On the same page discussion

Hello, everyone.
It’s been a while and I would like to catch up with everyone of you.

This is the place where we all discuss our opinions and reflect on this month’s book of the month I'm Glad My Mom Died

I hope all of you enjoyed it. I would love toknow all of your opinions on this book.

Happy reading and stay tuned for more.

Love, moderators.

Well, in my opinion this was one of the best memoirs I've ever read. It's raw, painful, wholesome, honest and it opens up your eyes in a way that you would've never guessed. I had a friend who had a hard time too with depression and with anorexia and being able to read what she maybe was thinking or what was aching her, was indescribable.

I think Jennifer did a pretty amazing job of retelling her POV, it's not always easy to go back in your past and have to relieve or rethink sick and hurtful moments. I think she should really be proud of what she created. It has always been a taboo talking about mental health etc. and people like Jennifer are making it easier to come forward for others.

I will for sure buy this book and re-read, because it touched me in many different ways. It does hurt to know how I wanted to help my friend, but didn't know how because I was so young. Luckily, my friend did the most work and went to therapy too, but in the future it's these books that give you a small perspective into the people close to you that are hurting. And no, I would never say that anyone will ever know how much it hurts to be in such a situation, but such books show you that you should always try harder to help others. And I'll always be grateful for still having my friend with me.

5 Stars for me for sure.

Saying that I loved this book seems wrong, since it portrays a life of trauma and abuse. But I loved it because it's very well written and I believe it's important to talk about these topics, and to reveal the truth about the Hollywood industry. And for this, I think Jennette was very brave.

Through the whole book I felt uncomfortable.
And it made reflect on two main things.

Firstly, how disgusting and traumatizing being a child actor can be.
Growing up in front of everyone, judging them, and hiper-sexualizing them. Adults forcing children and teenagers to kiss in front of a camera, and to wear bathing suits, for the entertainment of other people.
Saying to a child "make your best death face, pretend that your family is dead and you're burning in a gas chamber". It must have a negative impact on these children's development.

The second thing is that a toxic relationship is complex and the abuse can sometimes be disguised as love.
For example, when she tells that her mother loved the gifts her children gave her and wanted to preserve the memories and the feelings of this love. So she kept all the gift wraping papers, all the drawings, all the things that reminded her of her loving children. Which is sweet. But then, their house was so full of trash that her kids had to sleep on the floor, on yoga mattresses. And not providing good living conditions is abuse. Not to mention the other more evident forms of abuse her mother showed.

In the end, I'm happy that she was able to identify these toxic behaviours, that she asked for professional help and that she already made so much progress in order to become healthier and happier!

^^^^^^^
*Warning: my review has spoilers*