“I’m Glad My Mom Died” Book Review
In 2022, Jennette McCurdy released her memoir about being a child actress and the abuse she faced at the hands of her mother. In this book, she describes being pushed into acting by her mother and the controlling, emotionally and physically abusive environment. Her mother had encouraged her to have eating disorders, controlled her appearance, and pushed her into the spotlight when Jennette didn’t want that.
Something I loved about this book is how the writing changes as the book progresses and as she grows up. You can read how she was thinking and viewing the world as a child, doing anything to gain the approval of and please her mom, and as she grows older, she is aware of the toxicity that she is surrounded by, but can’t seem to get away from it. Even as an adult, Jennette still had the same harmful beliefs and actions that she had taken part in, but that was something that was taught to her and was all she knew.
I thought that the ending of the book was really great because it is Jennette finally and completely acknowledging all of the abuse that she had suffered, and the disorders and the addictions that she had developed. Throughout the book, it felt like you were yelling at the TV that the killer is right behind them, but they don’t realize it. She was getting manipulated and was taught to believe that an eating disorder was the normal way to eat, and she grew up harming herself in many ways. The ending felt like a validation to the readers that they caught everything throughout the book. They know that Jennette has come a long way to realize all of it herself. she was also able to recount all of the hardest moments of her life and be able to write them down for us to read.
If you haven’t read or listened to this book, you should know about the heavy and intense content. This autobiography includes descriptions of abuse, eating disorders, and psychological trauma. If you are sensitive to these issues or prefer light reads, then this book is probably not for you. If you are curious about the dark side of child acting and fame, this book will be pretty eye-opening for you, as it’s told directly from a child star.
Works Cited
McCurdy, Jennette. I’m Glad My Mom Died. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59366244-i-m-glad-my-mom-died. Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.
