I'm Glad My Mom Died

I was fully confident I wasn't going to rate this 5 stars until I read the last ~20% of the book and now I'm sitting here blown away by how well crafted this story is.

Don't get me wrong, it was a well written book from the start. Her account of her acting career was engaging, it was well paced, and her prose is casual, witty, and sarcastic. I kept turning the pages out of curiosity since ever chapter would reveal something new and I was really invested in learning more about her childhood.

I thought I had the book figured out... but then she drops the hammer.

Her recovery.

Reading about how hard and emotionally exhausting recovery is gave me a perspective on mental illness I haven't read anywhere else. This really is an important book and I have so much respect and admiration for McCurdy for not only tackling her own demons, but also for sharing them with us.

The hype is real, this is an essential book and I'm so glad I read it!