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.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

 I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jannette McCurdy - 304 pages

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life. 

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarlyspinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

This was an eye opening book about what this mother did to her child, for her own idea of fame.  Watching her grow up in iCarly, and Sam and Cat, I now have a different appreciation for her talent 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

 I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, 304 pages

I'm Glad My Mom Died is autobiographical tour through Jennette McCurdy's formative years, wherein her narcissist mother's dreams of being a Hollywood starlet were imposed on the daughter. With an unflinching, offbeat voice, expertly weaving humor and heartbreak, McCurdy details her life as a child star, the abuse she suffered at the hands of her codependent mother, and the eating disorders she developed.  

I don't read a lot of nonfiction or biographies, but I couldn't put this book down. I never watched iCarly so I was only tangentially aware of Jennette McCurdy. It is a testament to the openness of the narrative that non-fans can just pick up the book and connect with it.