# I'm Glad My Mom Died
*I'm Glad My Mom Died* is a memoir by the American former actor and writer [Jennette McCurdy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennette-mccurdy), published by [Simon & Schuster](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-and-schuster) on August 9, 2022. It recounts her childhood as a child actor on [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon), the abuse she says she suffered at the hands of her mother Debra, and her recovery from eating disorders and addiction after her mother's death from breast cancer in 2013.[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) • [2](https://time.com/6203826/jennette-mccurdy-book-interview/) The book became a #1 New York Times bestseller and has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.[3](https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185824)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | Jennette McCurdy, former star of the Nickelodeon series *iCarly* and *Sam & Cat*[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) |
| Publication | August 9, 2022, Simon & Schuster, hardcover, 320 pages, ISBN 978-1-982185-82-4[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) |
| Sales and rankings | #1 New York Times bestseller; #1 international bestseller; more than 3 million copies sold[3](https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185824) |
| Origin | Titled after McCurdy's 2020 one-woman show; when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the tour, she used the material to write the book[4](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jennette-mccurdy/im-glad-my-mom-died-mccurdy/) • [5](https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/im-glad-my-mom-died/) |
| Central subject | Her mother Debra, who pushed her into acting at age 6, enforced calorie restriction, and died of breast cancer in 2013 when McCurdy was 21[2](https://time.com/6203826/jennette-mccurdy-book-interview/) • [6](https://time.com/6199356/best-books-august-2022/) |
| Awards | 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography; 2023 American Library Association Alex Award[7](https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185848) |
| Adaptation | A 10-episode Apple TV+ dramedy written by McCurdy with Ari Katcher, announced in 2025 with Jennifer Aniston starring as a character modeled on McCurdy's mother; Aniston later exited the project[8](https://apnews.com/article/95134a392d5bbbba87d5217d12b31bc1) • [9](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/jennifer-aniston-bails-on-controversial-im-glad-my-mom-died-role/) |
## Content and structure
The memoir is organized in two segments, "Before" and "After", divided at the mother's death.[9](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/jennifer-aniston-bails-on-controversial-im-glad-my-mom-died-role/) It is written chronologically, and the narrative voice matures from that of a six-year-old who idolizes her mother into an adult who recognizes the damage the abuse caused.[10](https://www.enotes.com/topics/im-glad-my-mom-died/analysis) Much of the book is rendered in a present tense that places the reader in the child's point of view.[11](https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/all/im-glad-my-mom-died/)
**The mother.** Debra McCurdy is described as a narcissist and a "full-blown hoarder" who pushed her daughter into acting at age six in 1999, doling out affection in tandem with the jobs McCurdy booked.[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) For 15 years she restricted McCurdy's calorie intake, criticized her appearance, and monitored her diaries, email, income, and even her showers, which continued until McCurdy was 16.[6](https://time.com/6199356/best-books-august-2022/) • [12](https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/im-glad-my-mom-died/main-ideas/) After McCurdy hit puberty around age 11, her mother steered her toward anorexia through "calorie restriction" with weekly weigh-ins, and later performed invasive breast and genital exams on her as a teenager.[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) • [13](https://www.mic.com/culture/jennette-mccurdy-glad-my-mom-died-interview) Debra was diagnosed with breast cancer when McCurdy was 3; the disease's recurrence killed her in 2013, when McCurdy was 21.[4](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jennette-mccurdy/im-glad-my-mom-died-mccurdy/)
**Child stardom.** McCurdy rose to fame at 14 as Sam Puckett on *iCarly*, later reprising the role in the spinoff *[Sam & Cat](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-and-cat)* opposite [Ariana Grande](https://www.edgepedia.org/ariana-grande).