Description
When we think about the day our mother dies, the first thing that comes to mind is sadness. We think about all the things she taught us and all the memories we shared with her. It’s hard to imagine that a family could be grateful for this day, but in “I’m Glad My Mom Died”, Jennette McCurdy shows us how a young girl named Ivy was so happy when she learned her mom died that she celebrated by going out and eating pizza with her dad.
From the Publisher
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Paul Wetor –
I am not an iCarly fan (being a few decades out of the age group), but when I happened to see it on cable, I enjoyed Jennette McCurdy the most. When I tuned in, it was only because her. So I was shocked to find out what horrible things she had been put through, and that she didn’t even enjoy acting.I’ve heard about stage mothers, but OMG what hell her mother put her through. The part about her mother downplaying the screenplay she wrote was soul-crushing. Her later response (which I forget the exact words) are very telling, that acting was about being somebody else while writing was about being herself.I’m sad that she left acting, because she had a personality that lit up the small screen. But if she’s happy as a writer, more power to her. After all those years of putting herself last, she deserves the chance to follow her own dreams.
Lamar Jackson –
THIS IS BY FAR, THE BEST BOOK I HAVE READ ALL YEAR BY DEFAULT and I give Jennette McCurdy many props for writing this blockbuster of an read while being extremely honest about it and no sugarcoating, unapologetic, unfiltered, uncensored, no holds barred and a damn great fascinating read. ALREADY ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME!Right from page one, I was taken on a journey about her life growing up, the difficulties with her own mother with the emotional, physical AND psychological (going as FAR on her mother being in the shower with her until she was 17 while “examing” her in the process, made me gag) with being forced to be anorexic even as an 11-year old and parts of her adulthood made me cry really hard chapter by chapter and I couldn’t even put down this book even for a second. None of the abuse that she has suffered isn’t okay at all, child star or not, BAR NONE.The stuff with her writing about the Creator made me really angry and sad especially the costume tests with the bikinis as she being underage at the time while her mother encouraging it truly horrified me to the core as I totally wished that I want to punch the Creator and even more after reading as justice for Jennette.Also, the BTS stories on the real experiences of working on “Sam & Cat” that she wrote about even nearly getting her chance to finally show her directing skills only to be taken away from her at the eleventh-hour filming on set of S&C as they shattered her dreams while Nickelodeon tried to bribe her with a $300,000 hush money settlement for not going public about her experiences working with the network as she did the right thing on turning down after them protecting a predator for so very long.The biological father twist was a huge twist to and how her cancer-stricken mom died while lying to her for her entire life even from beyond the grave disgusted me even more that she was forced to be the perfect daughter for a mom who I might as well say, “The ULTIMATE NARCISSIST Mother from Hell that could Joan Crawford a run for her money” and the journey of actually meeting her real father.It was like sitting down and having coffee with Jennette as I was moved by her story and her finally getting her long-needed vindication with the difficulties of being a former child star and getting to share her story to the world and telling a true statement and reason why she doesn’t want to return to the show that made her a household name and I don’t blame her even after reading this blockbuster of an read with the amount of anxiety that has been stuck with her for years while living in an image that she didn’t fit in with and never getting to experience her childhood courtesy of her own mother.I admire Jennette’s strength and determination for having to write this book even if it isn’t for everyone and the amount of hours and years of healing. I say this from one writer to another, YOU HAVE A NATURAL TALENT FOR WRITING AND I’M SO READY FOR MORE OF YOUR FUTURE WORK WITH THIS NEXT STEP.I GIVE THIS BOOK, 11 OUT OF 10 STARS AND TO BE HONEST, 1 BILLION STARS OUT OF 5 as a huge fan of her work and so many mad props and many positive praises that I won’t be able to list about my life for this book cause Jennette McCurdy is one hell of an storyteller and I totally wish that I could meet her and give her a nice huge hug with my list of congratulations on how I really, really loved this book to which I’m sure she might be reading this review. :)After reading this, I too am strongly glad that her mother died too and I have been hyped for this book for months and it is finally here as I totally hope others can read her story despite the overwhelming demand for this book and I hope you can see things in a different light after you read this masterpiece of a book along with some of the finest cover art I have seen in quite a long time with the most UNORTHODOX but really the greatest book title I have ever seen in years of all my life growing up reading books and all of 2022.Already planning to re-read it again and again and planning to get the audiobook to fully experience this with her narration. GET THIS BOOK ASAP AND I’m glad her mom died also.I totally hope the success of this book will make Hollywood really wake up about former child stars being mistreated for different reasons and having their stories being told like Jennette’s while putting Dan Schneider once and for all behind bars while we’re at it for all the crimes he also committed toward her.
