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 …
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.
I'm not a JM fan or anything but my kids watched that show. I just needed a quick palate cleanser and this was available from the library. I'm glad I read it though. I have a lot of respect for her now.
The writing is excellent and far exceeded my expectations.
Honestly, I'm not sure how we as a society can continue justifying permitting kids in the entertainment industry. It's always bad. ALWAYS.
Chica, qué enganche. No lo he podido soltar en tres días, la lectura es muy rápida y adictiva. Los capítulos son muy cortos, cada uno narra una escena más o menos conectada con la anterior, y a través de las escenas nos hacemos a la idea de cómo ha ido discurriendo la vida de la autora. Los capítulos en sí mismos tienen mucho ritmo, y está narrado con un gran sentido del humor (humor muy negro). El nivel de detalle y franqueza con el que se cuentan temas tan duros como TCAs y maltrato psicológico, sumado a que la autora es una actriz famosa y aunque no la conozcas de antes puedes encontrar en internet muchos eventos narrados en el libro, le dan mucho morbo a la historia. Entiendo porqué gusta tanto, pero no estoy muy segura de si me ha gustado a mí. Ahora bien, el texto está redactado …
Chica, qué enganche. No lo he podido soltar en tres días, la lectura es muy rápida y adictiva. Los capítulos son muy cortos, cada uno narra una escena más o menos conectada con la anterior, y a través de las escenas nos hacemos a la idea de cómo ha ido discurriendo la vida de la autora. Los capítulos en sí mismos tienen mucho ritmo, y está narrado con un gran sentido del humor (humor muy negro). El nivel de detalle y franqueza con el que se cuentan temas tan duros como TCAs y maltrato psicológico, sumado a que la autora es una actriz famosa y aunque no la conozcas de antes puedes encontrar en internet muchos eventos narrados en el libro, le dan mucho morbo a la historia. Entiendo porqué gusta tanto, pero no estoy muy segura de si me ha gustado a mí. Ahora bien, el texto está redactado un poco raro, me deja con la impresión de que se ha editado/traducido a toda prisa. Y más o menos a la mitad del libro dejé de sentir que había una estructura: a pesar de que los capítulos en sí mismos están bien construidos, me parecía que la narración en general no me llevaba a ningún sitio. Esta sensación de no-estructura me ha durado hasta casi el final del libro.
Resumidamente: un documento cultural, como dice Lena Dunham, interesante de leer, «trauma porn» para quien le guste, ligero en estilo aunque no en temas. Yo también me alegro de que su madre haya muerto.
I do think everyone has a story to tell, it's just that some people tell it better. This book is written bravely in its emotional honesty, and it is laid out as to be engaging throughout. Great read.
"I get to the towel closet and grab the little red dish towel with Christmas lights on it, wet the end of it under the kitchen faucet, and press the wet end into the milk-soaked carpet"
"I head to the kitchen to re-wet it for round two when Mom crosses through and heads for the living room. Anxiety fills my body. I'm just about to warn Mom, but by the time she's out of the kitchen, I know it's too late. "What is this?" Mom asks in a tone that makes me know she knows exactly what it is she just stepped in.
I tell Mom I already started to clean it up, so the wetness is mostly just water, but it doesn't matter. Her mood has already switched.".
"I wonder if there's something different I could have done to get us out the door faster. I wonder if there's …
"I get to the towel closet and grab the little red dish towel with Christmas lights on it, wet the end of it under the kitchen faucet, and press the wet end into the milk-soaked carpet"
"I head to the kitchen to re-wet it for round two when Mom crosses through and heads for the living room. Anxiety fills my body. I'm just about to warn Mom, but by the time she's out of the kitchen, I know it's too late. "What is this?" Mom asks in a tone that makes me know she knows exactly what it is she just stepped in.
I tell Mom I already started to clean it up, so the wetness is mostly just water, but it doesn't matter. Her mood has already switched.".
"I wonder if there's something different I could have done to get us out the door faster. I wonder if there's something I can do in the future".
I'm not ready to say anything else about this book, but I can't stop thinking about the milk on the carpet, and I can't stop thinking about how it was me holding the Christmas themed dish towel.
As someone who was a fan of iCarly when it aired, and was equally a fan of Sam's character it really was jarring of how different Sam and Jennette are.
It further underlines just how much some people are hiding their struggles and don't let it show because it's easier or more advantageous to pretend as if nothing is wrong.
