Despite its bubble gum cover, Jennette McCurdy’s story I’m Glad My Mom Died, is harrowing and intense.

Jennette grew up in a poor Mormon home and throughout her youth she struggled to break away from her mother’s abuse. To please her mother, Jennette started acting as a child. Her mother taught her how to restrict calories from the age of 11 and infantilised her so extremely that she continued to dictate everything she did, said and ate until the age of 18. She was emotionally blackmailed and sexually abused. And she was exploited by her mother to keep the family afloat.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is an incredible story. It is one of abuse and a childhood lost. But McCurdy’s voice shines like a guiding light. Written from the perspective of the age she was at the time, its matter-of-factness is powerful and will have you gasping one minute, laughing the next, and weeping a minute after that.

McCurdy never wanted to be an actor. She always wanted to write, and this book is the ultimate act of rebellion against her mother. What is evident, is that despite what she endured, McCurdy has a voice that demands to be heard with words that might help others understand what she discovered. You don’t need to forgive those who hurt you to be free.

Reviewed by Anabel Pandiella