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 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.©2025 Shari Franke (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

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 .

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!

So Proud of Shari

This is the first time I’ve ever heard about a book coming out and jumped to read it. It was also the first audio book I’ve ever listened to. I’m so proud of Shari for not only making it through everything she did, but for finding the strength and courage to make something beautiful out of it. She did a phenomenal job narrating, and the entire book was so easy to fall along with and keep interest to (as someone with ADHD and has a hard time keeping focus, it was GREAT and kept my attention entirely.) The book was incredibly well written, and I am so happy that Shari was able to put to use all of her knowledge and passion for books and reading. I would recommend this book not only to anyone who was familiar with 8 Passengers on YT or curious about the details behind the scenes of this tragic case, but to anyone who has experienced narcissistic family abuse or who wants to better educate themselves on the importance of protecting children through the new surges of social media. In the book she does an incredible job highlighting how the trauma we experience as children can go on to ultimately lead to more traumatic events through our lives, and it really helped me to find better insight to my own personal struggles. This was an amazing read, and if you’re even barely considering giving it a go- READ IT! Shari deserves it, and trust me, it’s worth it. WAY TO GO SHARI!

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!

A story worth being heard

Truly a story to hear. Such a strong book. The audible version was clear and emotional.

Pure STRENGTH

This book was incredible and showed great bravery and courage. Shari and the other siblings will move mountains.

Wow just Wow

What an heart wrenching story. I pray you and your family can find peace and forgiveness with eachother I am so glad you shared your heartbreaking tstory Your strength and courage should be commended and hope your sibling know you were fighting for them the whole time. Forgive yourself for any mishaps that happened slong the way, God will understand your need for live and acceptance. I pray justice is served.

beautiful mind

I hope you understand what a smart, special and impressive mind you have. to break through and to take the time and action to heal is not something everyone would be able to do.

Inspiring

The author tells a compelling and introspective story about complicated family dynamics and their residual effects on victims of abuse and neglect.

Intriguing & well written.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Sherrie. You’re a voice for the vulnerable.