“I always forget that trying to reason with the unreasonable is… unreasonable.”

Book title

I’m glad my mom died

Author

Jennette McCurdy

Date published

09-08-2022

Date started

29-03-2023

Date finished

30-03-2023

Page count

320

Stars

3

Summary

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.

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 really wants.

Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

My review

A book that is totally different from my normal reads. Bookstagram made me read it! Well, listen to it. I’ve listened to the audiobook and that was narrated by the author herself. That is what made this book so very special! I loved to learn about everything that happened and what she did to overcome these things. I love for her that she’s happier now, that she is finally trying to live the life she’s always wanted. Reading about her background story is completely heartbreaking, and me, as an innocent child loving the show iCarly, never noticed how much she was struggling at that time. I’m guessing that is what makes a good actress. Do we want this? No. We would want for actors to enjoy what they do and live life to the fullest. Does it happen like this? Yes, far too often it does. And seriously? I’m glad her mom died too.

My favorite quotes

“I yearn to know the people I love deeply and intimately – without context, without boxes – and I yearn for them to know me that way too.”