Tell Me Everything

A Memoir

By: Minka Kelly

Narrated by: Minka Kelly

This program is read by the author.

"Kelly is so piercingly honest, you just want to reach out and give her a hug...It’s totally gripping: I couldn’t take my earbuds out."—Vulture

"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."—Shondaland

“A timely, urgent portrait of working-class American women.”—Gabrielle Union

Minka Kelly takes listeners 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 this audiobook, which ultimately tells a story of triumph over adversity, and how resilience and love are all we have in the end.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.

©2023 Minka Kelly (P)2023 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“I’m struck by how Minka manages to preserve an intelligent curiosity even when describing moments of the most egregious neglect. This generous tone allows the reader to see Minka the girl and Minka the woman together on the page at the same time, and to observe the triumph of her struggle. It’s a space of hard-won clarity, a grace-filled investigation of all that she and her mom endured. I feel lucky to have read this book.”—Lacy Crawford, author of Notes on a Silencing

“Minka Kelly seeks and destroys any preconceived expectations we may have over who she is and where she came from. Tell Me Everything is an epic tale of survival, family, and love; a Little Red Riding Hood fable set deep in the heart of strip clubs, garage apartments, rock stars, of a brave little girl trying to not get eaten by the big bad wolves.”—Peter Berg, writer, director, and creator of Friday Night Lights

“Tell Me Everything is a timely, urgent portrait of working-class American women, told through the emotionally gripping story of a mother and daughter you will fall in love with. A brave and necessary book that shows you how to survive, overcome, and ultimately heal from the universal hardships facing women today. A must-read.”—Gabrielle Union, New York Times bestselling author of We’re Going to Need More Wine and You Got Anything Stronger?

From trauma to grateful

Minka Kelly’s herstory is told with honesty and strength. I was raised by a teen mom and I related to a lot of her early years. Minka survived, overcame, and is still processing with her head held high as I still am at 67.

Best Memoir of the year

This is incredible work, Minka is such an insightful, intelligent, beautiful person and it shows in her story and writing. Her strength, self reflection and compassion shine through the whole story. Difficult but beautiful.

So glad she had the courage!!!

Heartfelt, Amazing, encouraging, and life-giving. Thank you Minka for telling your honest story and drawing us together as women!

Loved it.

A great read, Highly recommend this book. I was captivated from the beginning. Read it.

A story I didn’t know I needed to hear

Absolutely loved this book. I can relate to a lot of her experiences and feelings, young and older. I knew nothing about her before this but was drawn to the title and well, I’m so glad I picked it up. Thank you, Minka for showing me there is a space to heal.

Wow. Beautifully told

Having a complicated relationship with a parent is a heartbreak I wouldn’t wish on anybody. Minka shares her own story so beautifully and eloquently. I did not know much about her life or career before this book, but I’m happy to have heard her share some of the most intimate and vulnerable moments of her life. I am now a bigger fan of Minka’s.

Incredibly relatable and healing to read

Thank you Minka Kelly for sharing your life in this beautiful and captivating memoir. I too grew up in a similar way (and my mother had the same profession) and I appreciate your perspective and eventual acceptance. I’ve been trying to write a book about my childhood and your story compels me to get back to it and finish it. Thank you! Flamingo!

Gorgeous

I was so touched by her story and so moved by her telling. As a trauma therapist, I love the way she balances the anger, pain, and compassion. I will be recommending it to clients and friends!

Amazing story

Her story was so incredible and you couldn’t help but feel like you were part of it.

What a beautiful book

I don’t understand why more people have not read this book, it is wonderful. She tells her story, which of course includes the many complicated people in her life, honestly and compassionately – providing a lens for understanding your own life if you experience childhood trauma. And it’s for women. Our connection to the world is our mothers and she claims and reclaims her mother thereby reclaiming her sexuality and sensuality. It’s exactly right. I don’t know how this book came to me, but I hope you find it too.