“I’ve spent my whole life studying her . . . because I always want to do whatever I can in any given moment to make or keep Mom happy.”

What happens when a stand-up comedy routine becomes a memoir? In this case, it becomes a best-seller. This book started as a one-woman show about growing up trying to please a mother who was her best friend and controller of everything from showers to diet to wiping after using the toilet. After the pandemic closed down live performances, McCurdy infused comedic timing into her memoir. Dark humor is woven into the descriptions of abuse. She tells how she learned that things done in the name of love were wrong. Expert use of tone, perspective, and timing make this book extraordinary.

McCurdy, Jeannette. I’m Glad My Mom Died. Simon & Schuster, 2022, p. 89.

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