Autobiography by Sierra Ottmar

Im Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 18:57:35 UTC

Why did you chose this book?

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:02:03 UTC

I chose this book because I watched Sam and Cat when I was younger and really liked the show. Some of my friends have read the book and recommended I read it. The title of this book is one of the reasons why I chose it because it caught my attention and I wanted to know Jennette's full story. I knew she had some sort of past with her mom and her acting career and I wanted to learn more.

Who is the story focused on?

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:02:58 UTC

It is focused on Jennette because it is an autobiography about her written by her. At some points it focuses on her mother and how she treated Jennette. Jennette also discusses her co stars in the shows and the producers but she was the only one who was constant through the whole book.

#1 Major Event

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:06:50 UTC

A very important part of Jeanette's life was when her mother told her about calorie restriction. That affected her eating habits and made her have an eating disorder for the rest of her life. Every time she ate food, she thought how it would make her mom feel and if her mom would approve. She never felt happy with her body. The way her mom emotionally and physically abused her stood out to me a lot. They would do diets together to “keep each other on track”.

#2 Major Event

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:07:37 UTC

Her mom dying impacted Jennette's life tremendously considering she controlled almost everything jennette did in her day to day life. What she ate, how she dressed and where she went was controlled by her mom. After her mom died, many things in her life changed for the better. She got help for her earring disorder, went to counseling for her past and quit acting. Some things weren’t good after her mom died, including the fact that her mom lied to her her whole life about who her father was. Jennete assumed that her dad was who she lived with and called her dad, but her mom had an affair and decided to keep it from her kids. Jennette went to see her real dad and got to know him. If her mother was still alive, she may have never known he existed.

#3 Major Event

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:07:50 UTC

When Jennette had to find herself after her mother's death. She went to multiple counselors and doctors to try and fix what her mom taught her and convinced her was healthy and normal. After one of her counselors pushed her too hard, she stopped going to them. After a while she realized that she has to talk about her past and be open to therapists and counselors in order for them to help her.

What is a song that best connects to the themes of this book?

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:12:54 UTC

Because of you by Kelly Clarkson. This song connects to the book I chose because they both talk about the effects of a toxic relationship with a parent. They share the long term effects and how they live their everyday lives. The lyric “I was so young, you should have known better than to lean on me” reflects exactly how Jennette felt throughout the book. Her mom would depend on her for income and advice.

Jennette and Deborah McCurdy

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:17:33 UTC

What lesson did the author want the audience to take away after reading? How do you know?

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:19:29 UTC

Just because someone loves you doesn't mean they get the right to control your whole life. She talks many times throughout the book about how she knew her mom loved her, but she wanted to be independent and her mom wouldn’t let her.

What is one important quotation from the book that best summarizes the theme?

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:22:56 UTC

“My mom didn’t deserve her pedestal. She was a narcissist. She refused to admit she had any problems, despite how destructive those problems were to our entire family. My mom, emotionally mentally and physically abuses me in ways that will forever impact me”. Page 303

Set of Sam and Cat

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:30:38 UTC

Set of ICarly

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:31:56 UTC

Jennette McCurdy and Miranda Cosgrove

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:33:55 UTC

Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande

27saottmar — 2025-04-22 19:35:08 UTC

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:15:00 UTC

Song that connects to the book

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:15:23 UTC

How do you think the author’s personal and/or professional life impacted how and why they wrote this book?

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:23:25 UTC

I think Jennettet wanted to make things clear. People were assuming many things about her life and she wanted to set the record straight. She talked about how people thought her and Arianna weren’t friends which she said isn't true. She also talked about how Miranda and her still talk on the phone sometimes and how she was a big part of her healing process. There were also allegations toward the producer of her shows, so she wanted to tell her side of the story.

Novel Citation

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:25:19 UTC

McCurdy, Jennette. I'm Glad My Mom Died. Simon & Schuster, 2022.

When does the story take place and how did the time period impact the people, conflicts, plot, etc?

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:29:57 UTC

The book covers Jennette's life in the late 90’s and her acting career in the 2000’s. It talks about her journey while struggling with her mom’s death in 2013. Child actors were on the rise and no one was stopping abuse on studios and sets. Now, there are stricter rules and limitations that help the child actors.

Where did the main action of the story take place and how did the places impact the people, conflict, plot, etc?

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:30:50 UTC

On various sets of movies and shows. Jennette spent her youth, teenage years and young adult years working for movies and shows. Jennette never felt comfortable on set because her mom was always around making decisions for her and telling her she wasn’t acting good enough.

How did the author use pathos to develop the theme and purpose of the story?

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:31:49 UTC

She talked about the emotions that her mom, job and personal life made her feel. She was very stressed a lot of the time and overthinking about what her mom would say if she saw what she was eating.

How did the author use logos to develop the theme and purpose of the story?

27saottmar — 2025-04-24 02:37:03 UTC

She described the abuse that she was enduring and what it was like to be a child actor. She gave logical arguments and elements that added to the story. She used details of her life and put them together to create facts.