From the Bookshelf of The Perks Of Being A Book Addict…

I'm Glad My Mom Died

Jennette McCurdy

Start date: January 1, 2023

Finish date: January 31, 2023

Discussion: Group Books of the Month (BotM)

Why we're reading this: Chosen by members as a group BotM for January.
[close] Chosen by members as a group BotM for January.

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What Members Thought

Aug 15, 2022 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Wow, really well done memoir about a crazy childhood of a child actress with a beloved/manipulative, controlling, and abusive stage mom, who eventually realizes, after her mom's death, how awful her mom really was. Short chapters, each with a beginning, middle, and end, not just a this-happened-then-this-happened of some memoirs. Funny, sad, lots of WTF moments, great child perspective of a kid who has no idea that what's happening to her is crazy and inappropriate. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2023 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, biography-memoir, mormon, listened-to

In this memoir, Nickelodeon child star Jennette McCurdy explores her complicated relationship with her mother, who coerced, manipulated, and abused her throughout her childhood and then died of cancer when she was a young adult. I was vaguely intrigued by McCurdy's Mormon upbringing, but the central story is really her relationship with her mother. If you don't come away from this book understanding the title, you probably need to read it again and open your heart to a child who was forced to em ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 10, 2022 Jessica (BlogEared Books) rated it it was amazing

It’s very hard to write a review about someone’s life. I’ve tried on a daily basis to put my own childhood story on paper but end up getting distracted by anything. Anything to avoid revisiting. But Jennette bravely allows us into her world and I commend her. It could not have been easy.

She tackles real life problems and writes with humility and humor. I can hear her voice when I read this. She comes across very honest and tells her story in easy to digest nuggets.

I really hope this is just the ...more

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Nov 18, 2022 Sandy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2022-reading-challenge

This was kind of a hard book to get through because the story is so upsetting. McCurdy's mother was a very mentally ill woman and was allowed to basically destroy her children's self image and in particular, her daughter Jennette. Hearing the story and knowing what it was going to (and did) mean for her was very hard. Also, I listened to the audiobook and Jennette narrated it herself. Her speaking voice was very flat (surprising for an actress) and she speaks very fast, almost as if the story ha ...more

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May 26, 2023 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobook

I was initially a little shocked by the title, but after reading the book, now I’m glad her mom died, too. My family has a narcissistic person like that in our lives, and as much as we hope she will change, the reality is that it’s so unlikely to happen. We just have to figure out how to not let it stress us out since telling her to leave our lives is not an option.

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Dec 11, 2022 Gwen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

How to rate a memoir, especially one as personal as this? Homeschooled in a hoarded house by a narcissistic mother, Jennette is pushed into acting at a young age. She is so eager to please her mother, whom she admires and idolizes, she learns to read her facial expressions and body language to determine what to say and how to act. Obviously quite intelligent, Jennette seems so lost as she has very little support system and is virtually isolated, completely wrapped up in what her mother wants for ...more

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