2024 Book Review Series: I'd Be Glad, Too.

My first read for the month of March is also my first memoir for the year. Not only that: it's also a highly revered title. I don't keep up with pop culture, so had it not been talked about so often on BookTok or always strategically displayed right at the entrance to Indigo, I may not have picked it up. Eventually, the bright yellow and pink cover drew me in.

Jennette McCurdy's memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died is the story of her highly regimented, stress-inducing, and abusive childhood. McCurdy (though she is not particularly happy about it) is best known for her role as Sam Puckett in Nickelodeon shows iCarly and Sam & Cat. Her journey to what looks like incredible success from the outside tested her in ways many of us may not have been able to endure.

What most impressed me about I'm Glad My Mom Died was the curation of stories from McCurdy's childhood that made it into the memoir. Every chapter, though usually very short, was gripping in its entirety. I did find the memoir front-heavy (meaning it showed much more of the troubles before the death of McCurdy's mother than the recovery after), but this does not change the fact that every part of it caught my interest. Every story was purposeful and provided a harrowing glimpse into the abuse that was her daily life from childhood into early adulthood.

Also important in this memoir is the depiction of child acting and eating disorders. There are countless child actors whose experiences are not unlike McCurdy's, which involved emotional abuse, unhealthy stress, and a lack of autonomy. The director of both of McCurdy's Nickelodeon shows, referred to as "The Creator" in I'm Glad My Mom Died, also had sexual assault allegations against him, though McCurdy does not specify if she was a victim. This lifestyle is hard on children and the memoir successfully portrays the stress of it all. On top of that, McCurdy struggled with various eating disorders for the better part of two decades. The narration in her memoir is not shy about her experience, which is a good thing. While the subject is delicate, the blunt truth is often the better way to discuss sensitive topics. McCurdy did so with poise and without sacrificing realism.

As much as I enjoyed (this doesn't feel like the right word for the content) this memoir, I took a few issues with it on an editorial level. Firstly, because the stories were front-heavy, the memoir did not include enough of McCurdy unpacking the trauma her mother inflicted on her. The title is so jarring - so gripping - so I was disappointed to find that McCurdy does not touch much on being glad about her mother's death. Secondly, the tone of voice was too juvenile. While I appreciate that McCurdy was a child for many of the stories, one of her central emotional struggles is the worry that she will only ever be known for being a child actor. It was contrary to this concern to include technical elements that mirror Young Adult fiction and youthful language in the writing.

While the prose didn't necessarily sit right with me, I appreciate I'm Glad My Mom Died as a well-written, well-curated memoir that sends strong messages about difficult subjects. I was shocked and impressed from the front cover to the back. With every page I turned, all I could think was Wow, I'd be glad, too.