This is pop science as a beach read: fun and easily accessible, but shallow and ultimately contradictory. Kelsey McKinney is a journalist and podcaster specializing (!) in gossip as a field of research, which, you know, raises certain expectations regarding the complexity of her argument. Her aim with **You Didn't Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip**: saving the reputation of gossip by showing what positive social functions it serves, like bonding people, the search for truth, and making se...

3.5 stars - I went into this expecting either a collection of juicy stories or a deep dive into the history of gossip itself. It turned out to be neither, really. It's more like a loosely connected series of opinion pieces with some quotes sprinkled in. Still, it's a short and entertaining read, and Kelsey McKinney's *You Didn't Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip* has definitely piqued my interest in checking out the podcast. If you're looking for a quick and thought-provoking read on the t...

4 stars! ⭐️ This was a sharp, funny, and thought-provoking essay collection all about gossip… why we do it & what it says about us!I went in without having listened to Kelsey McKinney’s podcast "Normal Gossip," so everything felt fresh. In some ways, I think that helped. I wasn’t bringing any expectations, and *You Didn't Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip* stood totally on its own for me!The audiobook is great, and I’d definitely recommend listening. It’s structured more as a series of ess...

This wasn't at all what I expected. I thought *You Didn't Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip* by Kelsey McKinney would be a sociological deep dive into gossip, exploring how the word has been twisted to push misogynistic views about women. I envisioned an examination of how women, and society in general, have used gossip as a survival tool: to warn each other about bad behavior, to identify people to avoid, to signal impending disasters, to share vital information about neighboring communit...

Honestly, I was a little let down by "You Didn't Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip"! :(I was seriously hyped for this one because I'm a huge fan of Normal Gossip, Kelsey McKinney's podcast. I wish I'd remembered it was a collection of essays and not a straight-up nonfiction book. For the first half, I was confused about why it felt so disjointed.For a nonfiction exploration of gossip, I wanted more of Kelsey McKinney's own insights. This feels more like a compilation of academic and histor...

Who knew there was so much to unpack about gossip? Kelsey McKinney certainly does, and she dives headfirst into it. I actually learned quite a few new things about gossip, mainly who indulges in it and why. Each chapter is a deeper exploration through generations, showing how this ancient form of communication has evolved. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on *Mean Girls*. The rise of that culture and the references were spot on. I always associate gossip with negativity and harm, and there's ...

Finished ReadingPre-Read notesGossip sort of fascinates me. Right now, the issue of gossip is creating giant divisions in my biological family. We can't agree what gossip even *is*, let alone how to handle it as a family. I take the unpopular opinion that gossip happens naturally in families, as in, \"How's Uncle Hank doing? How is Gramma's cancer battle going? How's my sister's new job going?\" This is not gossip to me, but it is for people who are preoccupied with what is being said about them...

03/17/25 READ:
Gossip is my religion, *You Didn't Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip* is my Bible, and Kelsey McKinney is my God 🛐

05/01/24 TBR:
THIS IS MY ROMAN EMPIRE. Seriously, if you're looking for a juicy book review about gossip, this is it.

Nope. DNF at 3% when ChatGPT got thrown into the mix, lol.

You Didn’t Hear It From Me: The Truth About Gossip mixes memoir, pop culture analysis, and historical gossip, making for a read that’s engaging but a bit all over the place. It's an easy book to breeze through, but the structure doesn’t quite hang together. The chapters feel more like loosely connected pieces rather than building on each other in a way that really clicks. Each chapter dives into a different theme, and some sections are way stronger than others. The historical stuff, especially K...