I’m Glad My Mom Died
details
nonfiction memoir
content warnings: alcoholism, addiction, eating disorder, child abuse, emotional abuse
warning
This book contains a lot of heavy subjects. I’ve given a list of warnings above for the major ones (imo), but for a complete list, please take a look here. Read at your discretion and remember to take care of yourself if you do read it.
review
Hoo, boy. Where do I start?
This has been a tough read for me, mostly because of the content. From the title alone, I knew some of the stuff would resonate with me. And, well, it did. Seeing her words written down reflecting my own experience with my mother has been... a little bit stressful, if I’m gonna be honest. Obviously, *my* experience can’t compare to hers, and my god, is it vastly different.
Mothers, though. There’s a paragraph right at the end about how it is universal to think of mothers as angels, etc. etc., and while yes, mothers do a lot for their children, and yes, the experience of motherhood can’t compare to anything else, there’s really no excuse for them to vicariously live through their children because of the things they did or didn’t do beforehand. (And because they’re mothers, more often than not, they get off the hook for doing terrible things. That’s purely anecdotal, so don’t quote me on that.)
I’m glad Jennette got better, is getting better. It was really tough to read her experiences, not just with her mother, but with her career, her eating disorders, and all the other mental health stuff. It’s not an easy road. I’m glad she’s able to take time to take care of herself, and I’m glad her mom died.