Tell Me Everything: A Memoir

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Tell Me Everything
AuthorMinka Kelly
LanguageEnglish
GenreMemoir
PublisherHenry Holt and Company
Publication date
May 2, 2023
Media typePrint (Hardcover)
Pages288

Tell Me Everything: A Memoir is a 2023 memoir by American actress Minka Kelly. It was published on May 2, 2023, by Henry Holt and Company. In the memoir, Kelly discusses her childhood, relationships, personal struggles and rise to fame.

Publication and promotion[edit]

Kelly's book entitled Tell Me Everything: A Memoir was released on May 2, 2023, by Henry Holt and Company.[1] Her memoir is a tribute to her mother and all working-class single mothers "who were dealt a bad hand."[1]

Kelly discussed the book in an exclusive interview with People magazine in April 2023.[2] She embarked on a book tour, visiting New York City, Austin, Los Angeles and Ridgewood.[3] She also appeared on Live with Kelly and Mark,[4] Good Morning America and The View to promote the book.[5][6]

The book debuted at number 12 on The New York Times non-fiction best-seller list for the week ending May 21, 2023.[7] The book re-entered the non-fiction best-seller list in July 2023, spending two weeks on the lis.[8] Tell Me Everything was placed at number 15 on The New York Times audio nonfiction best-seller list in June 2023.[9]

Synopsis[edit]

The book was written by actress Minka Kelly.

In the book, Kelly discusses her childhood growing up with a single mother, who worked as a stripper and struggled with addiction. Her mother struggled to make ends meet. They often lived with friends and family, even living in a garage and storage room of an apartment complex. Maureen met guitarist Rick Dufay in 1979 at a recording studio in Los Angeles. Their casual romance led to a pregnancy, and Dufay was about to go on tour with Aerosmith and wasn't ready to be a full-time father.[10] They reunited briefly a few years later and moved to New York City, but they both ended up doing drugs again.

Maureen then began an on-again, off-again relationship with David, who would become a father figure to Kelly. Maureen, David and Kelly moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to live with David's extended family and remained there while Kelly went to middle and high school. Kelly was bullied at school and got into physical fights with students.

Maureen and David decided to move to Boston and Kelly was left without a place to live. Determined to graduate from high school, Kelly wanted to stay in Albuquerque and moved in with her boyfriend, Rudy's family. Rudy was mentally abusive and manipulative. Rudy pressured Kelly to get a tattoo and make a sex tape. Kelly became pregnant and had an abortion at 17.[11] Kelly saved money and got her own apartment in Albuquerque. She then reconnected with her father, Dufay and decided to move to Los Angeles.

Her mother died of colon cancer in 2008 and Kelly talks about her death in the memoir.[10]

Reception[edit]

The book was well received by the public and critics. Tell Me Everything has been called one of the best celebrity memoirs of 2023 by numerous media outlets such as Elle[12] and The Washington Post.[13][14] Adrienne Gaffney of Elle wrote: "In a childhood devoid of security, Kelly searched for ways to cope and speaks honestly now about everything from an on-set romance to the pain of pregnancy loss. Tell Me Everything is a gorgeous debut that transcends the celebrity category."[12] Publishers Weekly called it an "immensely moving story of one woman’s unconquerable spirit."[15] Kirkus Review wrote in a favorable book review: "The author is not shy about discussing difficult topics, and this candid text will appeal to Kelly’s fans and to readers seeking a courageous story of self-acceptance. A generous and humane memoir."[16]

Actress Drew Barrymore called it "incredible and "powerful."[17] The Washington Post wrote in a review: "Much of her poignant new memoir, "Tell Me Everything," is an intricate portrait of her addiction-afflicted single mother, Maureen, who raised her while drifting through a haze of stripping gigs, volatile relationships and tenuous living situations. It's not that Kelly is shielding herself from scrutiny. Vulnerable, self-aware and admirably introspective, she confronts her childhood trauma to decipher how it shaped her — first into an aimless teen and industrious 20-something, then into a middle-aged woman still unpacking that pain." On November 15, 2023, Shondaland placed the book at number 10 on its list of "The Best Celebrity Memoir Audiobooks Read by the Authors" and wrote: "Kelly reads the book with grace, even when she gets to the tough moments, and you’ll walk away afterward with your jaw on the floor. What she’s been through is intense, proving that not everyone in Hollywood got their start thanks to nepotism. Definitely don’t miss this one."[18]

Accolades[edit]

Year Ceremony Award Work Result
2023 Elle The Best Memoirs of 2023 (So Far)[12] Tell Me Everything: A Memoir Shortlisted
2023 Shondaland The Best Celebrity Memoir Audiobooks Read by the Authors 10th place
2023 The Washington Post The 7 Best Celebrity Memoirs of 2023[14] Shortlisted
2023 Goodreads Choice Awards Best Memoir & Autobiography[19] Nominated
2023 Audible Best of the Year 2023[20] Won

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Perez, Lexy (2022-10-13). "Minka Kelly Memoir 'Tell Me Everything' Set for 2023 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  2. ^ "Minka Kelly Reveals Details From Her Traumatic Childhood in New Memoir: 'I Carried a Lot of Shame' (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  3. ^ "Instagram post by Minka Kelly". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  4. ^ "May 2, 2023". LIVE with Kelly and Mark. 2023-05-02. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  5. ^ "Video Minka Kelly found 'forgiveness and grace' for her mother who struggled with addiction". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  6. ^ "Minka Kelly says she hopes people will 'feel seen' reading her new memoir". Good Morning America. Retrieved 2023-06-02.
  7. ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  8. ^ "Hardcover Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - July 23, 2023". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  9. ^ "Audio Nonfiction Books - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  10. ^ a b Jordan, Julie (April 19, 2023). "How Minka Kelly Reconnected with Her Aerosmith Guitarist Dad: 'I'm Still Working on Making Peace with Him'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  11. ^ "Minka Kelly Shares Her Abortion Story: 'It Was the Smartest Decision I Could've Made'". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  12. ^ a b c "The Best Memoirs of 2023 (So Far)". ELLE. 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  13. ^ T, Tiffany (2023-10-24). "'Tell Me Everything' is One of the BEST Celebrity Memoirs of 2023". Reviewsday Tuesday. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  14. ^ a b "The 7 best celebrity memoirs of 2023". Washington Post. 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  15. ^ "Tell Me Everything: A Memoir by Minka Kelly". Publishers Weekly. March 2, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  16. ^ TELL ME EVERYTHING | Kirkus Reviews.
  17. ^ Barrymore, Drew. "Instagram post by Drew Barrymore". Instagram. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "The Best Celebrity Memoir Audiobooks Read by the Authors". Shondaland. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  19. ^ "Opening Round: Vote for the Best Memoir & Autobiography of 2023!". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  20. ^ "Instagram post by Minka Kelly". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
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