I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy had her life steered by her mother from a young age. She began acting when her mother told (at age six), took the dance classes her mother told her (quite a variety), ate as her mother told her (extreme calorie restriction), styled herself as her mother told her (tinting her eyelashes, dressing younger than she was, harsh makeup), and even showered as her mother told her (bathed by her mother far into teenhood).

All of McCurdy's mother's efforts bore fruit (rotten though it may have been): McCurdy was cast in Nickelodeon's iCarly and became famous (so famous that a nurse asked for a photo when McCurdy was keeping vigil at her mother's cancer bed). While reveling in her daughter's financial and performance success, McCurdy's mother continued to abuse her daughter and neglect anything McCurdy truly wanted or needed.

Then, her mother died. It wasn't like a light switch, McCurdy's life didn't magically heal itself when her mom died, it was a process (and a rough and dark one at that). In I'm Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy courageously shares all of the gritty details of her relationship with her mother as well as others that led her down a path of eating disorders, anxiety, and addiction. While a rough read at times, the ultimate story of I'm Glad My Mom Died is one of overcoming deeply rooted demons, prioritizing one's self, and victories big and small. A darkly humorous and intense read. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, Simon & Schuster