genevieve_eggleston's review against another edition
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Fatphobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Addiction, Body shaming, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Pedophilia, Violence, Blood, Death, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Abandonment, Animal death, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, Excrement, Gore, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape
emmer1629's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Pedophilia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Toxic relationship
krystof's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Body shaming, Cursing, Grief, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Addiction
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Blood, Body shaming, Drug abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
annatina's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Child abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
lifeamongpages's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Grief, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Fatphobia, Vomit, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Cancer
Minor: Infertility and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
mindespair's review against another edition
5.0
the moment i found out about this memoir, i knew i had to read it. life (and the fact that the book had cost $30) got in the way for a bit. i got the book for christmas and read the first chapter shortly after. and then there was a long period of time i was too busy to read the rest of this despite how intrigued i was. i finally picked it up again yesterday. i finished it tonight. i absolutely blew through this. my heart ached with every sentence that i read. i’m happy jennette is doing better now. i am also very glad that her mom died, too.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Addiction, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Death of parent, Cancer, Sexual assault, Grief, and Eating disorder
Moderate: Infidelity, Pedophilia, Drug use, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Stalking
dianalou's review
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Alcohol, and Vomit
Moderate: Body shaming and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
vr_alyssa's review against another edition
3.0
So why did I decide to read this book? Well, largely because I am interested in life writing. But honestly also because I came across a news article that addressed the (forced) use of alcohol among child actors for Nickelodeon (bad reason but here we are).
For a large part of the book, the author writes from the perspective of a child. On a base level this means simple words, short sentences, etc. On a deeper level, this means naiveté, misunderstanding of circumstances, lack of reflection, etc. For example: the child puts her mom on a pedestal and wants to be just like her, despite the mother constantly putting the child in situations where she is extremely uncomfortable and forcing the child to put the mother's needs before her own. This is of course not the child's fault. If anything, it gives the reader a much better understanding of the abuse that went on: how bad it was, how deeply ingrained it became, etc. Just to be clear: that is not to say that the author is any of those things, but she has given the narrator these qualities as the narrator starts out as a child and (somewhat) gradually becomes an adult as the story progresses.
It's a heart-breaking book. The situation with her mom was so much worse than I imagined, and it makes me love my mom even more. But. The book runs on 'tell' and includes little 'show'. She skips larger periods of time without justification or explanation and often does not include information that would inform the reader how much time has passed. In some cases the skipping of time can be very productive to the story; however, I constantly felt like I was missing key information that would have helped me understand the characters and their relationships better - I am still unsure what her relationship with her brothers is like, whether they were a part of her journey from victim to survivor, or not at all. Not only that, also information that would have shaped the story, provided more structure, and even presented a clearer picture on the abuse that went on at Nickelodeon (I really do feel that there is a lot more there than was included).
Additionally, the relationship between the narrator and the mother was both the focus and not, which was distracting.
Spoiler
It is not until the last page or so that she finally acknowledges the abuse, which was a relief it indicates the narrator is doing better, but also came out of nowhere for me as it was not a steady process. The narrator (and with it the reader) checks in and out on the mother. I honestly really, really wanted to see more clearly how Jennette went from putting her mother on a pedestal to recognising how abusive she was and giving the book the title I'm Glad My Mom Died. With that I mean: the therapy, the thought process, the pain, the contradictions, etc.Spoiler
Furthermore, certain names are dropped while others are actively left out (The Creator), but then these characters disappear from the story. Her various co-stars, for example, such as Miranda and Ariana. They are sporadically mentioned in the book, and added new layers to the pain Jenette was already experiencing, but the reader is left unsatisfied as the characters disappear. Sure, Miranda and Ariana briefly reappear for a 'name-dropping-moment', but I would have liked to see the impact of these female relationships on Jennette and her image of femininity. Now, they seemed important to the story, but weren't fully explored. I think this issue could have been fixed by creating a clearer structure and taking the reader along for the ride more. It is very clear that Miranda, Ariana, and even the Victorious cast had an impact on Jennette's experience - but its not a fully formed picture in the book.
So its not a 'good' book in a literary or storytelling way, but its easy and enjoyable to read and certainly brings the story comes across. To reiterate: it is heart-breaking. Since becoming an adult, I've had a very negative view on how child-actors have been treated and it pisses me off. For me, this book once again shows that child-stardom and childhood cannot co-exist within mega-companies that care more about making fast money.
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
dagmar_gorter8's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Fatphobia, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gaslighting, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use
brenna_kcw's review
4.75
Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Vomit, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Mental illness, Cancer, Child abuse, Addiction, and Panic attacks/disorders
Memoir discusses mental, emotional, and physical abuse by the authors mother. Her mother has cancer and both of them struggle with eating disorders throughout the book, be prepared for graphic descriptions of bulimic and anorexic behaviors/symptoms. Overall a very tender reflection on how these experiences shaped the author, but it can definitely be triggering.