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Book Pick: I'm Glad My Mom Died

 I'm sure most people picked up this book for one of two reasons: either they were iCarly Fans or they were struck by its provocative title.  Given that I was aged out of this show at the time (and actually had to Google who the actress was) I definitely chose it for the title.


It's too simple to chalk this story up to a simple "stage mom" tale.  It's way bigger than that. McCurdy really puts her vulnerability in her front pocket to share tales of her mom's emotional manipulation and overbearing-to-the-point of embarrassment actions to her daughter's body.

Just a few of the yucky things Jennette's mom inflicted upon her from childhood and well past age eighteen:

~teaching her to "calorie restrict" ie how to practice anorexia and bulimia
~not allowing her to shower herself or clean herself after trips to the bathroom (no, really)
~shaming her for any feelings toward men or boys
~guilting her for any feelings of autonomy or independence
~limiting her any true emotional or personal development

Oh, and like a lot of stage parents she basically made her kid work so she wouldn't have to.

I think when you see this title it seems awful.  And you may even think at times that she was happy when her mom died.  But honestly, it's not that simple.  It's about letting go of the abuse and lack of personal determination that can damage a person for life.  Jennette still has a lot of living to do.  I hope now that she has this book out of her system, she can go out there and do it!
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