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A review by katymul
I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4.75
The bold title got most of the attention in the rollout of this book, and it felt a little odd that this resolution she comes to -- that she is better off because her mom died, that she is glad her mom died because there was no room for her to find who she is with her mom alive and living for her entirely -- is only at the tail end of the book.
But the boldness of the memoir goes deeper than that. She calls out not just her mother but many powerful forces in the entertainment industry, which she clearly sees with clearer eyes because she entered it so unwillingly. Her younger self's blase reaction to truly horrifying parenting moments and her visceral anger at a therapist using the stark terms of abuse feel sharp and raw and pointed. The book is overflowing with brave truths shared with a forceful attitude that makes it clear that this direct, radical honesty is necessary to her recovery.
It is a book about needing the space to face the truth -- and needing the truth in order to heal. In a world where so many people try to reverse the order of those steps, this book feels important. I am glad its eye-catching title and celebrity writer have won it so much attention, because those aspects are a Trojan Horse for a deeply important memoir about surviving abuse and learning to name it.
But the boldness of the memoir goes deeper than that. She calls out not just her mother but many powerful forces in the entertainment industry, which she clearly sees with clearer eyes because she entered it so unwillingly. Her younger self's blase reaction to truly horrifying parenting moments and her visceral anger at a therapist using the stark terms of abuse feel sharp and raw and pointed. The book is overflowing with brave truths shared with a forceful attitude that makes it clear that this direct, radical honesty is necessary to her recovery.
It is a book about needing the space to face the truth -- and needing the truth in order to heal. In a world where so many people try to reverse the order of those steps, this book feels important. I am glad its eye-catching title and celebrity writer have won it so much attention, because those aspects are a Trojan Horse for a deeply important memoir about surviving abuse and learning to name it.