I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy

After seeing this memoir raved about on all the platforms, I caved and downloaded I’m Glad My Mom Died, by Jennette McCurdy. The author narrates her story so I made sure to listen to this one on Audible.

I didn’t really know much about Jennette McCurdy prior to hearing about her memoir. I found out she was an actress on Nickelodeon’s iCarly, but I never personally watched that one (a little past my time!!)…so that was all I really knew going into this book. What I learned after reading it, OH MY WORD. I was completely riveted by her story.

First off, Jennette is an incredible writer. The book is fast paced and candid and I was engrossed with every detail of her story. Such a propulsive, compelling read (or listen, in my case). Her tone is very matter-of-fact and blunt, yet conveyed so much emotion. A great balance of solemnity and humor wrapped in her storytelling.

She talks a lot about the dysfunctional relationship between she and her mom and how it impacted both her physical and mental health. Her struggle with eating disorders was hard to take in and listening to her recall different things her mom said and did to her was downright jarring. While she does dish a little bit about her experience acting on Nickelodeon and her relationships with a few of her castmates and producer, she doesn’t spill all the tea. If you’re thinking about picking this one up for all the gossip, you definitely won’t get that here…and I’m so glad for that because there’s SO much more to her story than her time as a child actor.

This is one book I can honestly say is worth all the hype and attention it’s receiving. A hard read at times, but also so well told and poignant. This one comes with all the trigger warnings, so please proceed with caution especially if you’re uncomfortable reading about anorexia/bulimia, disordered eating, OCD, child abuse, emotional manipulation, etc. Raw and honest and painfully powerful. A great pick for a book club if you’re looking for a good one to read.

I personally suggest listening to the audiobook version as Jennette reads it herself. I always think memoirs are more powerful when they’re told by the person who experienced it.

While I absolutely don’t enjoy rating memoirs (they’re just so personal to the author, y’know?!?), this one is a 5 out of 5 stars for me.