"Provocative and invariably entertaining" a #1 New York Times bestselling author "gives dishing the dirt its historical, social and political due" (Publishers Weekly).From #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle, now a major motion picture, comes an incisive study of our obsession with gossip.Gossip. It’s more than just hearsay, society columns, and supermarket tabloids. It has, like it or not, become a mainstay of American pop culture. In Dish, industry insider Jeannette Walls gives this intriguing subject its due, offering a comprehensive, serious exploration of gossip and its social, historical, and political significance. Examining the topic from the inside out, Walls looks at the players; the origins of gossip, from birth of People magazine to the death of Lady Di; and how technology including the Internet will continue to change the face of gossip. As compelling and seductive as its subject matter, Dish brilliantly reveals the fascinating inner workings of a phenomenon that is definitely here to stay."A history of how gossip became the news . . . Saucy, sassy . . ." -Los Angeles Times"Truly intelligent and absorbing." -The Boston Sunday Globe"Dish is a mouthful." -San Antonio Express News"A serious and accurate history of a persistent part of media coverage." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch"Extraordinary." -Don Imus"Hard to put down . . . Dish is irresistible." -US Weekly"It’s an old-fashioned sideshow, high-spirited, mean-spirited, and plenty of guilty fun." -Kirkus Reviews"Strewn with delicious tidbits." -Entertainment Weekly Well-researched and intelligent." -New York Daily News"Both an entertaining insider’s look and a solid history of gossip." -Library Journal"A fascinating, dishy story." -Booklist