Books of the week Oct. 19
Title: “I’m Glad My Mom Died”
Author: Jennette McCurdy
Reading level: Adult
In her heartbreaking and dark humor-filled memoir, actress and writer Jennette McCurdy details how her unhealthy relationship with her mother caused her to become a child actor, develop eating disorders and spend most of her life trying to fit the image her mother craved. At the age of six, despite being a shy child, Jennette had her first tv show audition. The only reason she did the audition was to garnish her mother’s approval. At 11, Jennette thought her mother would no longer love her if she hit puberty. So, she asked her mother how to stunt her growth and her mother introduced her to “calorie restriction” and anorexia. At 16, her mother still refused to let Jennette shower alone, send emails or manage her own income. All of those actions are examples of her mother’s repeated and prolonged physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse. However, the dark actions are accompanied with dark humor of how Jennette sees these actions now. As people say, “hindsight is 20/20.”
This memoir leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to Jennette and the relationship she had with her mother. Readers should be prepared to be horrified, cry and laugh while reading. This book is available on the Libby app.
Title: “When I Was You”
Author: Amber Garza
Kelly Medina is having a regular day when a nurse calls from her old pediatrician’s office to confirm her “well baby” appointment. But Kelly’s son was away at college so it couldn’t be for her. The nurse apologized for the mix-up and said it was for a new patient with the same name. Kelly can’t believe there is another Kelly Medina living in her neighborhood, so she gets on social media and finally decides to wait in the doctor’s office parking lot to get a look at the new Kelly. She approaches the girl and her son and they start up a conversation, and agree to meet sometime for lunch. The friendship grows quickly until both of them become suspicious of the other. Why does the younger Kelly’s baby look so much like her own son, and why does the older Kelly seem so obsessed with every move the other makes? Neither one of them may be what they seem. This thriller is available on Libby and Hoopla.
