Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

130 reviews

meghan_w's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

This book. It feels weird to sum up in words what I think of someone else’s life story and traumas. For that reason, I’m not rating it, but I’ll try to talk more about how this book made me feel rather than critique the content. 

I’m Glad my Mom Died is a memoir about the author’s experience as a child star on Nickelodeon, having a narcissistic mother, eating disorders, religious deconstruction, OCD, and other things. I highly recommend listening to this 100% on audiobook at 1.0x. It’s worth taking the time to hear the author’s voice inflections as she tells her story. 

This book isn’t light. The quip on the cover saying it’s funny is weird to me because it’s not. It’s heavy and it’s dark at times. I waited to read this until I felt I was in a place to be able to handle it. It made me feel angry, baffled, but most of all sad. Not just for the author, but for so many who struggle with similar issues as her and her mother. What I deeply appreciate the most is she takes a good amount of the book to share her experiences in therapy. It’s a raw account of how hard therapy is and that healing is not a linear process. We don’t get it right immediately and sometimes it’s gets harder before it gets better. 

I’m so grateful for her willingness to share her story with the world. I took pieces I needed out of it for my own life. It was truly a privilege to listen to her story. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Medical content, Self harm, Vomit, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Grief, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cancer, Infidelity, Grief, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Bullying, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

bella613's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Probably my favorite autobiography I've read to date! I love Jennette and loved the book. I don't really know how to describe it so I'll just say I strongly recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, Drug use, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Grief, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Panic attacks/disorders

br3nda's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

3.0

"A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir..."

Heartbreaking - YES, very! but I have no idea where the hilarious is. This is a memoir about a young girl to adult who was sexually, physically and emotionally abused by her own mother. On top of that, the effects of being a child actor and growing up in that world where emotional and sexual abuse is very prevalent. There is not a drop of hilarious in this book.
I picked this book for our book club because I thought there was going to be some light-hearted reading included. That is so far from the truth!
Kudos to Jennette for having the strength to tell your story.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment

sup_demons's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

If you have a choice, listen to her reading her own book, its fantastic. The whole time it felt like I was there. So poignant and raw, vulnerable and funny. An amazing even if horrifying look at the industry. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Vomit, Body shaming, Terminal illness, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Cursing

Minor: Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Infidelity

lief_'s review

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Cancer, Body shaming, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Domestic abuse, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Sexism, Blood, Stalking, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders

book_dragon_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Sexism, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cancer, Child abuse, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Terminal illness

dc32's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

This book was absolutely heartbreaking. McCurdy is a cutting and reflective writer; this must have taken a massive emotional undertaking to be able to write it and to write it so clearly, with such vivid images, I can't imagine the emotional work it would have taken to do that. Her memory is so clear and she tells the story of her life very well, I have no doubt McCurdy will be able to make a career out of writing which it sounds like is her current goal.

I wish that there were more content warnings in the cultural conversation around this book. I think many people call this book comedic--to me though her inner voice is witty, derisive, and comedic, this book is not comedic at all. It's brutal and I think would be very triggering to many people (as you can see I added a lot of content warnings to my review).

I listened to the audio book and hearing this story in McCurdy's voice added a level of intimacy and vulnerability, especially when her voice breaks while talking about her experience with therapy. It made me cry. I couldn't put it down. The book was very fast paced and I felt myself wanting to ask follow up questions and really dig deeper. She captures a lot of trauma in just a couple of sentences. But then, I feel part of the problem that she's describing, the morbid fascination with her life that is so destructive towards her.

Anyway, clearly this book made me think a lot. It's well-written and deeply vulnerable, but I would be very careful with who I recommended it to because of how graphic and triggering it could be.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Vomit, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Grief

kadtide's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

The narration by the author makes the writing even stronger, as the words are meant to be heard in her voice. There is a single moment where she becomes audibly emotional in the reading, and it's heartbreaking. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Cancer, Death of parent, and Vomit

Moderate: Sexual content, Fatphobia, Alcoholism, and Grief

Minor: Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, and Sexism

itsybitsygingie's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Jesus this book hits hard. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Terminal illness, Vomit, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Eating disorder

Minor: Sexism, Domestic abuse, Stalking, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Adult/minor relationship