[13](https://www.mic.com/culture/jennette-mccurdy-glad-my-mom-died-interview) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/95134a392d5bbbba87d5217d12b31bc1) The book recounts her struggles with bulimia and alcohol abuse during this period, and includes a figure she calls "The Creator", widely speculated in press coverage to be producer [Dan Schneider](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-schneider), who has denied many of the allegations of inappropriate conduct on his sets.[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) • [14](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/half-his-age-jennette-mccurdy-book-review-desire-consumption/685777/) McCurdy writes that she rejected a Nickelodeon offer of $300,000 in exchange for her silence about on-set behavior.[15](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/nickelodeon-star-jennette-mccurdys-memoir-isnt-a-juicy-child-star-tell-all-its-better) She has said the Nickelodeon material is secondary to the emotional arc about her mother, telling an interviewer that headlines focused on the network were "missing the point".[15](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/nickelodeon-star-jennette-mccurdys-memoir-isnt-a-juicy-child-star-tell-all-its-better)
**Recovery.** After her mother's death, McCurdy entered what she describes as really intense therapy, recognized that her mother had been abusive, and eventually quit acting to pursue writing and directing.[2](https://time.com/6203826/jennette-mccurdy-book-interview/) • [16](https://www.everydayiwritethebookblog.com/2022/09/im-glad-my-mom-died-by-jennette-mccurdy/) She has said that dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was particularly effective for her eating disorder and that she considers herself fully recovered.[17](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/jennette-mccurdy-interview-im-glad-my-mom-died-book)
## The title
The provocative title is, in McCurdy's words, entirely true, but she describes the feeling behind it as mixed and messy: with her mother's death she moved from deep anger to sympathy and compassion and back to rage, crying because she missed her and being angry at herself for crying.[8](https://apnews.com/article/95134a392d5bbbba87d5217d12b31bc1) The cover shows McCurdy cheerfully cradling her mother's pink urn, a choice she explained by noting that her mother had even dictated her favorite color, so the color on the cover mattered to her.[17](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/jennette-mccurdy-interview-im-glad-my-mom-died-book) • [13](https://www.mic.com/culture/jennette-mccurdy-glad-my-mom-died-interview) Reviewers have read the title not as a celebration of death but as a declaration of relief from a lifetime of abuse, and as an expression of the complicated grief of loving someone who hurt you.[18](https://anniewright.com/im-glad-my-mom-died-memoir-maternal-abuse/) • [19](https://www.buzzverdict.com/books/im-glad-my-mom-died)
## Reception
Critical reception was strongly positive. Publishers Weekly called it "insightful and incisive, heartbreaking and raw";[1](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824) [Kirkus Reviews](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirkus-reviews) described "the heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace".[4](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jennette-mccurdy/im-glad-my-mom-died-mccurdy/) Book Marks aggregated nine reviews into a "Rave" rating, with reviewers in *The Atlantic* and Vox praising its complexity and its indictment of the child star system, in which children are, in Vox's Constance Grady's phrasing, turned into "walking piles of other people's cash".[11](https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/all/im-glad-my-mom-died/) On Goodreads the book holds an average rating of about 4.42 across more than 1.6 million ratings.[20](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78574506-i-m-glad-my-mom-died)
The book won the 2022 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & [Autobiography](https://www.edgepedia.org/autobiography) and the 2023 American Library Association Alex Award.[7](https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185848) It remained on the New York Times bestseller list for a full year by Simon & Schuster's account, and New York City libraries logged it as a top 2023 checkout.[21](https://www.theidealised.com/i-m-glad-my-mom-died-jennette-mccurdy-review/) The author-narrated audiobook has appeared on national bestseller lists, including the AP's US audiobooks top 10 in July 2025.[22](https://apnews.com/article/4ee52d3c3b7f5365c0cfc24a7fcbed17)
Some criticism has focused on the book's single vantage point and on readers who found the unfiltered voice self-indulgent or the raw depiction of abuse distressing.[23](https://about.openlibhums.org/index.jsp/publication/O3RsUX/I-M-Glad-My-Mom-Died.pdf) • [21](https://www.theidealised.com/i-m-glad-my-mom-died-jennette-mccurdy-review/)
