Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

3338 reviews

jmkalvarez's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

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I don't listen to audiobooks very often. But there's something about an autobiography read by the author that adds another layer of depth to the written words. Jennette McCurdy's dry, sardonic, matter-of-fact narration goes hand-in-hand with the casual and straightforward way she tells her story. Yet the emotion that breaks through during pivotal moments, realizing and coming to terms with the difficulties she faced, is audible in her voice.

When she recalls the moments after being told for the first time that what she experienced from her mother was abuse, she sound almost like she's fighting back tears, which make the gravity of that moment that much more impactful.

The story is told in very short vignettes, key moments in her life that stand out as memorable or impactful for one reason or another. You could easily take it a little bit at a time, and the content is heavy so breaks may be necessary to process it. But Jennette's style of narration kept me coming back, kept me listening for more. It's horrifying what she's been through, but it's incredible that she was able to come out on top and share her story. She definitely has a talent for writing, and for narration, and I truly hope to see more written work from her in the future.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment

freemakd's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Blood, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

katapedraza's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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Este libro no se lee: se atraviesa. Este libro es un testimonio crudo sobre el abuso, pero también es un recorrido por algo que me interpela profundamente: el autoconocimiento. 

La conocí como una actriz famosa en Nickelodeon, pero aquí, Jennette McCurdy nos entrega una memoria profundamente dolorosa y valiente, donde la infancia no es un espacio de ternura, sino de sobrevivencia. Abre una herida sin anestesia: la de una infancia marcada por la culpa, la manipulación y la violencia disfrazada de amor materno. Desde los abusos físicos y emocionales de su madre hasta el silenciamiento sistemático de sus necesidades, Jennette construye una narrativa sin adornos, que muestra cómo una niña fue empujada a la fama, manipulada, y obligada a reprimir su identidad para satisfacer los deseos de una madre narcisista. Como ella misma lo dice: “Mi mamá abusó emocional, mental y básicamente de mí de maneras que me impactarán para siempre”. 

La maternidad, la fama, la niñez, la salud mental, la espiritualidad y hasta el amor aparecen entrelazados con un mismo dolor de fondo. Me impactó cómo todo está cruzado por la manipulación. Jennette fue manipulada toda su vida, y por eso también aprendió a manipular.

Pero no todo es oscuridad. El libro también muestra que hay posibilidad de curación, aunque no sea lineal ni inmediata. No se trata de hacerlo perfecto, sino de reconocerse en el camino. Porque ese es el trabajo: reconocerse en medio del caos, del pasado, de los vínculos rotos, de tener ese deseo hondo de entenderse, de dejar de cargar culpas que no son propios, de romper patrones aprendidos en la infancia. La Jennette del final no es una versión pulida ni resultado de sí mismo. Es una mujer que sigue llorando a la madre que la dañó, y que aún así puede decir “esto fue abuso” sin justificarse. Que se permite sentir contradicción y avanzar. Que decide dejar de sostener un modelo de éxito que no era suyo.

Es una relación que golpea y conmueve, y que obliga a cuestionar las dinámicas familiares idealizadas. El título, tan fuerte como necesario, no es una provocación gratuita, sino la declaración honesta de alguien que sobrevivió al abuso. Un libro que duele, pero que también libera. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Death of parent

lindseyallyce's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

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I don’t like to rate memoirs. It feels strange to put a rating on someone’s life story. This is a well written, well read telling of a child actor who has been abused by her mother and, to a degree, the entertainment industry. It’s a heartbreaking and hopeful account of recovery and healing work from  abuse and addiction. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Alcohol

krisbartos's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Alcohol

j_sabo's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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Extremely vulnerable book where it dives into the BTS of child acting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Vomit, Death of parent

Minor: Blood

kaithemenway's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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Janette reading this was incredible. You can tell she’s a great actress by how she has different vocal changes for each individual she included in this memoir. She really went through a lot emotionally and physically and this book was so raw in telling her story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol

Moderate: Chronic illness

sangsmiles's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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I can't really say I enjoyed this given the subject matter, but I'm glad I read it, especially the second half. It's fast-paced and always moving, occasionally bizarrely funny, and has some great candid observations about people. It wasn't as funny as people said it would be, but that might be due to listening rather than reading? I wanted her to get better, and have so much respect for her focus on recovery. 

This was my first audiobook, so wasn't sure what to expect. There were points during the graphic descriptions of bulimia and bingeing that were quite bad, but overall I surprisingly liked it as a format. I also felt it added something to hear the author read it. Her voice was pretty level throughout, but there was a moment where she choked up that made me nearly start crying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Vomit

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent

atbarbee's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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This book gives such an eye opening glance into how multi-dimensional it is to be in the spotlight. It shows how someone can fall into something and not know how to get out of it. It was really insightful to hear how you think an actor's life is versus the reality of it all. Jennette's read of this audiobook made it 10x better as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent

Minor: Blood

mossy_rock's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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Including trigger warnings doesn't "enable" the behavior. Awful take

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Dysphoria

Moderate: Death of parent

Big emphasis on addiction, bulemia, and child abuse