You Didn't Hear This From Me
(Mostly) True Notes on Gossip
Kelsey McKinney
- AN
- INSTANT
- NEW
- YORK
- TIMES
- AND
- USA
- TODAY
- BESTSELLER
- •
- NAMED
- A
- BEST
- BOOK
- OF
- THE
- MONTH
- BY
- TIME
- MAGAZINE**,**
- AMAZON,
- AND
- KOBO•
- NAMED
- MOST
- ANTICIPATED
- BY
- LIT
- HUB,
- PUREWOW,
- AND
- W
- MAGAZINE**“**Gossip
- is
- the
- only
- cultural
- tradition
- I
- care
- about,
- and
- Kelsey
- McKinney
- has
- written
- its
- Bible”
- –
- Samantha
- Irby,
- #1
- NYT
- bestselling
- authorFrom
- the
- host
- of
- the
- Normal
- Gossip
- podcast,
- a
- delightfully
- insightful
- exploration
- of
- our
- obsession
- with
- gossip
- that
- weaves
- together
- journalism,
- cultural
- criticism,
- and
- memoir.As
- the
- pandemic
- forced
- us
- to
- socialize
- at
- a
- distance,
- Kelsey
- McKinney
- was
- mourning
- the
- juicy
- updates
- and
- jaw-dropping
- stories
- she’d
- typically
- collect
- over
- drinks
- with
- friends—and
- from
- her
- hunger,
- the
- blockbuster
- Normal
- Gossip
- podcast
- was
- born.
- With
- listenership
- in
- the
- millions,
- Kelsey
- found
- herself
- thinking
- more
- critically
- about
- gossip
- as
- a
- form,
- and
- wanting
- to
- better
- understand
- the
- role
- it
- plays
- in
- our
- culture.In
- You
- Didn't
- Hear
- This
- From
- Me,
- McKinney
- explores
- the
- murkiness
- of
- everyday
- storytelling.
- Why
- is
- gossip
- considered
- a
- sin,
- and
- how
- can
- we
- better
- recognize
- when
- it's
- being
- weaponized?
- Why
- do
- we
- think
- we’re
- entitled
- to
- every
- detail
- of
- a
- celebrity’s
- personal
- life?
- And
- how
- do
- we
- define
- “gossip,”
- anyway?
- As
- much
- as
- the
- book
- aims
- to
- treat
- gossip
- as
- a
- subject
- worthy
- of
- rigor,
- it
- also
- hopes
- to
- capture
- the
- heart
- of
- gossiping:
- how
- enchanting
- and
- fun
- it
- can
- be
- to
- lean
- over
- and
- whisper
- something
- a
- little
- salacious
- into
- your
- friend’s
- ear.With
- wit
- and
- honesty,
- McKinney
- unmasks
- what
- we're
- actually
- searching
- for
- when
- we
- demand
- to
- know
- the
- truth—and
- how
- much
- the
- truth
- really
- matters
- in
- the
- first place.