Gabrielle A. Lugo –
As someone who romanticizes the idea of being famous while knowing full well there is a toll it takes, Jennette’s story always sat heavy with me. I knew piece of her story before the book and felt for her. The details and the tone of her writing really kept me going through even the darkness it presented. There’s so much raw truth and it is so unapologetic.I enjoyed seeing her start to make strides in her personal life and show the ups and downs that came with it. I truly hope she continues to thrive and live her life fully and for herself, whatever that might mean for her.Fantastic read, 11/10, recommending to all my friends, especially my age group that was as obsessed with her career as I was. So everyone can see the whole picture.Jennette, I truly wish you well <3
Grace –
Jeanette has been through a lot in her life. I did not have a famous life, but I can relate to some much she went through- the the poverty, the hoarding, the abuse of a narcissistic, mentally-ill mother and more importantly the shared relief it was when my mother died. I have absolutely no guilt surrounding this either. I too cut off family who want to continue to use me as a scapegoat, a lost mother figure, a cook, a cleaner, a protector. I understand her relationship with food, because of my own experiences as a child, I have a stockier build, so if I complained of being hungry, I’d be mocked “is your fat quivering?” So I just learned to make my own food, tried to never complain about hunger pangs. Life gets better! Jeannette is very brave for telling her story. I’m happy for her present triumphs and all the future holds for her.
Aleasha Stephens –
I read A LOT and have literally never written a review but……Omg, omg, omg this book is so real, shocking, sad, relatable, unpredictable and somehow really funny at the same time.She is a really talented writer with a wild ass story.I also grew up with a mother who has NPD – and royally screwed up the relationship with my bio dad and robbed my youth from me – and saw all the classic signs. My mom is still with me and I secretly feel so much relief to think of when she’s not here torturing me anymore.Your family is a roll of the dice – you don’t get to choose them. And not everyone gets a good one.This book is permission and grace to not feel required to have toxic people in your life simply because they are blood related (which you had no choice in – you didn’t ask to be born).And to face the hard stuff for YOUR benefit (no one else’s) and come out of the other side so much better for it.I do wish there was more of this book only because it was so good:- more on the real dad (where is he? do they talk? How did her mother even have TIME for an affair since it seems like she was constantly up Jeanette’s ass?)- also, who she is now. It focuses a lot on the past vs. present and she has come SO far.I will read or watch anything she writes and can’t wait for the next thing (hope there is one!) Like write a series, movie, play – you’ve got SKILLS Jeanette!
Shanrocks94 –
I don’t typically read memoirs, but felt compelled to read this as I have also had conflicting feelings since my own mother passed. I also grew up watching some of these shows and had no idea what was going on behind the scenes,let alone what some child actors have to go through just to give the rest of us entertainment. This book sheds a light on Jennette’s struggles with eating disorders and her tumultuous relationship with her mother and the effects of how it spilled out in every other aspect of her life. I bought and finished this in one day. I would absolutely recommend reading this if you have even a slight interest in it. The way she wrote this book was interesting as well, like you are always reading what she is going through and feeling in the present tense. Fantastic book all around.
