Books › I'm Glad My Mom Died
I'm Glad My Mom Died
381 pages
A darkly hilarious and devastatingly raw reckoning with a toxic upbringing that finds hard-won freedom in the aftermath of grief.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like sitting down with a fiercely intelligent, deeply traumatized friend who has finally decided to stop protecting her abuser. It is a propulsive, unputdownable experience that balances devastating emotional abuse with a shockingly sharp, deadpan humor. The atmosphere is initially claustrophobic, trapping you inside the suffocating enmeshment of a mother-daughter bond built on control and exploitation. Yet, as the narrative progresses, that heavy air gives way to a profound, messy catharsis. The prose is conversational and deceptively simple, delivering gut-punches with a wry smile. It will deeply resonate with anyone who has had to dismantle the myth of a perfect family to save themselves, offering a raw, triumphant exhale of reclaimed autonomy.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- raw
- cathartic
- Tone
- darkly comedic
- unflinching
- matter-of-fact
- vulnerable
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- maternal enmeshment · the illusion of child stardom · reclaiming bodily autonomy · complex grief · healing from abuse
- The writing
- Sharp, conversational, and deceptively simple, delivering devastating truths with deadpan precision.
- The arc
- Moves from suffocating compliance and deep denial into a painful, messy, and ultimately liberating awakening.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate dark humor as a coping mechanism and crave brutally honest explorations of toxic family dynamics.
Content notes
- eating disorders
- emotional abuse
- child abuse
- parental death
- addiction
About the book
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.
Description from Open Library.
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