Dish:: How Gossip Became the News and the News Became Just Another Show

by Jeannette Walls

Book Overview

From Jeannette Walls, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Castle, now a major motion picture, comes an incisive study of our obsession with gossip.

A fascinating, dishy story. -Booklist

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 038081045X
• ISBN13: 9780380810451
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

The best book on the gossip industry

If you read The National Enquirer, The Globe or Star weekly or enjoy gossip columns or shows like Entertainment Tonight, this book is for you. Full of history and detail, you get the inside scoop on how gossip is made and reported, and how it's changed the face of "legitimate" news organizations. It's a great read and very informative. I couldn't put this book down. Sure, stars complain about the tabloids, but wait to you hear celebrities' true role in it all.

Dish: The Inside Story on the World of Gossip

Dish was an incredibly entertaining book that read like a thriller of the gossip industry - - I don't think I put the book down more than two or three times. I was fascinated by the history of the world of gossip that the author traces from Confidential to the Enquirer to the birth of tabloid television. Interspersed throughout the book, the author manages to skillfully "drop" gossip of her own about celebrities, past and present, adding an "up to the minute" feeling to the book. If you're a media junkie, it's a must read!

Gossip for grown-ups

As a teen I was more interested in naming the husbands of Elizabeth Taylor than the same number of past vice presidential candidates. I eagerly awaited the next copy of Modern Screen magazine and devoured the stories as if they had been revealed to me personally. Later I lost the keen edge to celebrity watching but from reading Ms. Walls book , I have discovered that it can be a latent characteristic. As a house guest, I picked up a borrowed copy and found that Jeanette Walls has more insights than Hedda had hats. The literary form and writing were better than I expected and it is nice to know that in fact , I did not out grow my thirst for gossip afterall. Ms. Walls writes intelligently and the book is obviously well researched. I say, "Well done, Ms. Walls. I enjoyed the adventure of reading your book. Thanks for the ride."

Intriguing, fabulously written!

I had been somewhat intrigued by the tabloids most of my life, but after reading this novel, I am turning into a wanna-be gossip-guru. Walls combines unique insight with a powerfull writing style. Highly recommended!

a piece of history

At first glance I thought Ms Walls was going to tell me more about gossip than I really needed to know. After reading DISH, I was impressed by how well she kept my attention to the whole topic because she actually writes as a serious journalist giving the history of a form that is a well established part of our culture. The book is entertaining and informative and moves as a very rapid pace. I think it will delight all those readers who followed the news of previous celebrity watchers. It is well researched and written in a story fashion that does not lag. I couldn't put it down