A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.

Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.

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.

Listening Length

6 hours and 26 minutes
Author

Jennette McCurdy
Narrator

Jennette McCurdy
Audible release date

Aug. 9 2022
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN

B09VJ1YVMH
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	6 hours and 26 minutes
Author	Jennette McCurdy
Narrator	Jennette McCurdy
Audible.ca Release Date	August 09 2022
Publisher	Simon & Schuster Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B09VJ1YVMH
Best Sellers Rank	#21 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #1 in Dysfunctional Relationships (Books) #1 in Family Health #1 in Parenting & Families (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

49,268 global ratings

5 star		80%
4 star		15%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Lily

Actually Harrowing

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 26, 2023

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I’m Glad My Mom Died was an excellent read. Having grown up loving the shiny sitcom shows she starred in, I had to learn the traumatizing truth about Jennette’s life. It is brutally honest, legitimately uncomfortable at times, but that’s what I expected from the memoir from that title. Reading about her twisty perspective dealing with her family, friends, The Creator, romantic relationships, costars, and therapists was actually harrowing.

Helpful

Mjw

Inspiring and Traumatizing

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 3, 2023

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I went into this book knowing only the bits that Jennette shared through her interviews on tv and online; which is why I decided to buy the book.

I thought I was prepared for what to come, but I was mistaken. Her story is so much worse than I could have imagined. The physical, emotional and mental abuse from her mom and other people who took advantage of her is truly horrific. However, the road to recovery is inspiring. This book is so deeply personal and I appreciate the bravery Jennette had to share this with the world.

I highly recommend reading this and getting to understand her a little bit more. I have so much more respect for her as a person.

2 people found this helpful

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Chloe Eadle

Interesting read

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 29, 2023

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I love the book, it has many interesting turns and it is a rollercoaster to read! The author herself really made her story unique even though it is a much darker and upsetting story, I liked how she expressed the final product.

Arrived on time, no damage, perfect condition, fun read! Thank you.

Helpful

Grace

Oh I sobbed

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 26, 2023

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It is devastating to read at times, so beware. But when I tell you this is one of the most enthralling reads I’ve ever encountered, I really do mean it. Jeanette is so sincere and unwaveringly honest. Her voice is definite but never pushy. She writes as though she is telling the story to a new friend. I cried several times while reading this. I felt seen, and heartbroken. I felt joy! Excitement!
you just can’t help but root for her at every stage.
Pick up the book, man. Just do it. You know you’re thinking about it!

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Perspective changing and raw

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 21, 2022

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This book was a sucker punch. Growing up watching McCurdy on TV as her incredibly well known character makes her story so much more difficult to read - you want to believe she enjoyed her time on Nick and that the show was as fun and joyful as watching it was. Reading this and learning of her struggles really changes your mindset about these child stars and what they go through. It makes you wonder of any of the other young stars out there deal with the same, and who are forced to stay silent for longer than Jennette has.

Jennette, if you read this, your book had me in tears, both from laughter and the kind of crying and discomfort that comes from being able to relate to something on a deep level you didn't realize was there before. Thank you for being so open and honest - this couldn't have been easy to write or relive - and I'm sure this will resonate with so many people, just like it did with me.

If you're hesitant to read this, don't. This is one of those books that will stay with you forever.

29 people found this helpful

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Josh

Perfect perfect perfect

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 13, 2023

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I never read. Like never. Last time I read a whole book was because I was forced to for a class. But I got this book because I was interested in the story and I haven’t been able to put it down. I read a bit slower then a book worm so im only about 150 pages in but it’s legit so good especially if you grew up a fan of hers

4 people found this helpful

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Erika

Great read!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 28, 2023

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Book was delivered less than 24 hours ago, and I have already read the whole thing. Jennette writes in a very conversational tone, and it is a very interesting read; chapters are short and easy to digest… thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope somewhere, after a long and healthy career, she writes a second biography for the second half of her life, because I would definitely read that as well

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Do recommend!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 27, 2023

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In an interview she was asked about the title and how it's "heavy". She explained that the book isn't for everyone, that people who have a good sense of humor will get it, and people who have had similar experiences will get it. And giirrrl, I get it. Good read, I appreciate the very honest title (cause same), and it's nice to see someone who's gone through a similar experience to still come out okay on the other end.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

SHIELDFAN

COMPULSORY READING FOR ALL NEW PARENTS

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 18, 2022

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There are several key take-aways from this excellent book, notably;

Parenting is a profession;

Certain behaviours in a parent/child relationship cannot be excused by good intentions;

Parenting failures can have lifelong consequences for the physical and mental well-being of your children;

Respect and loyalty do not come automatically with parenthood, any more than they do with rank or position;

Any interference with the natural process of puberty is child abuse;

Narcissistic behaviours by parents are killers of parent/child relationships;

Complete openness and transparency in a parent/child relationship are vital; and

Last but not least, there is a world of difference between attention-seeking and awareness-raising.

