FINALLY I'VE BEEN get free

THE FORMER CHILD STAR’S NO-HOLDSBARRED MEMOIR IS HUGE, BUT THE SUCCESS IS BITTER SWEET

- Penelope Clifton

Jennette McCurdy's memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, has been lauded a "literary masterpiece" and "something incredible", thanks to the former child star's unflinching determination to tell her traumatic story about growing up with an abusive mother, Debra, who was obsessed with Jennette being a famous actress, forcing her to take on acting jobs and extreme diets, or "calorie restriction". She also took the young actress' wages from her.

Debra even insisted on physically washing Jennette in the shower until her mid to late teens, using her breast cancer diagnosis as an excuse for the daily "examinations" while bathing. "That was the hardest part to write about," she said during an episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard. "I would kind of write the premise of each vignette and I couldn't write that one." She continued, "It took a long time for me to even talk about it in therapy, let alone put on a page and what to say about it. I just felt overwhelmed."