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 …
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.
If You Enjoyed Quiet On Set, You're In For a Treat
4 Sterne
This memoir is both sad and hopeful. Jennette discloses her narcissist mother's many abuses and her struggle with eating disorders from the age of eleven through her early twenties. Between those two major throughlines is a great deal of experiences and personal growth. There's a lot to appreciate here, and anyone interested in the lives of child actors should give this a read. This is a perfect complement to the docuseries Quiet on Set.
This book was so great but also absolutely horrifying. Well written and paced with a gutpunching twist after every chapter. It made me sad, it made me yell out in anguish. The translation (to Swedish, by Julia Gillberg) was good too; a few mistakes but a strong command of contemporary, casual, natural Swedish that reads like talking to a friend. I loved this book.
I never saw any of her shows so this book was my first introduction to this writer. I'm kind of out of touch with pop culture sometimes.
La historia de Jennette es tan trágica que sólo funciona si la cuenta en clave de humor, así que no queda más remedio que reírse de las desgracias (muchas de ellas compartidas). Parece un ejercicio que haces con una terapeuta en el que cuentas momentos de tu vida que te han marcado, para bien o para mal, pero que acaban por construir tu persona. Es como si tu amiga te contara sus traumas familiares un día de cañas en un bar, y no puedes contener las interjecciones "buah tía mi madre es igual" y "joder, qué horror, me parto".
