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    The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
    The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
    The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom
    Audiobook7 hours

    The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom

    Written by Shari Franke

    Narrated by Shari Franke

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

    “Heart-wrenchingly personal…dizzying.” —Rolling Stone

    From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog—now the subject of a new Hulu docuseries—and the hidden abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother, and how, in the face of unimaginable pain, she found freedom and healing.

    Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.

    As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.

    Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.”

    For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.” No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 7, 2025
    ISBN9781668112373
    Author

    Shari Franke

    Shari Franke is the eldest daughter in the Franke family. She is a student at Brigham Young University.

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    Reviews for The House of My Mother

    4.5/5

    744 ratings41 reviews

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    • 3/5

      Oct 22, 2025

      Like most people, I only heard about this family after Ruby and Jody were arrested. The photos of the child that escaped were extremely disturbing. Much like many memoirs, it does have a tone of “I’m a nearly perfect victim” which always sets my teeth on edge. I’m not a fan of sharing family life and children on the Internet. It’s easy to get caught up in the need to share every thing about life on social media. I stopped posting on social media years ago. What has us feel the driving need to share so much content with people we have no real connection to? My childhood was far from rosy. Much of what Sheri describes about her childhood was mild in comparison. It seems Ruby really went sideways after she met Jody… who appears to be a psychopath. Although this book was fairly well written, it isn’t a book I would recommend.
    • 5/5

      Sep 28, 2025

      Super sad story but a great testament of the dangers of family vlogging.
    • 5/5

      Jun 8, 2025

      So, before reading this book, I already knew what happened to the Franky family and I was shocked and horrified by the whole story.
      Listening to this book narrated by Shari herself was a tremendous and remarkable experience because she tells the point of view of her life that we had no idea was happening while the whole situation with the family was unfolding in front of the internet viewers.
      She also talks about her life experiences in the years after her family was expelled. She says that even though she escaped from family abuse, she ended up entering an abusive situation in her personal life and this is a fact that the public had no idea was happening.
      She manages to express how much the trauma that a person suffers during childhood can reverberate throughout life, in the way people relate to each other, in the way they react to different situations that can occur in everyday life as well.
      Shari is an incredible person who managed to deal with everything she faced and even managed to forgive her father and continues to try to improve her life with the rest of her family despite everything.
      This book is incredible and it deserves all the praise possible.
    • 5/5

      May 21, 2025

      Every chapter was horrific, every realization the author came to painful. this is the first book in my life that I had to pause to tamp down my anger at her mother. If you can stomach what Ruby Franky did, read this book
    • 4/5

      May 15, 2025

      Bagaimana uji coba msh blum aktif?mohon di bantu terima kasih
    • 5/5

      May 14, 2025

      Such a brave and vulnerable book. I'm a therapist that works with folks who have experienced narcissistic abuse, and I'm so proud of her for speaking out. Not a fun read by any means, but a good way for folks to understand what this type of abuse looks like.
    • 5/5

      Apr 25, 2025

      This is an amazing - yet heartbreaking story. The courage of Shari to share all of this is immense. My deepest respect to this young woman being able to tell her story and make people aware of what really happened behind closed doors and when cameras shut off. I'm sure she will be able to finally break the cycle of generational trauma and be there not only for her own children, whenever she has some of her own, but also for her siblings. God bless you and your family, Shari!
    • 5/5

      Apr 22, 2025

      So she wasn’t locked in a cell and horribly abused like her youngest siblings, that doesn’t mean she didn’t suffer abuse at her mothers hands. When a women proclaims that she knew her five year old daughter hated her by looking into her face then there is something wrong with the mother. This was long before 8 Passengers was even conceived. The women that Shari describes is a monster and should never be left to care for any child ever again. If your looking for the grisly details of what happened to the author’s siblings then this isn’t for you. This is Shari’s story through her point of view. She leaves her siblings to decide if they want to share their own story someday if ever. This was well written and told in her own voice adding authenticity and emotion to it.
    • 5/5

      Apr 15, 2025

      True insight and an amazing book from a brave young lady. Some people in certain families are meant to break the chain(s), and I truly believe that is what Sheri has and is doing. It takes a lot of guts to share her life experiences and what she has gone through. Thank you, Sheri, for sharing your heart and soul with everyone and for being the change.
    • 5/5

      Apr 12, 2025

      I hope you and your family will heal fully ❤️ Hope your mother will find peace and change for better!
    • 5/5

      Apr 4, 2025

      I love the emotions and the storytelling and just basically everything about this book, and I love that she narrated it herself, and I hope she has the best rest of her life away from the spotlight that her mother forced upon her from such a young age
    • 5/5

      Apr 4, 2025

      Amazing book, Shari is incredibly talented. Her writing is sharp, vivid and elequent.
      I'm happy you and your siblings are finally out of this nightmare, may god bless all of you with peace and healing.
    • 5/5

