Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Memoir / True Crime
Length: 320 pages
Author: Shari Franke
Publisher: Gallery Books
Release Date: January 7th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

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.

THE STRENGTH.

That’s the over arching emotion I had while listening to this book, rage. It’s hard to put into words thoughts about someone’s journey so this isn’t going to be a long review.

I think it was a powerful testament of Shari’s journey and what she went through. It’s incredibly well written and does not shy away from the deep wounds that have been created from this situation. The abuse and manipulation of Shari and her family went through is difficult but important to understand.

This helped me gain an even firmer stance on how I choose to keep my kids offline and the dangers social media and certain personalities can have on those around them.

I hope for peace and healing for all of those involved.

Overall audience notes:

• Non-fiction memori
• Language: none
• Violence: high
• Content warnings: discussions of multiple types of abuse throughout

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