Both Uses

anecdote
in
The Bluest Eye
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Slight as it was, this deformity explained for her many things that would have been otherwise incomprehensible: why she alone of all the children had no nickname; why there were no funny jokes and anecdotes about funny things she had done; why no one ever remarked on her food preferences—no saving of the wing or neck for her—no cooking of the peas in a separate pot without rice because she did not like rice; why nobody teased her; why she never felt at home anywhere, or that she belonged anyplace.†
Chpt 4

anecdotes = short, true stories
First, it was a familiar phrase, familiar to me as a child listening to adults; to black women conversing with one another, telling a story, an anecdote, gossip about some one or event within the circle, the family, the neighborhood.†
Chpt 6 *

anecdote = a short story that is true -- often told for amusement or to make a point

Definitions:

(1) (anecdote)
a short story that is true -- often told for amusement or to make a point
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)