I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Review of I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy (2022). Published by Simon and Schuster.
This book has been everywhere as of late, which is no surprise. When it was released, I had no idea that McCurdy had written a memoir, and, to be honest, I was thinking about all of the press she has been doing for the past couple of years.
It was unsurprising she had been coming out with this, especially if you watched any of her interviews or podcasts after she retired from acting. She was open about her experiences with her mother, so I was curious to see how this translated onto the page.
I will admit, I really liked the content she would put out talking about her trauma and experiences, but this book was not my cup of tea.
I will say, I grew up with McCurdy. I was a part of the generation that saw her every single week on iCarly, and my sister and I would sit down to watch the movies whenever they premiered on Nickelodeon.
I imagine, after reading this, the book would shed light for a lot of fans during that time, especially because a certain somebody’s actions is very public information now. McCurdy’s story only dives deeper into her personal history, but what she experienced on the show as well.
Onwards with the official review!
Former iCarly star Jennette McCurdy reveals her abuse and exploitation by her mother in this memoir.
Jennette McCurdy did not want to be a star. She did not want to be an actor, either, but she gets deep into that towards the second arc of her book, especially when she starts to land more jobs in the industry, including the gig she was known for best: iCarly.
Before she auditioned for her first role at six years old, she was just a somewhat happy kid living with her entire family crammed into one home. They were quote-on-quote bad Mormons, but it didn’t matter because she idolized her mother. The tables would quickly turn in the next decade.
Jennette was essentially living her mother’s dreams. Her mother would dictate everything in her life, from the clothes she would wear, to the jobs she would audition for, and, ultimately, how she would even shower as a teenager. Jennette describes how uncomfortable she was with her mother doing her showers for her, and how she had to shower with her brother even after they had both hit puberty.
She didn’t want to wear the clothes her mother wanted her to wear, but she did to appease her. That became a theme throughout the book, as her mother would throw tantrums and post online gossip if Jennette didn’t do what she wanted.
So not only is she extremely manipulative, but she has some underlying issues. That becomes cancer later on, as one could figure out her mother dies. At the same time, this is juxtaposed against The Creator (who clearly is a certain somebody that shall remain unnamed) and how he would seek out his stars to wear bikinis and do inappropriate things.
When Jennette asked to direct an episode of Sam and Cat later on, when she was first signed, she was eventually denied that, much to the sympathy to everyone on set. It becomes extremely obvious why she quit acting the deeper you read into this memoir.
The most disappointing part about all of this was the lack of support Jennette depicts. Her other family members don’t walk away from the abuse, nor do they try and stop it.
Her dad offers escapes at the beginning of the memoir, when her mother was trying to force anorexia onto Jennette, and while I can’t try to assume his thoughts and actions, I would suffer seeing my kid suffer like that. It’s a different kind of grief to live through, and while I see why no one intervened (and we don’t know if anything was done to them specifically), it is disappointing to see.
People have a tendency to get really offended on the title, which, in a way, I assume comes from people who also have not read this book at all. Considering you’re dropped into McCurdy’s perspectives about things, you’re going to finish this memoir and think that her mom was someone with deep seeded issues. Yeah, it’s a blunt, slightly callous take at everything that went on. But does it grab the attention? Yes. Does it get people talking? Definitely. It’s like true clickbait in the publishing world.
There’s also a lot of discussion about the beef that supposedly went down between Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande. I saw those headlines and news stories when this book came out. Jennette does go into detail about what exactly happened on that show, including her being denied the opportunity to direct, and there wasn’t really beef.
She talks honestly about how she was jealous about Ariana, but their lives clearly could not be any different. Ariana grew up rich and had connections, while Jennette was the exact opposite. This was an interesting take to have in the book juxtaposed between the friendship of Miranda and Jennette, which was surprisingly sweet to read about.
Overall Thoughts
It’s a thought provoking memoir. It’s popular because of how Jennette McCurdy was basically one of the icons of a generation’s youth, and, if she were any other actor, it would not have worked out well into the mainstream consciousness as much as it did. It shows a lot about her life eloquently, but I could not get with her writing style.
It was too choppy and didn’t read in a way I was used to, which showed to me Jennette isn’t exactly the strongest writer.
She conveys her points clearly, and they come across well, but her style was simply something I could not get on board with. Lots of dangers and warning signs for other young actresses, women, and people stuck in abusive situations, as well as pure sadness for some of the things that she went through in order to get this fame. It was worth reading, although I struggled a bit.
