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A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actorтАФincluding eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing motherтАФand how she retook control of her life.
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her motherтАЩs 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 тАЬcalorie restriction,тАЭ eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, тАЬYour eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesnтАЩt tint hers?тАЭ She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.
In IтАЩm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detailтАФjust 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 (тАЬHi Gale!тАЭ), 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, IтАЩm Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.