ruchidas's review against another edition
5.0
My five-star reads are usually ones that make me shake uncontrollably with laughter, have me clapping towards the end, or have me crying so hard that I choke on my tears. Jennette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died did neither of these. Instead, it made me numb in ways I can't possibly put into words for reasons I will probably never share on any social media platform.
And so I know the kind of guts it takes to tell a story this personal, rife with guilt, shame, loathing, and mental baggage for your relationship with the one person the society expects you to give a pass no matter what: your mother. McCurdy's life and memoir are raging testaments to the fact that mothers, too, can be toxic toward their children.
I'm amazed at how tastefully she has dealt with this subject, balancing sentiments with humor in all the right places and conveying her side of the story without specifically targeting anyone. Powerful is how I would describe her writing style.
Why do we romanticize the dead? Why can't we be honest about them?
Especially moms. They're the most romanticized of anyone.
Moms are saints. Angels by merely existing. NO ONE could understand what it's like to be a mom. Men will never understand. Women with no children will never understand. No one but moms know the hardship of motherhood, and we non-moms must heap nothing but praise upon moms because we lowly, pitiful non-moms are mere peasants compared to the goddesses we call mothers.
If not for this book, few people would know of the harrowing physical, mental, and emotional abuse McCurdy underwent at the hands of her mother till the age of 21, when she finally succumbed to breast cancer. No review can do as big of a justice to this story as McCurdy herself. However, what we can do as readers is to spread the word and make more people read it.
This book singlehandedly validates all the struggles one goes through growing up with a narcissistic parent. Every bad feeling waived off by society in lieu of mothers' higher moral grounds is dissected to its last bit. Yes, it is inappropriate for your mother to touch you without your permission once you start understanding your body. Your parents' dreams and traumas are none of your responsibility. Bringing you up in a loving and caring environment is their duty because they chose to have children.
There's a reason that everyone at r/raisedbynarcissits on Reddit raves about this book. Through I'm Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy has opened the doors to stories of narcissistic abuse of children at the hands of their parents. I only hope more and more people read it and normalize this subject.
After all, being a mother doesn't give you a pass at treating your own children as you please.
And so I know the kind of guts it takes to tell a story this personal, rife with guilt, shame, loathing, and mental baggage for your relationship with the one person the society expects you to give a pass no matter what: your mother. McCurdy's life and memoir are raging testaments to the fact that mothers, too, can be toxic toward their children.
I'm amazed at how tastefully she has dealt with this subject, balancing sentiments with humor in all the right places and conveying her side of the story without specifically targeting anyone. Powerful is how I would describe her writing style.
Why do we romanticize the dead? Why can't we be honest about them?
Especially moms. They're the most romanticized of anyone.
Moms are saints. Angels by merely existing. NO ONE could understand what it's like to be a mom. Men will never understand. Women with no children will never understand. No one but moms know the hardship of motherhood, and we non-moms must heap nothing but praise upon moms because we lowly, pitiful non-moms are mere peasants compared to the goddesses we call mothers.
If not for this book, few people would know of the harrowing physical, mental, and emotional abuse McCurdy underwent at the hands of her mother till the age of 21, when she finally succumbed to breast cancer. No review can do as big of a justice to this story as McCurdy herself. However, what we can do as readers is to spread the word and make more people read it.
This book singlehandedly validates all the struggles one goes through growing up with a narcissistic parent. Every bad feeling waived off by society in lieu of mothers' higher moral grounds is dissected to its last bit. Yes, it is inappropriate for your mother to touch you without your permission once you start understanding your body. Your parents' dreams and traumas are none of your responsibility. Bringing you up in a loving and caring environment is their duty because they chose to have children.
There's a reason that everyone at r/raisedbynarcissits on Reddit raves about this book. Through I'm Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy has opened the doors to stories of narcissistic abuse of children at the hands of their parents. I only hope more and more people read it and normalize this subject.
After all, being a mother doesn't give you a pass at treating your own children as you please.
e_lace's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
4.5
I really enjoyed this. I read a lot of fantasy so I think sometimes I forget I can enjoy someone's writing without worrying about the worldbuilding
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Vomit, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse
leahthompson's review against another edition
4.0
Read this in a single sitting. Props to Jennette for putting her truth out there, this memoir is heavy but also hopeful. The description notes that this book is “hilarious” but like many other reviewers…that definitely isn’t something I picked up on in the novel.
ramondc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
amysch's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
5.0
This book needs to be read by every patent and women. Her story has encouraged me to reflect on how I interact with others-especislly my child. I could not put this book down.
ingmund's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
shannon_schaefer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0