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

Written by:
Shari Franke
Narrated by:
Shari Franke

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
76
Narrator
46
Release Date
January 7, 2025
Duration
7 hours 9 minutes
Summary
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 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.
Reviews
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Raquel P.

Loved it. It's a personal insight of events WITHOUT exposing her brothers. Very good.

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Tonya G.

Interesting story. One I had followed real time. A bit choppy throughout and seems lots of details left out that could have helped the story. Overall, a good, easy read with justice served. I really continue to struggle with understanding the Mormon faith, if you can even call it that.

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Anonymous

inspiration. thank you for sharing your story.

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ewood1996

Shari, you are an amazing human. I hope you are able to have the happy and healthy life you deserve surrounded by your chosen family. Future reader, This book is so well written and I am so happy Shari chose to share her story. Listen and bare witness to a child's struggle and her ability to overcome hardship that no one should ever have to suffer. Let this be a warning to those who exploit their children for financial gain. The day will come when you have to face judgment.

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Gabrielle W.

it was really eye opening. i’ve listened to several podcasts and watched several documentaries on this situation and i really enjoyed hearing her side. i feel so deeply for her and her siblings

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Anonymous

Really wanted to like this book but though the story it self is unbelievable it is in my opinion that the book could have been written a lot better.

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Rjackman

I feel for the pain this child endured; however, I would only recommend this book to maybe people in their 20’s overcoming trauma. I am curious to see how the point of view and life experiences of Shari shape her future. I agree that everything about her mother, Jodi, her dad… messed up! The sexual harassment from the man older than her, messed up! But, as someone who was raised in the same religion as her, how much of her thought processes are still grounded in those belief systems taught to her as the only way. I feel sad for the little girl still in her needing the external approval from bishop, stake president, etc. I hope Shari can move out of Utah, see various cultures, use her craving for inquisitive independent thoughts, and write again in 10 years.

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MJ

Couldn’t put it down! Raw and Excellently written. Shari is one smart girl. I’m so glad she found her voice. I highly recommend this book!

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Jude A.

amazing book

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Debbie J.

Excellent book. Well written & narrated.

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Anonymous

Shari Franke is such a hypocrite for profiting off of her two youngest siblings who were brutally tortured and while she desperately did TRY to save her siblings, she failed. It was her youngest sibling who saved himself and his little sister. He is the actual hero here. Not Shari who was off at school busy having inappropriate relationships with a married man. Yet Shari is so quick to condem anyone else who profits off of her family's story. I don't find her or her story to be sympathetic at all. I do find certain revelations in regards to the true crime aspect to be interesting though. She scoffs at her life and family being made into entertainment yet proceeds to write a book and seems lost on the fact that this is also a form of entertainment at the expense of the younger siblings who were truly victims of such an extreme abuse, it made headlines. Her intense scrutiny against Lifetime, family vloggers, etc just left me feeling very grossed out by her as it does make her indeed seem extremely selfish. As though she and she alone should be in charge of telling a story that involves so many other people! Id actually love to hear from the eldest son, Chad's story. He, I think, would be able to add much more insight into what was actually going on in that home that led up to the worst of the abuse. Kevin as well! At least, imo, they don't seem to be so excruciatingly hypocritical when it comes to writing a book vs bashing anyone else who dares to tell their story, speak up about it, make a movie, etc..

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Mary D.

Shari told her story in a way that was captivating, educational

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Stephanie H.

Shari had to walk a very fine line sharing her story while still protecting her siblings’ right to privacy and she did an outstanding job with that! It is very well written, her vocabulary is extensive so despite having to reiterate a point a few chapter later, it never felt redundant. The narration was a pleasant surprise, I listen to a lot of audiobooks so I can multitask (AuDhd) in order to keep focus and let me tell you, bad narration doesn’t make it past the first chapter with me. I loved the epilogue where Shari dove more into what she’s learned through therapy and how compassionate she still feels towards Ruby despite lifelong narcissistic abuse. I, too, have a narcissistic mother and my father was physically abusive until I was 19, the mental abuse until I went no contact a year ago. Despite understanding why their brains work the way they do, I can’t find compassion, just pity and indifference. It is hard to find empathy when your inner child still feels unsafe and especially when you’re the oldest with much younger siblings to help deal with the trauma. I can’t even imagine adding the media frenzy, social media, etc,. into the mix. At the end of the day, I truly hope people listen to Shari’s plea to remember that this happened to real people, literal children and they were being bombarded by paps, reporters, people they knew and I’m guessing a large percentage of people worldwide for details as it was happening. First, we are never entitled to the details of other people’s traumas, ever. Secondly, sticking a camera in their faces before they’ve even hit the shock stage of: grieving the loss of the family unit, seeing the actual evidence such as the photos of their siblings’/childrens’ injuries and having to process the magnitude of long term damage caused by Ruby and Jodi and of course, the immense guilt for being powerless to stop it. So while I understand that society as a whole is filled with curious creatures, which is fine as long as we implement boundaries so families like this don’t have to worry about the media adding to their traumatic experiences in order to capitalize on the exploitation and abuse of children while they’re exploiting those same children for money. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️-

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Meghan S.

A must read

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Anonymous

Incredible book by an incredible young woman:)

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Anonymous

Shari is such an exceptional, resilient, insightful, thoughtful & intelligent young woman, sister & daughter. Great Read.

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Anonymous

This was written so beautifully!

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G S.

Incredibly powerful and so well written, as well as narrated!

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Anonymous

Shari, did a fantastic job with a very painful story of her life. I really felt for her.

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Anonymous

best book I've heard. she is a strong woman to go through this.

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Olga P.

Such a heartbreaking yet powerful story of resilience, growth, freedom & light found within yourself even in the darkest times

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