The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke Review

Hello Readers,
 
In this book Shari focuses on her own experiences, rather than everything that has been well documented in the court case. She delves into the years of emotional manipulation and control inflicted by her mother, Ruby, whose behaviour became increasingly erratic under the influence of Jodi Hildebrandt. Just a heads up this memoir is raw, gripping, and not an easy read.
 
    
Shari Franke’s memoir, The House of My Mother, is a brave, heart breaking, and profoundly moving account of her childhood and young adulthood. As the eldest child in a vlogger family, Shari sheds light on the emotional abuse she endured long before her mother, Ruby Franke, became widely known for her arrest and the subsequent court case involving the abuse of her younger siblings.
 
Shari leaves no room for sympathy toward Ruby, framing her as a narcissist whose delusions escalated into outright harm. Ruby’s attempts to cast herself as a victim are dismantled through Shari’s honest and unwavering narrative.
 
In recounting her journey, Shari also reveals how her traumatic upbringing made her vulnerable to further exploitation, including grooming by a predatory older man. Her reflections on breaking free from these cycles of abuse and finding her way to healing are both gut-wrenching and inspiring. Despite the darkness, Shari’s resilience shines through, offering readers hope amid the devastation.
 
One of the central themes in this book is the ethical and legal issues surrounding family vlogging. Shari highlights how the monetisation of her family’s private life left her and her siblings unprotected, exploited, and without agency.
 
While there are laws to safeguard child actors in traditional media, children featured in family vlogs remain unprotected. Shari’s story highlights the need for legal reforms to protect children in these situations. We are in the era of where children raised in "picture-perfect" vlogging families are beginning to come forward with their own accounts and allowing us to see behind the curtain.
 
This is a book that will grip you, horrify you, and will leave you in awe of Shari strength. I hope she and her siblings find peace, healing, and happiness in their futures.

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