BLERD WITH A BOOK
The former Nickelodeon star-turned-filmmaker weaves an uncomfortable, sad, and darkly humorous tale out of her complicated relationship with her abusive, overbearing mother and her dark experiences with child stardom.
TITLE: I'm Glad My Mom Died
AUTHOR: Jennette McCurdy PUBLISHER & YEAR: Simon & Schuster 2022 PAGES: 304 GENRE: Memoir SUMMARY: Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first 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 this darkly funny and deeply heartbreaking memoir, the former child actor recounts her complicated relationship with her mother in unflinching detail -- just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, Jennette 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 itself into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. Her hardships only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spin-off 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 what she really wants. HOW DID I GET THIS BOOK?: Purchased FORMAT: Hardcover CONTENT WARNING
For readers interested in purchasing a copy of I'm Glad My Mom Died, please be aware that this book can be very triggering, especially if you are struggling with past traumas related to eating disorders, addition, ill mental health, parental abuse, sexual grooming and child abuse, and codependency. I highly recommend that you look up the trigger warnings for this book before deciding to purchase a copy.
Additionally, this edition of Blerd Reads will contain discussions of such subjects, how they're rendered in the book, and how it resonated personally with me. If these topics are triggering for you, please take the appropriate precautions before reading, and, if one of those precautions is skipping this post, I understand. You matter. Your mental health matters. You are allowed to prioritize yourself.
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