I'm Glad My Mom Died

Jennette McCurdy

Aug 2022 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

* #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * MORE THAN 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD!

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.

Ratings and reviews

This Book sounds perfect for those that are full of hate and bitterness, l understand that people are hurt due to abuse, but you will never move forward in their life, with hate in your heart ❤️. God commands us to forgive and to honor our mother and father, he doesn't do this to be mean he does it because he knows if you refuse to forgive and continue to hold on to your anger, hurt, unforgiveness, bitterness, you will truly live a miserable life. Only God can heal your broken heart 💔, let him heal you of all your pain, don't buy this book just to feed your pain.

This book was utterly harrowing and very difficult to read at times. Like many others, it has delivered some very disturbing context to the entertainment I consumed as a pre-teen, context that I, frankly, would have been happier not knowing. Despite this, I'm glad to know it, because the truth is often uncomfortable, painful and devastating. But if we don't accept that truth, there's no hope for change. This memoir may just serve as a catalyst for that change. I hope so. Excellently written.

While it's a page turner, it's not the most well written. It's great to see the voice in the novel grow up as Jennette does though, and that's definitely part of what makes the book good. I hated learning how she never wanted to act and how he mother created so much turmoil in her life, but I found I related to so much of it. I look forward to seeing McCurdy's writing get better as she continues doing so.

About the author

Jennette McCurdy starred in Nickelodeon’s hit show iCarly and its spin-off, Sam & Cat, as well as in the Netflix series Between. In 2017, she quit acting and began pursuing writing/directing. Her films have been featured in the Florida Film Festival, the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival, Short of the Week, and elsewhere. Her essays have appeared in HuffPost and The Wall Street Journal. Her one-woman show I’m Glad My Mom Died had two sold-out runs at the Lyric Hyperion Theatre and Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles. She hosts a podcast called Empty Inside, which has topped Apple’s charts and features guests speaking about uncomfortable topics. She lives in Los Angeles.