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Like many of you, I recently read Jeanette McCurdy’s wildly popular memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There’s something deeply uncomfortable about reading and discussing a memoir like this; something that feels invasive and exploitative, as though people are watching television and then turning to each other and to social media: “Can you believe…?!” Except this is a person’s life. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And yet, there’s a part that feels remarkable. For a woman whose celebrity has made people feel like they know her to reclaim her agency, to change the narrative, to reshape her identity so that the first thing that pops up when you google her isn’t “actor,” but “writer,” to open up about her trauma, mental illness, and work toward recovery for the world to see is incredible. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I didn’t enjoy this book, but I would recommend it. I’m glad that McCurdy’s voice may help survivors of abuse, and that it may resonate with children of mentally ill parents. I’m glad she was, finally, able to tell her story. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ CW: This book contains an enormous variety of potentially triggering content. Before reading, please check sources like StoryGraph for a comprehensive list. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ID: I’m holding up a kindle displaying the ebook cover of I’m Glad My Mom Died. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CjAti8rrVwl/