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A review by emreadsfiction
Tell Me Everything by Minka Kelly
5.0
"If you behave as if you need no one, ... most certainly no one, in fact, will be there."
What a fantastically written and edited memoir. Huge shout out to Minka Kelly's editors as mentioned in the acknowledgements: Bernadette Murphy, Serena Jones, and Anita Sheih. I think Minka's story is so beautifully told here and these women clearly put in work to get it to where it is. I've read a lot of memoirs this year, and I have to say Tell Me Everything is up there with Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died. This is a seriously underrated memoir.
Minka Kelly is so honest about her history, and throughout the book, it's clear she took a lot of time to process and understand what happened to her before putting pen to paper. At times, there is a sort of whimsicalness to the writing that makes it almost feel like fiction, and I wonder if the editors have more experience in that than nonfiction. The narration feels truthful and genuine, yet it flows in a way that is unique to the realm of celebrity memoirs. Every chapter is told with such gripping details.
I went into this expecting more about her acting career. As a huge fan of the game Detroit: Become Human, I was hoping for some tales of her work on that set. However, I agree with the decision to focus most of the story on her real, personal life, welcoming us into her harshest memories and showing us how she overcame so much adversity despite being dealt the worst cards. Those parts of her life, when she's helping strangers, caring for her sick mother, or fighting for her own independence, are so much more meaningful than anything she could do in front of a camera.
What a fantastically written and edited memoir. Huge shout out to Minka Kelly's editors as mentioned in the acknowledgements: Bernadette Murphy, Serena Jones, and Anita Sheih. I think Minka's story is so beautifully told here and these women clearly put in work to get it to where it is. I've read a lot of memoirs this year, and I have to say Tell Me Everything is up there with Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died. This is a seriously underrated memoir.
Minka Kelly is so honest about her history, and throughout the book, it's clear she took a lot of time to process and understand what happened to her before putting pen to paper. At times, there is a sort of whimsicalness to the writing that makes it almost feel like fiction, and I wonder if the editors have more experience in that than nonfiction. The narration feels truthful and genuine, yet it flows in a way that is unique to the realm of celebrity memoirs. Every chapter is told with such gripping details.
I went into this expecting more about her acting career. As a huge fan of the game Detroit: Become Human, I was hoping for some tales of her work on that set. However, I agree with the decision to focus most of the story on her real, personal life, welcoming us into her harshest memories and showing us how she overcame so much adversity despite being dealt the worst cards. Those parts of her life, when she's helping strangers, caring for her sick mother, or fighting for her own independence, are so much more meaningful than anything she could do in front of a camera.