I'm Glad My Mom Died

Introduction

Ranging from funny to sharply painful, I’m Glad My Mom Died is Jennette McCurdy’s brutally candid memoir about her severed mother-daughter bond, a brief acting career, and her search for self-actualization. Who is not familiar with Schuyler Sam Puckett, the show ‘iCarly’ starring Miranda for children of a relatively young age to comprehend what is known of McCurdy’s memoir of emotional and physical abuse under her mother’s rule and the disastrous influence of early fame. Some of the storylines are rather dark and serious, however, McCurdy’s humorous tone and brutal honesty appeal to and inspire readers.

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The Weight of a Title

Just the article's title will get people’s attention; no matter who they are they will take notice. It seems quite fitting that McCurdy chose the brash title I’m Glad My Mom Died for her memoir as it speaks to the candid nature of the book and the amount of toxicity McCurdy has mentally stored from her mother. As some people may find the title crude, it is the objective truth of the experience she went through—being all tied to a parent, playing with her feelings and body. This rebellious statement allows McCurdy to speak for those whose interactions with their family, are not always happy and full of love and respect.

Plot Overview

The show is about Jennette McCurdy who tells a story of her life with major emphasis on her childhood and early teenage years. McCurdy was born in a bad family environment, her mother Debra brought young Jennette into show business when she was six years old. In McCurdy’s case, she suggested that the woman who was supposed to nurture her, her mother, transferred to her all her unfulfilled desire to become a star.

Throughout the memoir, McCurdy describes her climb to stardom, being cast on Nickelodeon show iCarly. On the one hand, McCurdy seemed to enjoy a rather successful childhood on the other; she was in fact a destructive child star. Her mother had strict control over her, and every aspect of her life was controlled, including what she was allowed to eat and drink, how she wore her hair and even when she was allowed to bathe herself, well into her teenage years. These occurrences left the women with long-term psychological and physical effects including fighting off eating disorders, anxiety and depression.

In the middle and the last part of the book, McCurdy talks about what happened to her after the death of her mother due to cancer on what happened or happened to her mentally. At last, given a detached from her mother's environment, McCurdy begins to search for help, therapy and a new, better life, coming to the point when she wants to realize that she is happy her mother is not controlling her life anymore.

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Themes

Parental Abuse and Control: Some of the most obvious topics of the book I’m Glad My Mom Died include the physical and emotional abuse that McCurdy went through all her childhood and adolescence at the hands of her mother. Debra went from helicopter parenting straight into mental and physical abuse, turning her unfulfilled dream into her daughter’s life mission. Cher is completely right, devious and manipulative Debra caused long-term eating disorders in Jennette, completely controlling her diet and appearance. The memoir is a painful depiction of how parent power when unilateral can adversely impact the child’s worth and self-reliance.

Identity and Self-Discovery: But most of all I’m Glad My Mom Died is a book about Jennette and her struggle for her true self and independence after her mom DOMINATED her life. The memoir depicts the relationship between Jennette’s self-esteem and her mother’s as well as how the latter had to learn to undo all the poisonous messages that her mind was filled with during the years of her childhood. To most readers, the major focus of the memoir would be the journey of healing, therapy and liberation from her mother’s control. Of course, there’s an element of triumph at the end of the story as McCurdy overcomes her circumstances to finally be empowered to accept herself and to live her own life.

Mental Health and Recovery: McCurdy is equally open about her suffering from anorexia, bulimia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These struggles were further heightened by the maternal and marital demeanour of her mother as well as the effects of fame. Her, honestly talking about the necessity of therapy, fighting her trauma, and starting a change for her mental health, helps to raise awareness and put stress on the need for help from a professional when it comes to dealing with emotional pain.

Characterization

Journaling is a very subjective technique and readers get quite personal and inside Jennette McCurdy’s head. Here too, she reveals a lot of frailty in that part of her that deals with her mother. In the Lifetime movie, Debra McCurdy was depicted as an obsessed’ and ‘narcissistic’ woman who had a big influence on Jennette’s career but undermined her health. Still, there is an evident experience of hatred and resentment, tears and anger while describing an abusive mother and, finally, there is some form of respect and compassion in McCurdy’s narration which makes the audience realize that the realistic depiction of such relations is filled with tangled emotions.

McCurdy too is portrayed as a strong, self-reflector and unyielding woman. Despite the tragic events, she experienced in her childhood, she has a well-developed sense of self-identity together with a desire for self-perfecting. Her humour is expressively drily sarcastic and mostly self-deprecating, which keeps the theme light, while still being serious, thus making it easy for any reader to understand without losing sensitivity to the plight of lesbians.

Writing Style and Tone

Looking at this book, one of the most impressive elements I was able to identify is the bold, no-holds-barred writing that McCurdy utilizes. The narrational approach that the author has employed includes humour even in the terrible disasters making the memoir special. From page six of the book, McCurdy employs a lot of wit, and although much of it is turned on herself, her humour brings a certain lightness to the rather grim narrative of her life. It thereby gives the memoir a compelling and rather sad, angle that separates it from other celebrity exposés.

It is worthy to note that McCurdy’s narrative’s tone is conversational which gives readers the impression that the author is discussing with them. She refrains from using lots of rhetoric, which provides the memoir with a real feel as she tells her story. Her stories are raw and at times, one might even say brutally so – however, she never loses the emotion of hope or determination throughout this book.

Reception and Impact

I’m Glad My Mom Died has stirred the audience and those who possibly had bad or toxic relationships with their mothers. The memoir has been hailed for painting these issues and more as being easily recognizable with topics such as parental abuse, mental health, and the downsides of fame being topical. Most of the readers have appreciated McCurdy for coming out with such a sensitive story and Powerful has encouraged many discussions regarding the negative aspects of the entertainment world and the impact of childhood trauma.

It also comes as a relief that the memoir shows the effectiveness of telling one’s own story and how it can help those who feel lonely in their pain. That is why many people could read I’m Glad My Mom Died and experience the feelings of pain that McCurdy describes, but also the joy and hope she discovered on her path.

Conclusion

Jennette McCurdy shares her experiences in this dark, unflinching memoir, and those looking to understand her as a person should read ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died.’ As a child star who struggles to regain herself after experiencing years and years of mental torment, her story is both touching and powerful. In this memoir, we can see McCurdy’s side of the story and the challenges of fame, as well as toxic love. Lastly, it’s an inspiring and sobering story of the strength of adversity, of learning to accept oneself, and of the process of breaking free from past traumas for broken people with broken wings. Being a very inspiring book it would be of interest to anyone looking to read a book about survival, recovery and personal growth.

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