I was a huge iCarly fan. I absolutely loved Sam Puckett. I cried when the series ended, and sadly hated the spinoff Sam and Cat. I was surprised when Jennette McCurdy seemed to disappear off the face of the planet (apparently there was a short lived Netflix or Hulu or some other streaming service series I did not know about). She deleted all her past tweets and other social media posts. I figured she'd gone off to get married and have kids and lead a normal non-celebrity life like many former child stars. Boy was I wrong...
I pre-ordered this the first day I could. McCurdy's mother died in 2013 and this wasn't published until this year. I read previews it was a tough one, with a lot of trauma and revelations that were going to be difficult to hear, as both a mother and a former fan.
These analyses were correct and then some. I threw up reading this.
McCurdy's mother was an abusive...I don't even have the words. Verbal, physical, sexual abuse occurred until McCurdy was 17. On top of that, and although she does not name him, it is clear McCurdy was also being sexually abused by iCarly's creator and at least one crew member. She battles anorexia, bulimia, and alcoholism. Her boyfriend has a break with reality and she learns the man she loved as a Dad is not her biological father. After her mother's death from cancer, her grandmother takes over with verbal abuse. This was heart (and gut) wrenching.
I loved Sam, but I never considered the actress portraying her. I never considered what a child actor might be dealing with in order to earn and keep such a coveted role. I hate McCurdy's mother for her. It is clear now that when "Sam" talked about her mother with such hatred, Jennette McCurdy wasn't acting.
Hard to believe, but teachers head back next week! I'll be in for set up probably Wednesday, PD Thursday, staff meetings Friday. See all of you on the 29th!
A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog and video/audio versions of it are solely those of Mrs. W.
