The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The House of My Mother:

It’s almost like YouTube fame doesn’t solve all your problems.

Quick synopsis:

The story of the Shari Franke, the 8 Passengers family YouTube account, and the downfall of Ruby Franke.

Fact for Non-History People:

Shari’s mother (the villain of this piece) was born on my exact birth date including the year. It doesn’t mean anything, but it still felt gross

Fact for History Nerds:

The family YouTube account had over 400,000 subscribers by the end of 2015.

My Take on The House of My Mother:

I went into Shari Franke’s memoir, The House of My Mother, with a distinct advantage. I had no idea who she is, or more importantly, who her mother is. For the uninitiated, I won’t reveal much, but Franke and her family were part of a family YouTube channel. Let’s just say this story really makes you want some sort of laws around filming your children. With no preconceived notions about the story though, I was able to hear Franke’s side of things in her own words and on her own terms.

This will sound like a strange compliment, but this book is not exceptionally written. I mean that in a good way. Very often, these types of books are written by professional ghostwriters who drain the life and the messiness from the author’s story. While Franke thanks a collaborator at the end of the book, I did feel like her voice is strong throughout the narrative. It’s the voice of someone who is still trying to figure things out but is healing from multiple atrocious traumas.

I also appreciated Franke’s attempts to shield her younger siblings and to keep the spotlight on herself. It was not in a narcissistic way (that would be her mother’s specialty), but clearly a genuine attempt not to exploit them any further. There is sincerity here instead of a bald cash grab.

Her protective instincts clearly didn’t come from her mother.

(This book was provided as a review copy by Gallery Books.)

Verdict:

A great read but also horrifying. Buy it here!

If You Liked This Try:

• Jennette McCurdy, I’m Glad My Mom Died
• Anna Akbari, There Is No Ethan