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Autobiography, Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, books, I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy, Memoir, Non fiction
I take a longer look at the words on her headstone.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by: Jennette McCurdy
Brave, kind, loyal, sweet, loving, graceful, strong, thoughtful, funny, genuine, hopeful, playful, insightful, and on and on…
Was she, though? Was she any of those things? The words make me angry. I can’t look at them any longer.
Why do we romanticize the dead? Why can’t we be honest about them?
Initial Thoughts: When I was a kid, I loved watching iCarly. It was such a whimsical show full of fun pranks. Oh the 2010s, such a simpler time. I had known that after the series ended, Jennette McCurdy had stepped away from the limelight and decided not to feature in the reboot of iCarly. I wondered why, after all, the series looked like so much fun and Sam Puckett was a beloved character by many. Little did I know the dark reality that Jennette McCurdy faced while filming the series which eventually lead her to write this grim but insightful memoir that bears the jarring title “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” If there is any title that can provoke interest in the reader, it is that one.
Summary
A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.
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.
The Review
Jennette McCurdy was a child actress who is known for her portrayal of Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon television show iCarly, and later Sam & Cat. Everyone remembers her for her character’s snarky comments, tough nature and love of fried chicken. In reality, Jennette McCurdy was struggling to meet her mother’s rigorous demands from her weight (which spurred an eating disorder) to the tint of her eyelashes. For years, Jennette endured abused by her mother that took years of therapy to overcome.
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