      Apr 1, 2025

      This is one of the few autobiographies that I will be listening to multiple times. Shari’s recollection of her life thus far is so vivid and my heart felt every word spoken. She is an amazing author and an even better person, sibling, and human. I hope she lives the most mundane life going forward and I’m so excited to never hear another word about her. She deserves that.
    • 5/5

      Mar 29, 2025

      An unflinching and deeply felt account of her young life under the eye of Ruby Franke. I’m glad she was able to take the lessons, process the pain, and emerge stronger than she even thought she was. Bravo, Sheri.
    • 5/5

      Mar 28, 2025

      This is beautifuly written, it explanes so clearly her perspective on a story we have only seen from the public’s eyes. It will make everyone treat situations like this with more respect and compassion for the victims and the exploited. This book is an emotional insight into her childhood, and into how emotional abuse affects victims processing and relationships not only during the abuse, but for the rest of their life. and how in order to heal from it you have to essentially re work your entire brain and how you have been conditioned to think and behave your whole life. I am grateful to have read this and to know her story. I went into it interested in true crime, and I am emerging with a perspective of true crime I have never had before, how it feels to live through it and for your story to be exploited by the media. This has changed me and the way I view this topic. In the future I aspire to learn about true crime cases with a more nuanced perspective and to hold true understanding and compassion for the victims and all those involved rather than consuming it like content on social media. Thank you Shari Franke for explaining why compassion and understanding is so important in our relationships and in our perception of others.
    • 5/5

      Mar 23, 2025

      I remember watching eight passengers on YouTube when I was younger. My home life as a teen during that time was not great. My parents were divorced, I had a new step dad and my mom was emotionally abusive and neglectful. I remember watching them and wishing I had that life. A mom would go above and beyond for me. I wasn’t a subscriber I’ve only watched a few of there videos. But YouTube was my safe place during that time still is today at 24 years old. I have the same feeling with Sheri’s book that I did reading “I’m glad my mom died” by Jeannette mccurdy. I just feel so bad for these women that I looked up to as a kid/teen wishing I had there life. It just goes to show that kids do not belong in show business and we need stricter laws regarding children in entertainment. I’m glad I read Sheri’s book. I hope for happiness and healing for her and her family moving forward.
    • 5/5

      Mar 17, 2025

      Shari Franke really does a great job in putting the words to her emotions, thoughts and feelings. She really put in a lot work to describe the abuse she and her siblings went through by Jodi Hildebrandt and her mother Ruby. I highly recommend this great book!
    • 5/5

      Mar 17, 2025

      I'm sorry for what Shari and her siblings had to go through. I hope they find healing and happiness. I think this book is very well written and is engaging, and a reminder to me that no life is perfect.
    • 5/5

      Mar 15, 2025

      Raw and Real. The years of perspective from the voiceless victim to the herald of truth. Well-written, poignant, honest. Shari, you are braver and stronger than you could ever imagine. May the Lord heal you and your siblings. You are in my prayers.
    • 5/5

      Mar 14, 2025

      Thank you Sherry for being so brave I loved your book. It was so beautiful. ❤️
    • 5/5

      Mar 11, 2025

      Very Beautifully written and spoke.. Shari’s resilience and strength shines through.
    • 5/5

      Mar 6, 2025

      I loved it so much very inspiring to me she's an amazing writer.
    • 5/5

      Mar 5, 2025

      This was the best book I’ve ever read with such amazing words. I’m soooo proud of you.
    • 5/5

      Jan 20, 2025

      The amount of lives that she touched through her bravery. Wow!
    • 5/5

      Jan 16, 2025

      I just finished this book in 10 hours today. By the end I had tears in my eyes. I've always felt Shari to be wise beyond her years. I am saddened by the trauma that occurred, and how the dynamics of a high demand religion played into the way she was groomed and taken advantage of for 2 years by someone 30 years older than her, who lorded his standing in the LDS church over her to continue to cheat her. I am thankful for the Hammonds, her Aunt Julie, and her roommates who cared and showed up for her in amazing ways during her times of need. I am grateful for her therapist Dora. Her vulnerability in sharing her story is her strength. I wish her all the very best happiness in the world, she deserves it.
    • 5/5

      Jan 13, 2025

      It was very insightful I have followed this family for years. I hope all the best for the healing of this family .
    • 5/5

      Jan 12, 2025

      Engaging and poignant, without being extremely dramatic. It helped me understand the traumatic bond she developed with her mother and how that created great danger for her when she left home. Great reading voice, easy to follow style. I only would have wished some lose ends had been tied. Still, 5 out of 5.
    • 5/5

      Jan 11, 2025

      Such a powerfully written book. I loved the words chosen and the language used throughout
    • 5/5

      Jan 11, 2025

      SOOOOO good!!!! Shari is so so so strong and inspiring!!!!
    • 5/5

      Feb 11, 2025

      Thorough without being macabre. Just enough detail to take you into the heart and mind of the author. It appealed to the emotions but wasn’t melodramatic. Great writing, intelligent . Hope and pray the best for her future!

      1 person found this helpful