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A review by areadnes
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
God, there is so much I want to say about this book.
Jennette was actually one of my favorite Nickelodeon stars when I was young. I was in fourth grade when I watched iCarly in the afternoons after school and Sam was my favorite character among the cast. I rooted for Seddie (Sam and Freddie’s ship) when they kissed and eventually got together, and was sad when they broke up. Unfortunately, by the time iCarly ended and Sam & Cat aired, I decided that I was already well past the age of watching cheesy kids’ sitcoms.
Reading this memoir was not easy. Not only because of my attachment to iCarly and the whole nostalgia of my childhood in general, but because Jennette truly goes through so much that it is quite literally unfathomable. Knowing that her mom has cancer, being forced into acting, developing eating disorders, succumbing to alcohol abuse—I read the book while listening to the audiobook and hearing Jennette recount all of that in her own voice was so heartbreaking, every chapter really felt like a dagger through the heart. No one should ever experience that. No one should ever suffer at the hands of their own parents.
I’m Glad My Mom Died was very eye-opening for me in many other ways than I expected. Jennette’s writing is so engaging—unapologetically candid and severely blunt at times, but witty and clever. Her comedic timing is well-placed, too. There were several little moments of levity in the book I’m actually grateful I still got to crack a smile every now and then. I love that I can hear her writing voice grow from child to adult as she progresses through the experiences in her life.
Despite all the pain that Jennette has gone through, her initiative to seek help and recover from it all is what impacted me the most. Recognizing the deep-rooted traumas that you carry with you is one thing, but choosing to move past that and making an effort to get better is something that always deserves to be recognized even if it’s through the smallest of actions. I’m happy that Jennette seems to be in a much better place now and I hope that she not only has the peace of mind she deserves to have for life, but that we see more of her writing in the future.
Jennette was actually one of my favorite Nickelodeon stars when I was young. I was in fourth grade when I watched iCarly in the afternoons after school and Sam was my favorite character among the cast. I rooted for Seddie (Sam and Freddie’s ship) when they kissed and eventually got together, and was sad when they broke up. Unfortunately, by the time iCarly ended and Sam & Cat aired, I decided that I was already well past the age of watching cheesy kids’ sitcoms.
Reading this memoir was not easy. Not only because of my attachment to iCarly and the whole nostalgia of my childhood in general, but because Jennette truly goes through so much that it is quite literally unfathomable. Knowing that her mom has cancer, being forced into acting, developing eating disorders, succumbing to alcohol abuse—I read the book while listening to the audiobook and hearing Jennette recount all of that in her own voice was so heartbreaking, every chapter really felt like a dagger through the heart. No one should ever experience that. No one should ever suffer at the hands of their own parents.
I’m Glad My Mom Died was very eye-opening for me in many other ways than I expected. Jennette’s writing is so engaging—unapologetically candid and severely blunt at times, but witty and clever. Her comedic timing is well-placed, too. There were several little moments of levity in the book I’m actually grateful I still got to crack a smile every now and then. I love that I can hear her writing voice grow from child to adult as she progresses through the experiences in her life.
Despite all the pain that Jennette has gone through, her initiative to seek help and recover from it all is what impacted me the most. Recognizing the deep-rooted traumas that you carry with you is one thing, but choosing to move past that and making an effort to get better is something that always deserves to be recognized even if it’s through the smallest of actions. I’m happy that Jennette seems to be in a much better place now and I hope that she not only has the peace of mind she deserves to have for life, but that we see more of her writing in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Moderate: Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Schizophrenia/Psychosis