I'm Glad My Mom Died

- Jennette McCurdy -

What a story! I couldn't put this book down and read the entire thing in only two days.

Jennette gives us a behind the scenes look at her life, which is actually very sad, but she puts a dark humour twist on it (which makes it so easy to read). There are stories of dysfunction and abuse from her early years where her Mother forced her into acting, encouraged anorexia, mentally neglected and abused her...and it was a situation where Jennette thought this was just a normal part of childhood. Gotta make Mama happy, so just go along with it.

After her Mother dies Jennette is lost, directionless, and not ready for adult life. She takes to drinking, unhealthy relationships, and more eating disorders in an attempt to self medicate. That obviously doesn't work and she eventually finds her way to therapists and recovery.

Her journey is heartbreaking, but since she is looking back at it from a stable place (and with a hint of humour) it is an amazing story.

You might remember Jennette from Nickelodeon shows iCarly and Sam and Cat. My kids watched Sam and Cat...and it's just so ironic that her character on the show was a fiesty teen who loved to eat piles of junk food, when in reality she ate almost nothing (or later would binge and throw it all up).