I’m Glad My Mom Died
Rethinking Family, Ambition, and Your Own Story When the Script Feels Wrong
About This Book
This honest, darkly funny exploration of family, fame, and self-discovery challenges everything you thought you knew about success and parental love. Following a journey from child stardom to adulthood, you'll dive deep into the complexities of identity, healing from trauma, setting boundaries, and learning to put yourself first. Packed with hard-won insights and realistic struggles, this content helps you rewrite the script of your own life, face discomfort with courage, and examine how even our closest relationships can shape, distort, or free us. Discover how to turn personal pain into power, redefine what progress looks like, and live freely—even when recovery feels messy.About the Author
Jennette McCurdy is a writer, director, and former actor who grew up in the glare of Hollywood. Best known for her work as Sam Puckett on Nickelodeon, she stepped away from acting to pursue her true passions of writing and directing. Jennette's firsthand experience navigating toxic family dynamics, child fame, and recovery from eating disorders gives her a remarkable depth of insight. Her sharp wit and emotional honesty have helped her connect with millions seeking to understand themselves beyond the stories imposed by others.
Biggest Takeaway
Readers will learn to recognize unhealthy patterns in relationships, particularly those involving parental expectations and emotional labor. You'll acquire tools for setting and defending boundaries, break the cycle of people-pleasing, and challenge inherited scripts about self-worth, ambition, and appearance. Tangible improvements can include enhanced self-awareness, the confidence to pursue authentic goals, more resilient coping strategies, and practical skills for recovering from disordered eating or self-sabotaging mindsets. By the end, you'll understand how to transform shame into self-acceptance and courage.
Key Insights from This Book
Explore the most important ideas and learn how to apply them in your life.
Why Pleasing Others Can Cost You Your Own Identity and How to Break Free
How Family Narratives Can Trap You in Old Roles (and What It Takes to Break Out)
When Toxic Ambition Ruins Joy: Rethinking Who You Are Beyond Achievement
Why Trying to “Stay Small” for Others May Limit Your Life—and How to Heal Your Relationship with Your Body
Why Breaking the Cycle of Secrecy and Denial Is Essential for Recovery from Shame or Addiction
How to Build Boundaries When Others Resist or Guilt-Trip You (and Why It’s Worth the Discomfort)
Discomfort Is Not Failure: Why Facing Painful Feelings Is Unavoidable for Real Growth
Letting Go of Parental Approval: Why Healing Depends on Owning Your Own Decisions
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