I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post [Nine Books] I recently happened upon a list of The 9 Books You Must Read In 2023. Being ever on the lookout for books to read, I made note of the list and downloaded the six books which I had not previously downloaded to my PC. As a matter of fact, one book on the list, The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith was already in the queue to be read this month.

Once I had read nearly all the books I had planned for May, I began to read from the "9 books" list. I've gotten into the habit of having one book in progress on my Kindle with another on the e-book reader installed on my phone. I'll switch back and forth.

For the 2nd book on the list, I decided to go with I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. When my son was younger, he was a fan of the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly so I was familiar with Ms McCurdy. After seeing it on the list, I read a little about her book and I was interested in learning of her experiences as a child actor.

As one might suspect from the title, I’m Glad My Mom Died isn't a pleasant read. McCurdy writes of her abusive mother who manipulated her into an acting career as a young child. From an early age, she was sexually abused by her mother which would aggravate her OCD, and lead to her alcoholism as well as a number of eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia).

For the sake of her own mental health, McCurdy has retired from acting. After years of therapy, she is on the mend, so there is a somewhat positive ending.

Of course, I can't say that the book was an enjoyable read, but it is one that I'm glad to have read.