I'm Glad My Mom Died.

 

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Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. 

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she wants. 

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Heartbreaking. Haunting. 

I loved Jennette McCurdy ever since I saw her on ICarly not long after the show was released. I thought that Jennette did an amazing job at playing Sam, and not once did it occur to me that acting wasn’t Jennette’s choice until I read the book. I was excited when I found out that Jennette wrote a book and curious when I found out the title of the book. I’m Glad My Mom Died, how can you not wonder why that title is? I couldn’t help but wonder what happened between Jennette and her mother for her to come up with a title like that. Once I started reading the book, I understood why Jennette felt that it didn’t take me long to dislike her mother. I did wonder how Jennette didn’t see what her mother was doing, and it wasn’t love; it was abuse. I saw it when her mother made Jennette attend that audition when she was six. Her mother wasn’t doing it for Jennette; she was doing it for herself; she forced Jennette into acting. I understood why Jennette didn’t enjoy it, which wasn’t her passion. 

I don’t know Jennette personally, but I felt as if I did as I read I’m Glad My Mom Died . The emotions in this book…I don’t think I can describe how I felt because so many emotions went through me. Considering what her mom made her do, it’s no wonder she had an eating disorder. My heart broke for Jennette, and I wished that I could give her a big hug. I think that I cried a few times while reading this book. I have read several celebrity memoirs, but this one hit me the hardest. I’m Glad My Mom Died is a sad book that breaks your heart at times, but you have trouble putting it down. I don’t even want to believe that a parent would put their child through what Jennette’s mother put her through. If it weren’t for school and tests that week, I would finish it faster than I did. I’m Glad My Mom Died was such an inspirational novel. 

While reading the book, Jennette became one of my favorite people. She was brave. I knew that writing the book meant she had to relieve all those memories again. I wouldn’t been as courageous as her. I got to know her much better after reading this book. I can see why so many people loved this book; I couldn’t get enough of this book. I have a feeling that I will be coming back to this book in the future. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. I highly recommend checking this book out. I’m Glad My Mom Died is worth every single page, a book you won’t be able to forget.