Don't Judge This Book by It's Cover
Just don't be put off by the title...
I was really worried when my mom stole this book from me. I had ordered the book to her house during a recent trip to California. But when I got there it was missing.
I feared the worse. You see, my mom has been dealing with a really rough bout of cancer for the last three years and I feared that she might take the title literally.
I nervously asked her where it was, worried that buying it had upset her. Instead, I found her reading it in the living room, rapt with attention as she devoured the book.
I suppose why this book is currently at the top of the NYT Bestseller List.
Can you guess what it is?
Here’s a clue…it’s a memoir - my favorite genre - so it’s a true story. But as attention-grabbing as the title is, the actual story has a lot more nuance and depth than that.
It’s a story about fame, family, and the hidden struggles of television most visible stars. It’s a coming of age story about a young girl’s incredibly difficult relationship with her mother.
Do you know what it is yet?
Of course, I’m talking about I’m Glad my Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, the childhood actress who rose to fame on Nickelodeon’s popular show iCarly.
Perhaps now you can see why I was concerned when my mother stole it. It’s an easy title for someone battling cancer to take personally.
But instead of being disturbed by the book, she instantly started telling me why I had to read it. My cousin then saw the book and read half of it in a sitting. And I started to wonder if maybe I’d found a Book Club winner.
Here’s why I’ve chosen I’m Glad My Mom Died for my October Book Club pick.
I was not the target audience of iCarly. I haven’t watched Nickelodeon since Rugrats in the mid-90s. I’m not drawn to this book because I know Jennette McCurdy from TV.
But I have made a career on screen and understand the pressures and anxieties of public visibility (in my own modest way) while so many difficult experiences remain invisible to the audience.
In McCurdy’s case, it started when her mother took her to her first audition at just six years old. Her mother had been discouraged from acting by her own parents, so she placed the weight of her unlived dreams onto her young daughter.
That might not be too far from ordinary, but her mother didn’t stop there. She monitored every aspect of Jennette’s life, counting her calories, forcing her to weigh herself five times per day and even inspecting her breasts and vagina for cancer.
McCurdy didn’t realize that any of this was out of the ordinary, even as she developed obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and crippling anxiety. It wasn’t until after her mother died from breast cancer in 2013 that she realized the indelible impact of her mother’s intense desire to live vicariously through her fame.
The challenges continued after she landed her job at Nickelodeon, where she ran into another questionable adult producer she simply calls “The Creator.” She was offered $300,000 in hush money to keep silent about her time at the network.
Instead, she wrote this book. And I think that’s really bad-ass.
But what piqued my interest most about I’m Glad My Mom Died was that it started out as a one-woman show. I’ve been interested in solo performance for years and am currently developing my own 90 minute solo show. And I’m really interested to see how Jennette’s story differs from the page to the stage.
I’m excited to crack open I’m Glad My Mom Died this weekend - and I invite you to read along with me. Grab your copy at your local book store or order it on Amazon and join us for the live discussion on Zoom at the end of the month.
The tentative date for the Zoom call is Oct 27th, 3PM Los Angeles // 6PM New York.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the three months of free content I’ve been putting out on this newsletter. While most of my writing will remain free to all subscribers, but bonus content like the live book club discussions will be only available to paid subscribers.
But don’t worry - today is the last day to claim your 15% discount on an annual membership to enjoy a full year of book club discussions, readings from my personal journals, and behind the scenes insights into my writing process for just $51/year.
Enjoy your weekend, and enjoy the book. Tag me on Instagram when you get your copy and let me know how you’re liking it. In meantime, you can read more about it in The New York Times or watch her interview on The Daily Show below.
Until then, I remain…
Your author,
Marko