The House of My Mother

A Daughter's Quest for Freedom

By: Shari Franke

Narrated by: Shari Franke

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 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.

Life Changing

I just binged listened to this book over the past two days. I've been interested in the story bc while I didn't know the Franke's, and didn't even know about the 8 passengers YouTube vlog, I knew Jodi. She was my therapist for 3 years. When she got arrested, I had to reopen and process a lot of the therapy I thought was closed doors. it's a process and Shari's story here has helped me feel reassurance in my thoughts that Jodi is crazy. Keep sharing and thank you so much for being vulnerable!

Another case of religious radicalism

Great story, she is a good writer though I do wish she talked about the viral moment we all witnessed when her sibling was found wandering and emaciated on his neighbor's doorstep..also she is still involved in the Mormon cult and doesn't seem to realize how Mormonism contributed to her mother's disorder (the LDS church also sent many people to Jody Hildebrandt). she mentions how she wished her mother could have aspired to something beyond just being a wife and mother but that is exactly what Mormon women are taught is their deepest purpose. I hope she can find the strength to leave the manipulative church just as she found the strength to disconnect from an abusive mother.

The sins of religious institutes

As a former Mormon the awareness of the open secrets… it’s all so captivating. She was groomed and made a victim and the church punished her and believed her perp. I’m shocked she is still in a deep held religion after going through her torment. The church should be ashamed.

Extraordinary wisdom & resilience

Shari did an amazing job bringing us into these painful moments throughout her life. As someone who has adamantly fought to end the exploitation of children on social media, I thought I had a pretty good sense of what the Franke children had endured. I was horribly mistaken. Shari's experience is more heartbreaking than I could have ever imagined. Her extraordinary wisdom extends far beyond her years and the resilience she's shown should be a lesson to all.

I wish Shari and her siblings all the love, happiness, and healing they so deserve!

How Shari did such a great job telling her story

It’s an unbelievable , tragedy story . I couldn’t stop listening to the book. Her mom just hot worse and worse .