Book Crush: I’m Glad My Mom Died

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy is a memoir every woman should read. While McCurdy vulnerably shares the story of her life off-camera, readers will find value in important coming-of-age topics that continue to hold relevance throughout the phases of your life.

Through short, page-turning chapters that read like personal essays, McCurdy candidly shares her struggles and shines a light on what she wants others to know, including:

• Don’t live your life for someone else. Don’t follow the dreams your parents have for you. You must follow the path and career that you have a connection with and that provide your life with purpose. If you spend your whole life living to make someone else happy, once they die, what was it all for? What are you left with?

• If you struggle with body image, anorexia, or bulimia- get help. Don’t spend years using your eating disorder as a coping strategy for other issues in your life.

• Professional help from a therapist can help change your life, even though the road won’t be easy at first. Address your mental health issues and childhood traumas to gain clarity and forge a path forward.

• Don’t hold onto bad relationships.

• Don’t take part in sexual acts just to please someone or keep them around.

• Parents- don’t force your children to act.

• People may try to bribe you or present you with offers that will help them save face, but if that goes against your morals or beliefs of what’s right or not worth your silence, be bold and don’t be lured by money.

• It’s OK to break communication with toxic family members, no matter who they are.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. As a book publicist who specializes in memoirs and has read a ton of them over the years, I must say this is my FAVORITE. The best memoir I’ve ever read. There are no long, boring chapters on family history we don’t care about. McCurdy gets right to the good stuff from life with her toxic mother, to the rise of her career, why she didn’t do the iCarly reboot, and where she is today.

I’m proud of her. I was a little too old when iCarly first aired to pay attention to the show. But my daughter and I have watched every iCarly (I loved that it was about girls who had a Web TV show, just like I did) and Sam & Cat episode. It’s crazy to find out what was going on with McCurdy behind these episodes.