A Heartbreaking And Hilarious Memoir

I recently finished reading I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

*POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* Rating: 3.75/5 stars

"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."

This is a very candid account of the abuse Jennette McCurdy suffered at the hands of her narcissistic mother, and how that merged with her experience as a child actress. I don’t think you need to be familiar with her show, or even know/care about her as a person to glean lots from this book, and I think it's an important text due to the way her story is likely representative of a much larger population of child actors.

For those hoping to get a “tea sesh” about the abuse rampant at Nickelodeon, you won’t be getting that here, despite it being what the major media outlets are currently fixating on. Jennette doesn’t shy away from talking about her experience with Sam & Cat (she hated it) and her experience with Dan Schnieder (a terrible person, obviously, whom she never refers to by name), and even dedicates a short chapter to Ariana Grande, but this novel isn’t centered around that in the slightest, and to come into this book only for that would be a disservice to Jennette's story.

Reading about the abuse Jennette experienced firsthand is completely heartbreaking. She writes about having an eating disorder, given to her by her mother, and feeling beholden to her mother at all times. From calling her ten times a day to insisting on showering her even as a teenager, this book is full of triggering content, and I would urge those who have experienced abuse to proceed with caution.

I think especially with gen z, we haven’t had a ton of actors from Disney and Nickelodeon speak out specifically about their experiences on set (the $300,000 offer from Nickelodeon Jennette turned down may explain that) and how child acting impacted their lives, and it’s a very necessary perspective to hear as the consumers of that media. Hearing some of the things Jennette said about her stardom were jarring, in that as children we don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes and mindlessly consume without regard to the actors' lives. I also thought it was super interesting to get the perspective of a very self-aware child star that didn’t become super successful on screen after their breakout role, and the narrative she builds around /why/ that was.

This book was super impactful, and I have no doubt will reach a large audience. McCurdy's writing style is succinct yet impactful, well organized, balanced with seriousness and humor, and told in a very blunt tone. I would definitely recommend listening to the book via audiobook which is narrated by her because it adds a whole new layer of tone. This was a tough reading experience, but I really loved the book and would highly recommend it to everyone.

Check out I'm Glad My Mom Died, and take on the hard truth of Jennette McCurdy's life.

Happy Reading :)