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Known for her iCarly fame as Sam Puckett, child star Jennette McCurdy has debuted as an author at age 30. Her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died (also available in ebook), has made waves for its arresting title, its revealing content, and its “heartbreaking and hilarious” prose. Whether you’ve read the memoir and are looking for something similar or are waiting for your turn with the book, check out one of these works ranging from a tell-all from life in the ballet industry to a memoir of life as one tech giant’s daughter.
Small Fry: A Memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
Detailing her life from her unusual birth to her emergence as an adult, Lisa Brennan-Jobs describes the duality of moving between her mother, artist Chrissann Brennan and her father, technology pioneer Steve Jobs. With an inside look at the man whose name is synonymous with Apple, Small Fry brings a candid and engaging voice to Brennan-Jobs’ story. Also available as an audiobook, ebook, and an eaudiobook.
Swan Dive: The Making of a Rogue Ballerina by Georgina Pazcoguin
Half-Filipina, half-Italian ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin brings readers backstage and behind the scenes of the world of dance. With a straightforward and candid take on the industry, Swan Dive gets into the sexual harassment, mental health struggles, and racism that thrives on and off stage. With a gossipy and amusing tone, Swan Dive is an unexpected tell-all. Also available as an ebook.
Stolen: A Memoir by Elizabeth Gilpin
Actor/producer Elizabeth Gilpin gathers her memories in this haunting and sobering book about her time in a behavior modification program in Appalachia as, despite excellent grades and athletic achievements, depression took over her life at home. Effectively tortured at the camp, Gilpin describes how she survived and how the program devastated not just her, but others who suffered in it. With a candid take on the “troubled teen industry,” Gilpin maps her story from hurt to healing.
American Daughter A Memoir of Intergenerational Trauma, A Mother's Dark Secrets, and a Daughter's Quest for Redemption by Stephanie Thornton Plymale
With an exceedingly difficult relationship with her mother due to mental health challenges and other factors, Stephanie Thornton Plymale underwent an ordeal of a childhood. From struggling with hunger to medical neglect, Plymale revisits her childhood years later with new information that propels her to see that time in a new light. A heart-wrenching emotional journey, American Daughter is a testimony of redemption and lost histories.
Stray: A Memoir by Stephanie Danler
After the publication of her first novel, Sweetbitter, Stephanie Danler expected a life changed for the better. But what she found was the opposite. Now forced to confront her mother’s disability and her father’s spotty presence coupled with his addictions, Danler returns to her geographic origins of Southern California. The ghosts that await her help bring this memoir together with a strong sense of place alongside a candid and compelling story full of hurt and what it takes to find and create peace. Also available in large print and as an ebook.
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Author: Abby H.