I'm Glad My Mom Died: Jennette McCurdy

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I think I waited the appropriate amount of time in my processing before approaching this in any sort of a creative way,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “If you prematurely start approaching something creatively that has to do with your own life, you risk just overstepping your own private boundaries. And I didn’t want to do that to myself.” During December every year, when it is nearer to Christmas, there is something that everyone all over the world (especially in America) will do. It is to rewatch the Home Alone movie. The family dynamics of the McCallister family, ingenious script by John Huges, brilliant direction by Chris Colombus, fantastic music by John Williams, and extraordinary production design and sets will make us relive our childhood. Home Alone is pure nostalgia for many people.

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. In every memoir-writing class I’ve attended, someone has inevitably asked: I want to write about this thing that happened to me, but I’m afraid of what my family will think. Should I still do it? To this I’ve heard a few answers. First, there’s the write your truth no matter what approach. In creative-writing workshops and MFA classes, I’ve almost always heard this advice from people for whom dealing with familial consequences appeared to be a thin afterthought. Then there’s the write your truth but also ask for permission response, which could lead writers to a surprising cooperation but could also scupper their whole project. Once, though, I watched an instructor listen to a student describe a manuscript that dealt frankly with family mental illness and abuse. There was no way to obfuscate the identity of the other family members. The writer was still deeply tied to their family, and the risk of estrangement was not an option. There, I heard the most honest answer of all: Maybe you should wait until they’re dead.

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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. The main reasons I’m giving it 4 stars is because memoirs are not really my thing, so I ended up not enjoying this as much as the other books I give 5 stars to; and because, as I mentioned, I think some things could’ve been a bit better. But, again, I still loved this book and highly recommend it to everyone! Jennette McCurdy is extremely talented in her writing and i hope she writes more in the future (whatever genre idc, i’ll read anything) because this book alone was a literary masterpiece. The writing is easy to read but still poignant. I think Jennette did a great job recounting the events of her life. I especially appreciate how she recounted her childhood; she really nailed writing from the perspective of a naïve child who doesn’t realize how awful her mother is. How can a book be so sad and also so funny? It's an art, and Jennette McCurdy has mastered it here. I’m Glad My Mom Died is hysterical and heartbreaking and fascinating all at the same time.” —Jenny Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things and Broken (in the Best Possible Way)

I realize that she’s happy and I’m not. Her happiness came at the cost of mine. I feel robbed and exploited.’ In Jennette's case, she had Ariana Grande as the co-star in one of the shows, and she developed a habit of comparing her life with Ariane's. This is a habit we should never develop, and the author tells us all the troubles she had to face due to this behavior.Fast forward ten years, and now Jennette McCurdy, unencumbered by a character she seems to wish she'd never had to embody, has written her own truth. It's raw, unfiltered and without pretense and possesses more than a little of that jaded humor, suggesting that maybe you can never fully escape who you are, even when you're acting. An] explosive debut…insightful and incisive, heartbreaking and raw, McCurdy’s narrative reveals a strong woman who triumphs over unimaginable pressure to emerge whole on the other side. Fans will be rapt.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Do read this book, if you are in a healthy mental space, but gird yourself against the hype. It is not Jesus's Second Coming. It is just a very brave story about a woman trying to come clean with herself and the past. I’m Glad My Mom Died is an important work. It lets other people know that they aren’t alone, especially if their parents aren’t top 10% parents. Some parents are bottom 10% parents. Norwegian: Jeg er glad mamma døde. Translated by Kjersti Velsand. Oslo: Kagge Forlag. August 30, 2023. ISBN 9788248933656. A stunning memoir...[McCurdy] reveals herself to be a stingingly funny and insightful writer, capable of great empathy and a brutal punchline. It's a document not just of all she's endured, but also of the wisdom she accrued along the way.' - TIME

First of all, actors have the best memories. ( Laughs.) And secondly, no. I have three amazing brothers who went through many of the things that I went through right alongside me. It’s been really great to be able to have their support and validation throughout all of it. Some people say it is better to speak about the positive sides of the dead person during the time of grief, but not focus on their negative facets as everybody also has a negative side to their personalities along with the positives. But what will we do if the person only has a negative side and the positive side is almost nil? I think it is better to remain silent than to focus on the negatives during mourning. Jennette McCurdy was always destined to be a star but not because she necessarily wanted it, but because her mother did. Her mother's dream was for her only daughter to become a star and Jennette would do just about anything to make her mother happy. I think the only way to prevent child actors from being exploited by parents and crew members is by appointing an internal committee in every shooting set that even has access to mental health care professionals if needed. This committee should ensure that a certain percentage of children's earnings should be solely used for children's personal needs like education. This will prevent the children from being monetarily misused by their parents. Warning to look up trigger warnings before proceeding. There is a LOT of triggering content in this book. It doesn't shy away from facing problems head on and with an unflinching tone.

A truly incredible and hard-hitting memoir. Whether you watched Jennette’s shows growing up (like me) or you don’t know her at all, I think this book is a must read. I don’t want to go into too many details, so I’ll just share some of my thoughts: Admiro mucho el trabajo que hizo Jennette para escribir este libro, ya que se nota el trabajo de exploración para recordar las emociones que sintió desde que tenía 6 años, hasta las dificultades que tuvo que pasar para poder sanarlas.

Spencer, Ashley (August 5, 2022). "Jennette McCurdy lived a teen star dream. Silently, she was suffering". Washington Post . Retrieved June 2, 2023. These are darker topics, but what Jennette did so well in this memoir is to lay things bare and be vulnerable with her pain while balancing it with her wit and humor. She takes you through her emotional journey and leaves you with the sense that, after much reflection and therapy, she'll be OK and that those experiencing similar things in their lives can be too. I listened to the audiobook read by the author herself, and it felt like an intimate conversation between her and her audience. It's very well written, and I have every confidence it's only the beginning of the writing career SHE wanted! In the statement, Russell claimed Dan “cared about the kids on his shows, even when their own families did not. He was the shoulder they cried on when something happened to them. He understood what they were going through. Dan was like the great high school counsellor you could always turn to for help and guidance. And he was their biggest champion.”