Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

38 reviews

mossbird's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Wow.

I listened to this as an audiobook and listening to Jennette talk so openly and emotionally about things very similar to what I experienced as a kid has honestly touched me in some way. It's incredibly rare to hear anyone talk about childhood abuse perpetrated and conducted by their mother and even rarer to hear them talk about it so bluntly, openly, and thoughtfully. I have an astronomical respect for this woman and I hope she knows that her openness makes so many people feel so much less alone.

McCurdy writes with humour and strikingly brutal honesty in a way that very much resonates with me. This book had me in tears, in bouts of laughter, and in a very contemplative & reflective mood. The way she chronicles her life had me so proud of her for her successes and so hopeful she could rise again when she slipped and truly had me engaged.

Thank you for writing about your experience. Thank you for allowing us to listen.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

quotestation's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

4.5

I must start this review by saying one should not have the audiobook on display while having breakfast with their mother — there were all sorts of whining in my house.

I found quite fascinating how Jennette seems to recall so much of her childhood, of her feelings and thoughts as the events happened.

I didn’t find the book funny as many say, but perhaps that is my own coping mechanism and dry humour that makes me hyper fixate on what she was actually saying. Nonetheless, the way she wrote was clever, and the journey of going through abuse and addiction and grief and coming out victorious on the other side is undeniable. 

I do not share her experience, but I do agree on her final thoughts about romanticising certain people and titles. More even so with the juxtaposition of missing someone even though you know they are, to put it simply, shit.

Quite touching, this book will stay with me for a long time (dare I say forever). I hope she’s well and happy and that people going through similar experiences may find the healing they deserve.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Death of parent

Minor: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Stalking

amaralh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug abuse, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

Minor: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship

catriona176's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Grief, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Stalking

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

4.75

Review:

I read I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy via audiobook, which is a big deal for me because I’ve never before read a book in this format. I usually find audiobooks impossible to pay attention to due to my auditory processing issues, but this one worked for four reasons.

1.     It’s narrated in first person, which makes it feel like someone telling a story

2.     It’s narrated by the author, which gives it an aura of authenticity

3.     The author is a former actor, so she communicates the emotions/voices well

4.     It’s a powerfully written book—very accessible and engaging, with short chapters

There’s not much I can say about this book that hasn’t already been said. It’s fantastic. Not only is the story emotionally devastating, but it’s supremely well-written. McCurdy seems to have a strong instinct for storytelling and weaving together vignettes to get her message across. It’s clear that she has done a lot of internal work to be able to get to a point where she can write about her early life from a point of clarity.

 

The Run-Down: 

You will probably like I’m Glad My Mom Died if . . . 

·      You are in a good space mentally to handle the triggering descriptions of abuse and eating disorders

·      You are looking for an honest, focused, well-written, and emotionally devastating memoir (with a touch of humor added in every now and then)

 

You might not like I’m Glad My Mom Died if . . .

·      You are expecting a traditional celebrity memoir

·      You are reading it to learn about the behind-the-scenes details about iCarly

 

A Point of Comparison: 

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (2023). Similar to I’m Glad My Mom Died, it follows the author from childhood through young adulthood, focusing on the abuse they suffered under the care of a narcissistically physically and emotionally abusive parent. Both memoirs also meditate on the pressures put on their authors as they were forced to perform at a high level at a young age, as well as the refuge writing can provide. Unlike I’m Glad My Mom Died, Sinclair’s writing is quite poetic and flowery and centers around the abuse suffered under her Rastafarian father.

 

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Gaslighting

Minor: Forced institutionalization

Other Content Warnings: Hoarding, invasion of privacy

capp518's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer and Terminal illness

Minor: Forced institutionalization and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

lucylou's review against another edition

fast-paced

5.0

HIGHLY recommend getting the audiobook read by Jennette! The last 20 chapters (“after”) were my favorite, and I wish that there had been more time spent on her recovery and how she came to terms with her mental illness and eating disorder, and her relationship to her mother and family. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Mental illness and Forced institutionalization

nikmahie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

This book can be extremely triggering for those struggling with eating disorders. And sometimes it made me feel a bit awkward, as it was written very explicitly. 

However, this book is important. Not only for the writer, but for everyone. It shows how someone in the spotlight can be struggling really badly, without anyone noticing and/or taking action to help. It’s horrible what happened to Jennette, and I wish someone was there in her childhood that would have saved her from that turmoil and pain. It’s amazing to see though how she’s handled herself and her recovery, how she’s been able to choose herself and her own (mental) health. What a strong and amazing woman. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug abuse, Medical content, Grief, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, and Forced institutionalization

issielg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Death of parent

vikkisgrotto's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, and Stalking