Tell Me Everything - by Minka Kelly (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"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.

Review Quotes

"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?

"Tell Me Everything is a powerful and passionate tale about Minka Kelly's unlikely path from childhood trauma and neglect to a life of resilience, wonder, and hope. Against all odds, Minka rose above the ashes of her past and soared like a phoenix, heading straight toward the light. This is exactly the kind of book we need right now."
-Mira Bartók, author of The Memory Palace

"From living out of a storage room, to being passed off from one unfamiliar grown-up to the next, to earning straight As in nursing school and assisting in surgeries, to filming a hit TV show--Minka Kelly does with her past what great memoirists do: excavates how it influences her present. Tell Me Everything is a propulsive book with impeccable insight and compassion, showing what happens when love and abuse come into conflict. It's also a moving love story about a mother and daughter. Tell Me Everything proves Minka Kelly can do almost anything."
--Jeannie Vanasco, author of Things We Didn't Talk About When I Was a Girl and The Glass Eye

"Tell Me Everything is a fascinating, intense, horrifying, witty, wise, and often funny story of transformation. From persistent, unpredictable childhood neglect and abuse to stardom with the raw twists and turns, and ups and downs along the way, Minka Kelly's story can inspire anyone to whom life has been unfair. As a psychiatrist for more than 40 years, I applaud the hard work Minka has done, and her ability to share it with sometimes brutal honesty and love. I highly recommend it."
--Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of Amen Clinics and author of Change Your Brain Every Day

About the Author

Minka Kelly has portrayed a variety of roles across film and television, including in Parenthood, Man Seeking Woman, and Charlie's Angels. She first won the hearts of audiences in her starring role as Lyla Garrity on NBC's Emmy Award-winning show Friday Night Lights. More recently, she has acted in HBO's Euphoria, DC Comics' Titans, and Mark Carlini's film She's in Portland. She currently resides in Los Angeles.