A review by juksu
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

A life in vignettes, following McCurdy's experiences becoming a child actor by the will of her narcissistic mother, whose influence casts a long shadow on her life. Given how recent media such as the documentary Quiet On Set have revealed the abuse that happened behind the scenes of children's TV, I'm not surprised to read accounts of abuse in the home as well. While McCurdy's mother is the elephant in the room, there are yet others: inappropriate touching and comments from men such as the Creator, incessant intrusion by fans and paparazzi, the complex relationships within the McCurdy family, and OCD. Even knowing by the very fact of this book's existence — to say nothing of the shifts in tone and language to characterize each point in time — that she's getting better, it felt like watching a three-hour train wreck. Left me feeling frustrated to know that writing this piece, while momentous, is still not the end of McCurdy's recovery. I hope she's having a good day.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings