I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Book Review

Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died” is a memoir that dives into the depths of her struggles as a child actor with raw honesty, insightfulness, and a touch of dark humour. This book is an emotional journey through one woman’s journey of understanding and acceptance as she comes to terms with her eating disorders, addiction, bad relationship choices and a complicated, abusive relationship with her mother.

Click me to go to my Review

Synopsis

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

About The Author

Jennette McCurdy starred in Nickelodeon’s hit show iCarly and its spin-off, Sam & Cat, as well as in the Netflix series Between. In 2017, she quit acting and began pursuing writing/directing. Her films have been featured in the Florida Film Festival, the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival, Short of the Week, and elsewhere. Her essays have appeared in HuffPost and The Wall Street Journal. Her one-woman show I’m Glad My Mom Died had two sold-out runs at the Lyric Hyperion Theatre and Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles. She hosts a podcast called Empty Inside, which has topped Apple’s charts and features guests speaking about uncomfortable topics. She lives in Los Angeles

My Review

McCurdy writes about her struggles as she attempts to process her complicated emotions about her mother’s death. She does so in a way that can be both humorous and heartbreaking at the same time, allowing readers to connect with her story on a deeply personal level. Through her narrative, McCurdy paints a vivid picture of what it feels like to be controlled by someone else, to live your life trying to please them, even though it seems impossible, and the emotional struggles this brings. The memoir is full of vivid details that help readers understand what it feels like to grapple with these realisations while still trying to move forward in life.

Writing ‘I’m glad my mom died’ after receiving extensive therapy, McCurdy takes us through her struggles with her mother since she was six years old, with her mother dreaming of her becoming a famous actor, her mother’s greatest dream. We gain a greater appreciation of what it takes to become famous, and the abusive mother-daughter relationship McCurdy endured as well as further insight into her state of mind throughout the book.

In addition to being emotionally charged, I’m Glad My Mom Died is also filled with moments of light-heartedness that will make readers smile amidst their tears. McCurdy’s musings on topics such as Death Metal music or her propensity for making inappropriate jokes will bring some much-needed levity to this otherwise serious subject matter.

While most celebrity memoirs are written either about how wonderful it is to be a celeb or the stresses of such a life and such wealth etc, McCurdy provides a refreshingly different take on the life she never wanted and shunned as soon as she felt strong enough to break away from the life someone else chose for her. I would have been interested in what she is doing now or plans to do going forward without any acting in her life. So far, this would appear to entail a huge amount of therapy and little else.

I enjoyed the writing style, which is easy to read and still poignant. I remember watching both iCarly and Sam and Cat when my daughter was younger and enjoyed both shows, you wouldn’t have known how much McCurdy was hating her part in the shows which demonstrates how good her acting is. However, her treatment by Nickelodeon, particularly on Sam and Cat (a show that was supposed to be just Sam but ended up being her and Ariana Grande) sounded awful and definitely leaves you with concerns over their treatment of childhood stars.

Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died” is an emotionally charged memoir that captures so much about abusive relationships and self-destruction. Along with touches of dark humour, McCurdy creates a powerful story about finding hope in tragedy. A beacon of light for fellow sufferers and an interesting look at life as a child TV star, I am sure that more will follow the same path!

Rated