A review by theskyboi
I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.25
Through the candid view into the lives of others, memoirs often allow us to glean something deeper about our own experiences. I'm Glad My Mom Died is no exception to this maxim. As Jennette McCurdy unfurls a life spent in the shadow of her mother's unfulfilled dream, she transparently outlines the struggles that come along with recovering from a life of abuse.
Where words fail to explain the traumatic weight of being abused by a parent, McCurdy employs quite a punch with well crafted chapter endings that leave the reader contemplating yet eager to keep pushing onward. This book's strength lies in its sincere attempt to document her thoughts regarding costars, managers, family, and close others. However, the timeline of McCurdy's life was too difficult to follow at times, which made it difficult to fully conceptualize her life story.
It should not come as a surprise that a book with this title delves into the lifelong abuse that McCurdy experienced under her mother's care, but it should be noted that there are extensive, detailed descriptions of sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse, which she credits as the point of origin for her alcohol use and eating disorders. While these do not detract from the memoir itself, it is fair to warn any readers with particular sensitivities.
Overall, there was much to be learned in my reading of this book. McCurdy's life served as something of a mirror through which I could understand the limits of the human soul, as well as its persistence. No one thing can define us in this world, and I believe that this book encapsulates the importance of mental health treatment, as well as child welfare, especially within the context of the entertainment industry. This read will stay with me for quite some time.
Where words fail to explain the traumatic weight of being abused by a parent, McCurdy employs quite a punch with well crafted chapter endings that leave the reader contemplating yet eager to keep pushing onward. This book's strength lies in its sincere attempt to document her thoughts regarding costars, managers, family, and close others. However, the timeline of McCurdy's life was too difficult to follow at times, which made it difficult to fully conceptualize her life story.
It should not come as a surprise that a book with this title delves into the lifelong abuse that McCurdy experienced under her mother's care, but it should be noted that there are extensive, detailed descriptions of sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse, which she credits as the point of origin for her alcohol use and eating disorders. While these do not detract from the memoir itself, it is fair to warn any readers with particular sensitivities.
Overall, there was much to be learned in my reading of this book. McCurdy's life served as something of a mirror through which I could understand the limits of the human soul, as well as its persistence. No one thing can define us in this world, and I believe that this book encapsulates the importance of mental health treatment, as well as child welfare, especially within the context of the entertainment industry. This read will stay with me for quite some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Mental illness, Vomit, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse
Moderate: Blood, Incest, and Cursing
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Medical content