I'm Glad My Mom Died

The poignant and humorous autobiography of iCarly and Sam & Cat actress Jennette McCurdy delves into her challenges as a former child performer, including eating disorders, addiction, and a complex relationship with her controlling mother, as well as how she regained control over her life.

Jennette McCurdy's first acting audition occurred when she was six years old. Jennette will stop at nothing to fulfill her mother's wish for her only daughter to become a famous person. She so followed her mother's advice to follow a "calorie restriction," eating little, and taking five daily weight readings. Mom would chastise her, saying things like, "Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You believe that Dakota Fanning doesn't use makeup? Mom even lavished her till she was sixteen years old, sharing all of her money, emails, and journals.

Jennette describes all of this in graphic detail in I'm Glad My Mom Died, right up to the point when she describes what transpires when the dream is eventually realized. After being cast in the upcoming Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly, she becomes well-known. While Mom is overjoyed, contacting fan club moderators via email and establishing a personal connection with the press ("Hello, Gale!"), Jennette suffers from worry, guilt, and self-loathing, which materialize in eating disorders, addiction, and a string of unwholesome relationships. Her mother passes away from cancer not long after she and Ariana Grande co-star in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat, which only makes matters worse. At last, after learning about therapy and giving up acting, Jennette starts her healing process and makes her first real life decision.

I'm Glad My Mom Died is an amazing tale of resiliency, self-reliance, and the pleasure of washing your own hair, told with a refreshing honesty and black humor.