Reviews tagging 'Violence'

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

116 reviews

indiarose8's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Woo boy. This was a brave and unflinchingly honest story to tell but it was hard to read. While I’m glad I did, I wish I had read the trigger warnings first. I have a lot of respect for the author and how far she’s come. She is definitely a good storyteller. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Violence, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Vomit, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Sexual harassment

charlueden's review against another edition

challenging dark funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Sexism

madmantha's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

What a book. Challenging to read or listen to at times but  also witty and humorous at other times. 
I highly recommend the audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Ableism, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Classism, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Vomit, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Medical content

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Homophobia, and Rape

Minor: Ableism

This is potentially very triggering for anyone with: Eating disorders, abusive parents, multiple mental illnesses. Please be aware before reading this fantastically written book.

theelliad's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Excrement, Child abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Cancer, Drug use, Grief, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Alcoholism

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

brynnbmn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Violence

lixard's review against another edition

inspiring tense slow-paced

5.0

each chapter, you're holding your breath for when jennette reveals the main gut-wrenching point of the story and it hurts
even so, she manages to include such character in her voice from the age of 6 onwards, as well as such humour from left field
real laurels to her for being able to combine these factors so well into a compelling narrative

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Grief, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Violence, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

marisa_n's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.0

An intimate, tragic memoir about a child actor. The book read like a series of short journal entries, with the author’s voice slowly changing as she matured. In the book, she describes her childhood growing up in a household that was low-income, violent, and emotionally unpredictable. She recounts stories of being emotionally, mentally, and sexually abused by her mother. She unpacks the desperation and helplessness of trying to force herself to fit into a life she never wanted as an actress. She lays bare her poor coping mechanisms–OCD, disordered eating, alcoholism, and co-dependent relationships with shitty men. Lastly, she discusses her journey toward recovery. 

This book was hard to read as it was direct, graphic, and brutal. She goes into detail about the abuse from her mother, as well as from those around her. Although this book was centered on her mother, I found most of the people in her life just as bad, or at least complicit. From those also trying to abuse/manipulate her (ex: her grandmother, the creator, boyfriends), to those who stayed silent when she needed help (ex: her father, her grandfather). It is truly heartbreaking to think of a child / young adult surrounded by so many adults that are actively harming her. 

The book ends with...

her quitting acting, seeking help for her eating disorder, and coming to terms with her mother's abuse. At first, it felt like the book ended a little too abruptly. I thought perhaps she should have waited a bit longer--recovered, started the next phase of her life, etc--to publish the book. But I ultimately landed on the feeling that the reader isn't owed a happy ending. Moreover, there probably won't be one clear place in her life where she gets a happy end from there on out. Life will present many ups and downs. She will likely be unpacking her trauma, working on her coping mechanisms, and re-inventing herself over and over again for the rest of her life. Therefore, the messy ending was genuine.

Despite the backlash, I think this title is an appropriate summation of the book. We do not get to dictate how others process their trauma. We do not control if / how people mourn. We do not owe the dead a positive legacy, especially if they were objectively terrible people while alive. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Violence

Moderate: Self harm, Infidelity, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical content, Medical trauma, and Violence

TW: There are GRAPHIC details about her sexual abuse, eating disorder, and alcoholism. Please do not read this book if you find any of those topics triggering.

ellie_reads_books's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Mental illness, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Sexual content

bladelikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

This is a beautifully written memoir of Jennette McCurdy’s life, following her from the age of 6 to the present day. McCurdy discusses living on the poverty line, paycheck to paycheck and how even as a child she had constant financial anxieties. Her mom is very controlling and emotionally manipulative. 

McCurdy discusses an array of heavy topics throughout this memoir and I was sobbing through most of it. I can relate to Jennette on so many of her experiences, a lot of what she was saying hit close to home for me. I loved the way she talked about the romanticisation of the dead as this is something that I’m currently struggling with, with my family. 

This was such a great read, it’s such a privilege to experience what it’s like in another person’s brain. I loved that Jennette narrated it herself, it added so much more to the experience. Even if you’re not someone that would usually enjoy a nonfiction book, I think you’ll still love reading this one! 

Some quotes I loved:

“I don’t like to be observed, I like to do the observing”

“Why do we romanticise the dead? Why can’t we be honest about them? Especially moms, they’re the most romanticised of anyone”

Representation - Anxiety; OCD; Schizophrenia 

TWs/CWs - Abuse; Adoption; Adultery; Alcohol; Alcoholism; Animal Death; Anorexia; Blood; Breast Cancer; Bulimia; Cheating; Child Abuse; Child Acting; Coercion; Cussing; Divorce; Domestic Violence; Drug Use; Drunk Driving; Eating Disorders; Emotional Abuse; Excrement; Fatphobia; Financial Abuse; Hoarding; Homophobia; Hospital; Illness; Manipulation; Medical Detail; Mental Abuse; Misogyny; Murder; Panic Attack; Physical Abuse; Poverty; Purging (ED); Rape; Religious Bigotry; R-slur; Seizure; Sex; Sexualisation of a child; Suicide; Violence; Vomit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Terminal illness, Medical content, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Violence, Vomit, Drug use, and Misogyny

Minor: Rape, Excrement, Animal death, Homophobia, Murder, and Suicide

kry_yang's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

so many CWs needed for this book. extremely harrowing, raw, and vulnerable. jeanette mccurdy should be allowed to fight Nickelodeon with her bare hands. i found her writing style a bit too simplistic and heavy-handed at times, but i couldn't put this book down regardless. one of the most powerful memoirs i've ever read and i just want jeanette to be happy and loved forever

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Death, Violence, Alcoholism, and Vomit