ARLENE'S BOOK REVIEW: I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED BY JENNETTE McCURDY

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Aug 05, 2022

it was amazing

this is a very candid account on the abuse jennette mccurdy suffered at the hands of her narcissistic mother, and how that merged with her experience as a child actress. i don’t think you need to be familiar with her show, or even know/care about her as a person to glean lots from this book, and i think it's an important text that could even be considered historical, due to her nature as a public figure and the way her story is likely representative of a much larger population of child actors.

for those hoping to get a “tea sesh” about the abuse rampant at nickelodeon, you won’t be getting that here, despite it being what the major media outlets are currently fixating on. jennette doesn’t shy away from talking about her experience with sam & cat (she hated it) and her experience with dan schnieder (terrible person, obviously, whom she never refers to by name), and even dedicates a short chapter to ariana grande, but this novel isn’t centered around that in the slightest, and to come into this book only for that would be a disservice to jennette's story.

reading about the abuse jennette experienced firsthand is completely heartbreaking. she writes about having an eating disorder, given to her by her mother, and feeling beholden to her mother at all times. from calling her ten times a day to insisting on showering her even as a teenager, this book is full of triggering content, and i would urge those who have experiences abuse to proceed with caution.

i think especially with gen z, we haven’t had a ton of actors from disney and nickelodeon speak out specifically about their experiences on set (the $300,000 offer from Nickelodeon jennette turned down may explain that) and how child acting impacted their lives, and it’s a very necessary perspective to hear as the consumers of that media. hearing some of the things jennette said about her stardom were jarring, in that as children we don’t really know what’s going on behind the scenes and mindlessly consume without regard to the actors lives. i also thought it was super interesting to get the perspective of a very self aware child star that didn’t become super successful on screen after their breakout role, and the narrative she builds around /why/ that was.

this book was super impactful, and i have no doubt will reach a large audience. mccurdy's writing style is succinct yet impactful, well organized, balanced with seriousness and humor, told in a very blunt tone. i would definitely recommend listening to the book via audiobook which is narrated by her because it adds a whole new layer of tone. this was a tough reading experience, but i really loved the book and would highly recommend to everyone.

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READING PROGRESS

June 2, 2022 – Started Reading

June 2, 2022 – Shelved

June 2, 2022 –

page 0

0.0% "can’t believe i’m reading this rn aaaa"

August 2, 2022 –

30.0% "loving her writing style"

August 3, 2022 –

50.0% "fuck you dan schnieder"

August 4, 2022 – Finished Reading

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message 1: by amy.reads (Semi-Hiatus) (new) - added it

Aug 05, 2022 08:19PM

Great review Zoe! Glad you like it!:)

Thursday, September 28, 2023

I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED BY JENNETTE McCURDY

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