Half His Age

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of I’m Glad My Mom Died comes “a thorny examination of power, lust, shame and rage” (Los Angeles Times) from “a writer able to capture some of the darkest parts of human nature with unflinching honesty and devastating humor” (NPR)<BR><BR>“Unapologetic and undeniable . . . If there was ever any doubt whether the narrative command that Jennette McCurdy displayed in her bestselling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died might translate to fiction, let it henceforth be put to rest.”—Elle<BR> <BR>Waldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Forceful. Hurting. Perceptive. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all: Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn’t know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films and things that she doesn’t? Or is it purer than that, rooted in their unlikely connection, their kindred spirits, the similar filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it’s just enough that he sees her when no one else does. <BR><BR>Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant, Half His Age is a rich character study of a yearning seventeen-year-old who disregards all obstacles—or attempts to overcome them—in her effort to be seen, to be desired, to be loved.

* #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER * MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD!<BR> <BR>A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life. <BR><BR>Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction,” eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.<BR> <BR>In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail—just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi (“Hi Gale!”), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants.<BR> <BR>Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER<BR> #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER<BR> MORE THAN 3.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD!<BR><BR>A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life.<BR><BR> Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, whatever it took, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what her mother called “calorie restriction”, weighing herself five times a day and ultimately shrinking down to 89 pounds. She endured extensive at-home makeovers using knockoff whitening strips, hot curlers, eyelash tint, and gobs of bleach to enhance her “natural beauty.” She was showered by her mother until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, an email account, and all her earnings. The dream finally comes true when Jennette is cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly and is thrust into fame. But for Jennette, the dream is a nightmare.<BR><BR> Practically overnight, her fake smile and cheesy airbrushed hair-do is plastered on billboards across the country. And though her mom is ecstatic, ordering her to smile for the paparazzi (with whom she’s on a first-name basis) and sign endless autographs for fans who only know her by her character’s name, Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction and a series of unhealthy relationships.These issues only get worse when Jennette’s mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and coldly examining the relationship with her mother, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants. Told with raw honesty and equal parts gravity and humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is a a shocking, devastating, and ultimately inspiring story of resilience.

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO.1 BESTSELLERHalf His Age is a highly anticipated, funny, sad, thrilling novel about sex, class, desire, and power - and the (often misguided) lengths we'll go to to get what we want, from Jennette McCurdy, the three-million copy bestselling author of I'm Glad My Mom Died.'SHOCKING, HONEST AND UNSPARING'SUNDAY TIMES STYLE'A HILARIOUS AND UNCOMFORTABLE TRIUMPH'GUARDIAN'EERIE, UNSETTLING AND BELIEVABLE'GILLIAN FLYNN, AUTHOR OF GONE GIRL'ABSOLUTE DYNAMITE'ELIZABETH DAYWaldo is ravenous. Horny. Blunt. Naive. Wise. Impulsive. Lonely. Angry. Hurting. Endlessly wanting. And the thing she wants most of all? Mr. Korgy, her creative writing teacher.Mr Korgy, with the wife and the kid and the mortgage and the bills, with the dead dreams and the atrophied looks and the growing paunch. She doesn't know why she wants him. Is it his passion? His life experience? The fact that he knows books and films that she doesn't? Or are they actually kindred spirits, sharing the same filter with which they each take in the world around them? Or, perhaps, it's just enough that he sees her when no one else does.Startlingly perceptive, mordantly funny, and keenly poignant, Half His Age is an incisive study of a yearning seventeen-year-old who disregards all obstacles in her effort to be seen, to be desired and to be loved.'THOUGHT-PROVOKING, SHOCKING AND DARKLY COMIC'INDEPENDENT

'Ein beeindruckendes Memoir [...].' - Spiegel, Elisa von Hof'Ein verstörend gutes Buch [...].' - Süddeutsche Zeitung, Mareen LinnartzJennette McCurdy erzählt herzergreifend und mit bitterem Humor von ihrem traumatischen Leben als ehemaliger Kinder-Star in 'iCarly' und der krankhaften Beziehung zu ihrer MutterSeit sie denken kann, wird Jennette von ihrer Mutter beherrscht, emotional erpresst und psychisch wie körperlich missbraucht. Das einzige, was Debra sich für ihre Tochter - aber vor allem für sich selbst - wünscht, ist Jennettes Erfolg als Fernseh-Star. Für Jennette beginnt ein Kreislauf aus Castings, Angstattacken und Selbsthass. Dann bekommt sie die Rolle als Sam Puckett in der Nickelodeon-Serie 'iCarly' - eine Rolle, in der sie sich gedemütigt fühlt und Produzenten ausgesetzt ist, die ihre Macht missbrauchen.Als Debra an Krebs stirbt ist Jennette 21 Jahre alt und hat das Zentrum ihres Lebens verloren.Das einzige, worüber sie noch Kontrolle hat, ist ihr Essverhalten und die junge Frau stürzt ab in Essstörungen, Alkoholsucht und toxische Beziehungen.Einzig eine wegen ihrer Bulimie angefangene Therapie erweist sich als Jennettes Weg in die Freiheit. Es kostet sie Jahre um zu erkennen, was ihre Mutter ihr ein Leben lang angetan hat. Doch jetzt kann sie zum ersten Mal entscheiden, was sie selbst möchte, und es ist an der Zeit, die Kontrolle über ihre eigene Zukunft zu übernehmen.