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Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'
Génial, Ma Mère Est Morte ! by Jennette McCurdy
3185 reviews
Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Classism
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Vomit, Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Misogyny
Minor: Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
the moment i found out about this memoir, i knew i had to read it. life (and the fact that the book had cost $30) got in the way for a bit. i got the book for christmas and read the first chapter shortly after. and then there was a long period of time i was too busy to read the rest of this despite how intrigued i was. i finally picked it up again yesterday. i finished it tonight. i absolutely blew through this. my heart ached with every sentence that i read. i’m happy jennette is doing better now. i am also very glad that her mom died, too.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking
Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Vomit, Alcohol
Moderate: Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
So why did I decide to read this book? Well, largely because I am interested in life writing. But honestly also because I came across a news article that addressed the (forced) use of alcohol among child actors for Nickelodeon (bad reason but here we are).
For a large part of the book, the author writes from the perspective of a child. On a base level this means simple words, short sentences, etc. On a deeper level, this means naiveté, misunderstanding of circumstances, lack of reflection, etc. For example: the child puts her mom on a pedestal and wants to be just like her, despite the mother constantly putting the child in situations where she is extremely uncomfortable and forcing the child to put the mother's needs before her own. This is of course not the child's fault. If anything, it gives the reader a much better understanding of the abuse that went on: how bad it was, how deeply ingrained it became, etc. Just to be clear: that is not to say that the author is any of those things, but she has given the narrator these qualities as the narrator starts out as a child and (somewhat) gradually becomes an adult as the story progresses.
It's a heart-breaking book. The situation with her mom was so much worse than I imagined, and it makes me love my mom even more. But. The book runs on 'tell' and includes little 'show'. She skips larger periods of time without justification or explanation and often does not include information that would inform the reader how much time has passed. In some cases the skipping of time can be very productive to the story; however, I constantly felt like I was missing key information that would have helped me understand the characters and their relationships better - I am still unsure what her relationship with her brothers is like, whether they were a part of her journey from victim to survivor, or not at all. Not only that, also information that would have shaped the story, provided more structure, and even presented a clearer picture on the abuse that went on at Nickelodeon (I really do feel that there is a lot more there than was included).
Additionally, the relationship between the narrator and the mother was both the focus and not, which was distracting.
Furthermore, certain names are dropped while others are actively left out (The Creator), but then these characters disappear from the story. Her various co-stars, for example, such as Miranda and Ariana. They are sporadically mentioned in the book, and added new layers to the pain Jenette was already experiencing, but the reader is left unsatisfied as the characters disappear. Sure, Miranda and Ariana briefly reappear for a 'name-dropping-moment', but I would have liked to see the impact of these female relationships on Jennette and her image of femininity. Now, they seemed important to the story, but weren't fully explored. I think this issue could have been fixed by creating a clearer structure and taking the reader along for the ride more. It is very clear that Miranda, Ariana, and even the Victorious cast had an impact on Jennette's experience - but its not a fully formed picture in the book.
So its not a 'good' book in a literary or storytelling way, but its easy and enjoyable to read and certainly brings the story comes across. To reiterate: it is heart-breaking. Since becoming an adult, I've had a very negative view on how child-actors have been treated and it pisses me off. For me, this book once again shows that child-stardom and childhood cannot co-exist within mega-companies that care more about making fast money.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Drug use
Graphic: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol