I’m Glad My Mom Died is a memoir and autobiography written by Jennette McCurdy. It was published on August 9, 2022 and it consists of 320 pages. The awards and nominees for the novel are:

• Goodreads Choice Awards Best Momoir & Autobiography.
• 2023 Alex Award Winner.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is about the life of Jennette McCurdy. She was a child actress on shows like iCarly, Victorious, and Sam and Cat. In the novel, she talks about her struggles as a child actress, her eating disorders, addiction, and her tough and complicated relationship that she had with her mother. The novel overall covers how Jennette took back control of her own life.

I chose to read this novel because I’m a fan of Jennette McCurdy. I grew up watching Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious, and Sam and Cat and all of these shows, actors, including Jennette McCurdy, were a big part of my childhood. When Jennette wrote this novel and was open about a lot of her life struggles, I was shocked. It was also a huge wake up call for me because I used to think all of the celebrities I saw in these shows had such a perfect life with zero struggles, but when Jennette became open about her struggles, I felt guilty for thinking that about celebrities.

I would recommend this novel to fifth graders and up and I would read it with them as a group. Jennette McCurdy is a very successful actress and had a very successful career throughout her life. Kids tend to think there are certain people, like Jennette McCurdy, who have a perfect life with no struggles at all. With Jennette  McCurdy being open about her struggles as a child actress, kids will see that we are all humans, celebrities are humans, and we all have our struggles. Just because someone doesn’t have the same struggles, doesn’t mean they don’t struggle. It just means that we aren’t dealing with the same struggles.

For a read aloud, I would especially read:

• Pgs. 14 – 16, “Jennette’s Mother Asks Her About Acting”.

• Pgs. 17 – 19, “Jennette’s Audition”.

I’m Glad My Mom Died didn’t simply feel like I was reading a true story. I was reading a story that Jennette told herself, her life experiences, and her own perspective. As I mentioned, I was a huge fan of Jennette McCurdy growing up and I still am today, so hearing Jennette when she was open about her struggles and eventually writing I’m Glad My Mom Died showed me something that I had never imagined about her all those years I’ve been seeing her on my favorite childhood shows.

I would love to explore more novels that memoirs and autobiographies from various different people. This novel taught me that I shouldn’t take everything at face value, even if it feels like there isn’t anything deeper to look at.