LP –
It read to me like “Ghost Boy”- she had awareness, but was pulled in so many directions. It’s a fantastic, funny, humble read for anyone wanting to learn the inner dynamics of abuse and addiction. A must read for counselors.I hope her next book delves into her mother’s process and perhaps some sort of compassion/understanding of what led her mother down this dark path, which is leading to help for a lot of people.The author seems to clearly come to terms with her own pain. I hope this path of self-care continues for her.I don’t know how someone could write an autobiography so dark, yet so entertaining throughout the ENTIRE book, but she does. You’ll laugh and cry at the same time.
TheLazyGoth –
This isn’t some “tragedy p*rn” about maternal abuse that *some* authors have peddled (*cough*Dave Pelzer*cough*) This is as honest as it is vulnerable, funny as it is heartbreaking; it is one hell of a book. She doesn’t throw out $100 words or dramatic sentence structure, she writes how her voice would sound. Many people will just read the title and see the cover photo and immediately think “Pfff. Such a desperate attempt to shock people into reading…” And those people would be woefully incorrect. The only “shock” in the book is how stunted her life became because of her mother. However, if you’ve been on the victim end of parental narcissism, alcoholism, and/or eating disorders, you won’t feel shock. You will feel the pain, yet relief, someone else knows what you’ve been through. Not since Maya Angelou’s many autobiographies have I been so immersed in the story of someone else’s life. Lastly, I hope this puts to rest the idiotic “feud” between her and her former castmate during “Sam & Cat.” She had every right to be angry at anyone and everyone associated with that production. I hope this catapults her into even more stardom (if she wants it to!) because, as the review says, she EARNED the best-seller spot. Don’t hesitate, just buy it.
iampoison –
I finished the audiobook within 24 hours. It’s read by the author, so you get to experience this story through her voice, which I highly recommend.I’m not famous, never acted, and I’ve never suffered an eating disorder, but still relate to McCurdy in so many ways. The first half of her book perfectly captures the experience of being a people-pleasing child surrounded by broken adults. You know something is wrong, but you’re unable to name it or explain why it’s wrong, and as a child you can’t escape it. Navigating your life becomes a terrible game, it’s not fun, but being “good” at that game also gives you a sick sense of pride.The latter half speaks to mental illness, familial myths, and abuse. The aftermath of such an upbringing.I liken the overall feeling of this book to a childhood injury I had. I was like, 7, and I got hit in the face by a bungee cord. (Right above my eye.) I felt pain when it struck me, but I was oddly fine. I didn’t even cry. It wasn’t until I climbed on the toilet to see myself in the bathroom mirror that things changed. I saw how bad the wound was, and knew the moisture on my face was blood, not sweat like I had thought. After knowing, the wound felt different. And I cried, got stitches, and ended up with a permanent scar.McCurdy was a child, living the life she knew, recognizing in her own way that things were bad, bargaining and rationalizing those feelings away to survive, to win, until she found herself lost, broken, and unhealthy as an adult. Once you know things, you can’t go back.It’s a dark story, but a relatable one, and it’s recounted with enough dark humor to give you a breath before you sink too deep. I loved it, I’m rooting for McCurdy, and I look forward to reading (or listening) to more of her work in the future.
RD –
To be honest I was not expecting much from this book. I had never heard of her before (I’m 58 yrs old) I thought it would be another typical bad childhood/happy ending book. But I quickly changed my mind. She has been through literal hell both physically but especially mentally. Her mom who I think she is still too easy on; where’s the well-deserved anger?! was a monster with no redeeming qualities that I can discern of. She practically destroyed her. Reading the book made me hate her for what she put her daughter and sons through. Not to mention her unfortunately weak father who failed in his duty to protect them from her abuse. She has accomplished so much in searching and working hard to attain some semblance of mental wellness. And it seems she has achieved that.. She fought and tackled an enormous mountain that many are unable to accomplish. She is Brave. She is intelligent and funny besides that. I hope she knows that no one can achieve total happiness. But it sounds like she is doing a damn good job of living her life. She has my very best wishes to have alot of peace and happiness in her life. I thank her for sharing herself with us. And I hope she makes alot of money on her book!