Various posts on social media about I’M GLAD MY MUM DIED clearly convey the message that Jennette McCurdy is perceived by some to be an attention-seeker. Everyone is entitled to his/her own view, but I for one find this worrying. Would an attention-seeker write a book about a mother who wiped her daughter’s backside when she (the daughter) was 8? And who made her daughter shower with her brothers when she was 11 and they were 16 “because she didn’t want her to grow up”? And who attempted to stop her daughter’s breasts from developing by means of calorie restriction? And who performs regular examinations of her daughter’s breasts and vagina just to see if there are any lumps or bumps? And who failed to tell her daughter that her “father” was not in fact her biological father? One is reminded of what the late great Oliver Hardy said in the feature film SONS OF THE DESERT, after he and his pal Stan Laurel have lied to their wives about going to Honolulu and being shipwrecked; “It’s too far-fetched NOT to be the truth.” The narrative of this book is most definitely not that of an attention-seeker and Jennette deserves kudos for acknowledging, albeit only after the death of her mother Debra, that she (Jennette) had her on a pedestal. “I was conditioned to believe any boundary I wanted was a betrayal of her, so I stayed silent.” In writing this book, Jennette sets the record straight in a very convincing and down-to-earth manner.

The consequences of parenting failures on a child cannot be overstated. For Jennette, they led to bulimia and alcohol abuse, which led to loss of teeth and, believe it or not, weight gain. They also led to reliance on a therapist whose advice was objectively not the best. “Your mother was only doing the best for you, Jennette,” says Laura, her therapist, making the same mistake as Jennette herself did for many years. Jennette sensibly dumps her.

For every attention-seeker there are at least three awareness-raisers. Jennette McCurdy is 100% in the latter category and her book is all the more readable for it. Every prospective parent needs to read it. If it saves just one child from the abuse that Jennette suffered, it will be worth its weight in gold. A full five-star rating from me.

73 people found this helpful

K W

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 4, 2022

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A hard hitting account of a difficult and abusive relationship between a mother and daughter.
Another case of a daughter having to carry their mother's trauma. A daughter asking for love and receiving confusing messages of unworthiness and abuse.
Jennette's account of the abuse she endured as a child, is heartbreaking yet her honesty refreshing. Anyone who has experienced the pain of that awakening, entering adulthood and realising that their childhood hasn't been normal, that their experiences are actually classified as abuse, will be able to connect with Jennette's words.
Jennette talks a lot about anorexia and bulimia which could potentially be a trigger for some. She is very honest and graphic about her struggles with bulimia.
If you, like me, were abused by a parent, you may get the feeling I got when reading this of not being alone. Though the types of abuse may differ, the feelings I had as a child were very similar.
I love how Jennette is helping normalise the fact that, just because someone gives you life, that doesn't mean that you owe them a thing if they choose to mistreat you. For so long we have been told as a society to worship and respect our parents, to speak negatively of a parent is looked down upon. It is ok to end contact with a parent that is abusive. If you set boundaries and they are not respected time and time again, that person doesn't deserve your time.
I received a birthday card just like the email Jennette received, telling me how bad of a daughter I was, and that I was being disowned. It hurt tremendously.
I'm so happy that Jenette is living her own life now and making her own choices. It gives me strength to see how well she is doing. The book has made me want to carry on with my therapy and healing process. She makes it clear that unpacking all the emotional trauma, facing it, understanding why it happened and the realisation that, its not your fault, is the best way to move forward.
You can never fully understand why a parent abuses their child but you CAN reach that point where you know, as the child, it's not your fault. It's not on you, you were not the one with a problem that needed fixing. That's the important part.

43 people found this helpful

D. Beecher

I think this book will save lives.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

Very few of us experience the challenges of being a child star. But many, many more of us have experienced some of the abuse that Jeannette experienced. Growing up in emotional chaos or physical chaos. Having disturbing sexual experiences too young. Developing eating disorders. Over the course of the book Jeannette learns to name what her mother put her through as abuse. She learns how to engage with therapy and start working on her eating disorders. ED's have the highest death rate of any mental illness. I think there are people who will recognise themselves in this book and I hope recognise the need to get help.

On top of that it is very well written, easy to read in spite of the difficult subject matter, extremely engaging. It makes it clear, if the well known trajectories of other child stars have not, that tv and film need to seriously reform how they use child actors or not use them at all. I wish Jeannette McCurdy all the success in the world as a writer and director.

16 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Surprisingly well written!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

Finally got round to reading I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and I have to say, it did not disappoint. I don’t usually read memoirs, least of all, celebrity memoirs, as I find the entire premise of reading about the lives of privileged white folk and their so-called ‘problems’ somewhat jarring. But this was so different.

Jennette takes us through her career as a child actress and how she was forced into the industry by her abusive mother. While our lives are completely different, I found I resonated with Jennette’s experiences on such a personal level. It’s startling to think so many of us have experienced such similar cycles of abuse that contributed to our childhood traumas and how we now function as adults.

I was also extremely impressed with Jennette’s writing style; she is eloquent, witty and her writing flows beautifully. The chapters were also short and snappy but packed a punch which I love as I found I was able to fly through the book in two days. The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because I don’t think it’s a book I’ll ever read again. That said, Jennette’s story and her journey towards healing is one that will, no doubt, stay with me for a long time.

10 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

WARNING: IT WILL MAKE YOU UGLY CRY

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is such a raw and honest account of an abused childhood..that it will definitely make you cry..anyone who has experienced/witnessed child abuse will now that all the elements mentioned here do occur in a dysfunctional family, maybe at different stages of life or at different degrees..but they all do happen at one point or another. For the people who say that this book is full of attention seeking tactics, simply have been born lucky to not know how hard it is to have a traumatic history.I know its very brave of her to come forward and make ppl feel less alone. Be warned though, if you have experienced abuse, you will be triggered cause god knows i was but i still couldnt keep the book down

7 people found this helpful

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