## Aftermath and adaptation
The memoir has been translated into many languages, with editions in Polish, Dutch, German, Finnish, Greek, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Danish, Spanish, and Arabic, among others.[24](https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/93537110-i-m-glad-my-mom-died) In 2025, Apple announced a 10-episode dramedy for Apple TV+ inspired by the book, written by McCurdy and film producer Ari Katcher, with [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston) cast as a character modeled on McCurdy's mother; the two were to serve as co-showrunners and executive produce alongside Aniston.[8](https://apnews.com/article/95134a392d5bbbba87d5217d12b31bc1) Aniston later exited the project.[9](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/jennifer-aniston-bails-on-controversial-im-glad-my-mom-died-role/) McCurdy has since published a second book, the novel *[Half His Age](https://www.edgepedia.org/half-his-age)*.[14](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/half-his-age-jennette-mccurdy-book-review-desire-consumption/685777/)
## References
1. [Review of I'm Glad My Mom Died, Publishers Weekly](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982185824)
2. [How Jennette McCurdy Survived Child Stardom to Write a Stunning Memoir, Time](https://time.com/6203826/jennette-mccurdy-book-interview/)
3. [I'm Glad My Mom Died, official publisher page, Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185824)
4. [I'm Glad My Mom Died, Kirkus Reviews](https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jennette-mccurdy/im-glad-my-mom-died-mccurdy/)
5. [I'm Glad My Mom Died: Study Guide, SparkNotes](https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/im-glad-my-mom-died/)
6. [Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in August, Time](https://time.com/6199356/best-books-august-2022/)
7. [I'm Glad My Mom Died, official publisher page (ebook), Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Im-Glad-My-Mom-Died/Jennette-McCurdy/9781982185848)
8. [Jennifer Aniston will star in series inspired by Jennette McCurdy's memoir, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/95134a392d5bbbba87d5217d12b31bc1)
9. [Jennifer Aniston Exits Apple TV Adaptation of Jennette McCurdy Memoir, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/jennifer-aniston-bails-on-controversial-im-glad-my-mom-died-role/)
10. [I'm Glad My Mom Died Analysis, eNotes](https://www.enotes.com/topics/im-glad-my-mom-died/analysis)
11. [All Book Marks reviews for I'm Glad My Mom Died, Book Marks](https://bookmarks.reviews/reviews/all/im-glad-my-mom-died/)
12. [I'm Glad My Mom Died: Main Ideas, SparkNotes](https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/im-glad-my-mom-died/main-ideas/)
13. [Yes, Jennette McCurdy is glad her mom died, but it's complicated, Mic](https://www.mic.com/culture/jennette-mccurdy-glad-my-mom-died-interview)
14. [Half His Age Isn't At All What It Seems, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026/01/half-his-age-jennette-mccurdy-book-review-desire-consumption/685777/)
15. [Jennette McCurdy's Memoir Isn't a Juicy Child Star Tell-All. It's Better., The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/nickelodeon-star-jennette-mccurdys-memoir-isnt-a-juicy-child-star-tell-all-its-better)
16. [I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Everyday I Write the Book](https://www.everydayiwritethebookblog.com/2022/09/im-glad-my-mom-died-by-jennette-mccurdy/)
17. [Jennette McCurdy On Her Memoir, Nylon](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/jennette-mccurdy-interview-im-glad-my-mom-died-book)
18. [I'm Glad My Mom Died: A Therapist's Take on the Memoir, Annie Wright](https://anniewright.com/im-glad-my-mom-died-memoir-maternal-abuse/)
19. [I'm Glad My Mom Died (2022) Book Buzz Verdict](https://www.buzzverdict.com/books/im-glad-my-mom-died)
20. [I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78574506-i-m-glad-my-mom-died)
21. [I'm Glad My Mom Died: Jennette McCurdy Memoir Review, The Idealised](https://www.theidealised.com/i-m-glad-my-mom-died-jennette-mccurdy-review/)
22. [US-Audiobooks-Top-10, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/4ee52d3c3b7f5365c0cfc24a7fcbed17)
23. [I'm Glad My Mom Died, Open Library of Humanities](https://about.openlibhums.org/index.jsp/publication/O3RsUX/I-M-Glad-My-Mom-Died.pdf)
24. [Editions of I'm Glad My Mom Died, Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/93537110-i-m-glad-my-mom-died)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Memoirs, biographies, and literary nonfiction › Memoirs and autobiographies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license