A review by meleah_neely
I'm Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
"so much of my life has felt so out of my control for so long. and i'm done with that being my reality."
i usually do not like memoirs— much less autobiographies. i never quite knew why. maybe it has something to do with breaking the shiny surfaces of the people you think you know and finally seeing them for what it is. most memoirs, in my opinion, only do this for the sake of pushing political messages or making you seem more real. part of what this biography asks you to do is ask yourself: are you ready to learn the cost of life? mccurdy examines the quintessential aspects of reality and challenges what it truly means to live in a world where you are merely just alive. what i take away most from this book is its rawness and transparency. while heavy at many moments, it was enlightening and did a phenomenal job at bringing you in. when jennette was confused, we were confused. her hopes, her fears, her struggles, we felt all of it alongside her. in some ways, one could read this as her inviting you in— stepping into her life and seeing just a glimpse of what it takes to live by someone else's standards. all for the sake of the 'American dream' nonetheless. a truly inspiring and heavy book that gives you insight into the true difficulties of the industry for child actors, since i am sure jennette was not the only one who felt these same experiences. as someone who watched icarly and then jennette's podcast where she spoke out on these issues, i could not be happier to see that she finally— after so long— has found a voice. and found it in something that's memorializing and beautiful nonetheless. as i said, this book does get very heavy (more than i imagined), so please check the content warnings before you read it and it's okay to take breaks while reading.
i usually do not like memoirs— much less autobiographies. i never quite knew why. maybe it has something to do with breaking the shiny surfaces of the people you think you know and finally seeing them for what it is. most memoirs, in my opinion, only do this for the sake of pushing political messages or making you seem more real. part of what this biography asks you to do is ask yourself: are you ready to learn the cost of life? mccurdy examines the quintessential aspects of reality and challenges what it truly means to live in a world where you are merely just alive. what i take away most from this book is its rawness and transparency. while heavy at many moments, it was enlightening and did a phenomenal job at bringing you in. when jennette was confused, we were confused. her hopes, her fears, her struggles, we felt all of it alongside her. in some ways, one could read this as her inviting you in— stepping into her life and seeing just a glimpse of what it takes to live by someone else's standards. all for the sake of the 'American dream' nonetheless. a truly inspiring and heavy book that gives you insight into the true difficulties of the industry for child actors, since i am sure jennette was not the only one who felt these same experiences. as someone who watched icarly and then jennette's podcast where she spoke out on these issues, i could not be happier to see that she finally— after so long— has found a voice. and found it in something that's memorializing and beautiful nonetheless. as i said, this book does get very heavy (more than i imagined), so please check the content warnings before you read it and it's okay to take breaks while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Drug use, Gore, Addiction, Blood, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Self harm
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Pedophilia