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The House of My Mother

The Sunday Times bestselling memoir about a daughter's quest for freedom

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The House of My Mother

By: Shari Franke
Narrated by: Shari Franke
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About this listen

 From eldest daughter Shari Franke, the shocking true story behind the viral 8 Passengers family vlog – now the subject of a new Disney+ 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. Abuse Child Abuse Dysfunctional Families Entertainment & Celebrities Parenting & Families Relationships Religious Studies Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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I found this audiobook to be incredibly eye-opening as an insight into what the reality of being a child coaxed into family vlogging is. This is not only an incredible insight into the risks of children being presented online and the effect on the family themselves, but also religious led abuse. I think Shari does an incredible job describing Ruby's interpretation And justification of her behaviors through religion while also denouncing her behaviours and distancing them from what her religion actually stands for. This is a very brave account of her life and she has managed to talk about her experience while so graciously preserving the stories and innocence of others enduring the abuse adjacent to her. This is a resource I would love to use through my work and I feel this would be an incredible resource for professionals to gain an insight into the though process and lived experience of someone who has lived under the thumb of narcissistic abuse. Shari has shown she has incredible potential for her future and her grace is breath taking.
thank you so much for sharing your story in such a wholy respectful way while being able to avoid underplaying the abusers role.

An incredible and vulnerable story

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This story told by Shari is a great tribute to her and her siblings. It is eye opening.

Heartbreakingly beautiful

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Great read, insightful honest inspiring. Heartbreaking but shows the strength of the human mind through such resilience in spite of it all. Brilliantly written parent so tragic yet still managed to bring wit and humour throughout.

Resilience honest inspiring

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I really liked this option to hear from Shari’s side, the truth. I’m glad she got a chance to share her story. A strong, courageous, e young woman.

Share her story

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After suffering similar religious trauma conditioning I was worried this would be triggering in too many ways, and although my religious beliefs are very different to shari, it felt like such a comfortable and comforting read, so healing. Shari shared things here that helped me heal at double her age, thank you for sharing your journey and wisdom, all the best for yours and your family's future x

very healing for religious trauma, amazing read x

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