Title: I’m Glad My Mom Died
Author: Jeanette McCurdy
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Actors, Celebrity, Memoirs, Mental health
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

I’m not going to lie, this was an incredibly difficult book to read. Where I normally tend to just dive into a book of this quality and get really stuck into it, I definitely had to stop and start this one quite a few times. A lot of what McCurdy writes about it really hard to stomach. And heartbreaking. And difficult. But it was also written with a sense of humour and humility that left me smiling and wanting more, more, more.

There would have been so many nuances throughout McCurdy’s life and experiences that she could have written about. But, as the title indicates, this story really focuses on her mother and the lasting impressions that she has left upon her daughter. Where it would be easy to just write this with anger and hurt (I mean, the woman did a number on her), McCurdy is able to write with humour and love. The realism of the fact that you can both hate and love a person. That you can be aware of their bullshit, but also still want their approval. McCurdy was able to indicate this complex mix of emotions beautifully.

I think what I found the most confronting about this story was the amount of love that is there. It is so easy to be angry and hateful. It is hard to heal when you are stuck in that negative. I can’t imagine having the strength of personality and kindness to not be angry and hateful to be completely frank. I mean, there is a whole lot of other stuff throughout this to be angry at too. But in particular, the relationship with family and the different influences that have been around since childhood – it was hard.

I’ve never had an eating disorder, but I know plenty who have. And, more than that, I completely understand the work and difficulties that come with overcoming your mental health nonsense. The fact that McCurdy has been able to do this is honestly inspiring. The fact that she is able to be open about her struggles even more so. I absolutely loved this memoir and it is definitely one I would probably enjoy reading again in the future.

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Image source: Amazon