I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

 I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy-CD Audio (5 discs, 6 hrs. 50 min.)-304 pages in print

I was looking for a shorter listen for my road trip this past weekend and I happened upon this. It stood out on the shelf, so I checked it out. I'm glad I did. I watched a few episodes of iCarly as a kid/teen, but not many. McCurdy's childhood sounds anything but mundane. Her mother had breast cancer when Jennette was two and she used it as leverage to get what she wanted. Her mom was extremely manipulative and volatile. She would kick her husband, Jennette's and her siblings' dad (although it would be revealed later he was not their biological dad), out often for a variety of questionable reasons. Jennette's mom would shower her well into her teens and sometimes even with one of her brothers together. Her mom would also go into the bathroom with her and wipe her butt until she was a tween. Her mom pushed her to get into acting even though she really didn't want to. Jennette thought her mom was perfect and wanted what was best for her, even though she didn't always like it. Jennette's mom taught her Anorexia when she was 11, which was right before she started on iCarly. Jennette thought she was failing if she didn't eat very little and keep her weight down. She wanted to keep looking like a kid. Her mom died of cancer (it came back) when she was around 26. Somewhere in all that time, she began to struggle with Bulimia and alcoholism to drown out her emotions. Through various relationships and other life events Jennette began to realize she had a problem with Bulimia and sought therapy. Her first experience with therapy ended poorly. Her second attempt went much better. It seems that she has gotten past her struggle with Bulimia, although I'm sure it's like any mental health struggle in that it's hard to truly get past it and it's a daily struggle to stay "sober." Jennette McCurdy's voice (she's the narrator) lends gravitas and richness to the listen and I thought this was a really good listen/read. I can see why the book is titled I'm Glad My Mom Died. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.