Anne Helen Petersen received her Ph.D. in media studies from the University of Texas, where she studied the industrial history of the gossip industry. After teaching in the university setting for several years, she transitioned to full-time feature writing, most recently with BuzzFeed. Her work has appeared in The Believer, The Awl, The Hairpin, Laptham’s Quarterly, The Baffler, Pacific Standard, The Guardian, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Virginia Quarterly Review.

“Engaging…Petersen is an author for our age.” –The Boston Globe“Insightful.” –TIME Magazine“Clear and convincing…Although Petersen's book benefits from intelligent analysis of archival research, she writes with the verve of an enthusiast.” –LA Times“Terrific and thoughtful and fascinating.” –NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour“Smart, relevant, and fun…think TMZ with a PhD.” –Bitch “Compulsively readable.” –The Rumpus“Compulsively readable…[Petersen] sheds light on often-repeated myths with impeccable research and razor-sharp analysis.” –Yahoo“[This] dishy book delivers the juicy anecdotes readers crave.” –NY Post“Dishy as hell.” –Refinery29“Not merely a rehash of salacious old Hollywood gossip, Petersen revivifies flattened images of Hollywood icons…Wide-ranging and surprisingly thoughtful.” –Kirkus“Brisk and lively.” –Library Journal

Anne Helen Petersen received her Ph.D. in media studies from the University of Texas, where she studied the industrial history of the gossip industry. After teaching in the university setting for several years, she transitioned to full-time feature writing, most recently with BuzzFeed. Her work has appeared in The Believer, The Awl, The Hairpin, Laptham’s Quarterly, The Baffler, Pacific Standard, The Guardian, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Virginia Quarterly Review.

“Engaging…Petersen is an author for our age.” –The Boston Globe“Insightful.” –TIME Magazine“Clear and convincing…Although Petersen's book benefits from intelligent analysis of archival research, she writes with the verve of an enthusiast.” –LA Times“Terrific and thoughtful and fascinating.” –NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour“Smart, relevant, and fun…think TMZ with a PhD.” –Bitch “Compulsively readable.” –The Rumpus“Compulsively readable…[Petersen] sheds light on often-repeated myths with impeccable research and razor-sharp analysis.” –Yahoo“[This] dishy book delivers the juicy anecdotes readers crave.” –NY Post“Dishy as hell.” –Refinery29“Not merely a rehash of salacious old Hollywood gossip, Petersen revivifies flattened images of Hollywood icons…Wide-ranging and surprisingly thoughtful.” –Kirkus“Brisk and lively.” –Library Journal

Anne Helen Petersen received her Ph.D. in media studies from the University of Texas, where she studied the industrial history of the gossip industry. After teaching in the university setting for several years, she transitioned to full-time feature writing, most recently with BuzzFeed. Her work has appeared in The Believer, The Awl, The Hairpin, Laptham’s Quarterly, The Baffler, Pacific Standard, The Guardian, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Virginia Quarterly Review.

“Engaging…Petersen is an author for our age.” –The Boston Globe“Insightful.” –TIME Magazine“Clear and convincing…Although Petersen's book benefits from intelligent analysis of archival research, she writes with the verve of an enthusiast.” –LA Times“Terrific and thoughtful and fascinating.” –NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour“Smart, relevant, and fun…think TMZ with a PhD.” –Bitch “Compulsively readable.” –The Rumpus“Compulsively readable…[Petersen] sheds light on often-repeated myths with impeccable research and razor-sharp analysis.” –Yahoo“[This] dishy book delivers the juicy anecdotes readers crave.” –NY Post“Dishy as hell.” –Refinery29“Not merely a rehash of salacious old Hollywood gossip, Petersen revivifies flattened images of Hollywood icons…Wide-ranging and surprisingly thoughtful.” –Kirkus“Brisk and lively.” –Library Journal