, but she is stuck, held down by her childhood trauma. I would have liked to hear a lot more about her career. Good luck to you Minka.
May 31, 2023
As a Friday Night Lights fan, I knew I had to pick this one up. Minka tells her story beautifully, even through all the tragedy and hardships that covered her life. You can feel her growth through the pages, and her understanding and compassion for even the hardest of situations. I have a newfound love and admiration for her.
June 28, 2023
wow this memoir wrecked me!! so forthcoming and brutally honest- I could not put this down. I am her biggest fan now!!
October 4, 2023
Audiobook.
Heartbreaking. She has the voice of an angel. 🤍
Heartbreaking. She has the voice of an angel. 🤍
July 15, 2024
This was an incredible read/listen! I really enjoyed the audio, as Minka read it herself. She has a super calming voice. I truly haven’t been this excited to listen to an audiobook in quite some time, and now I’m actually sad it’s over. Minka has a very tragic (but also beautiful) story, and it took a lot of courage for her to tell it. I enjoyed watching her on Friday Night Lights, but just FYI, she doesn’t talk a whole lot about her experience on the show..if that’s something you’d maybe be expecting from this.
I highly recommend this one!!
I highly recommend this one!!
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