Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

115 reviews

kshertz's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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What a tough read and I can only imagine something tough to write. I also can’t believe she reads the audiobook. What this story does is really amplifies how someone’s upbringing can truly traumatize and lead them to traumatize others as well as be open and vulnerable to be taken advantage of by others. There’s an underlying explanation that those that seek to take advantage know where to look and often it is within the religious ranks. The pain caused to this whole family was heartbreaking and I hope writing the book at least gave this oldest sister some peace. I hope they can move on as the 7 passengers she describes in the end with a lot of therapy and support. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail

justjordy_plz's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting

Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia

Minor: Infidelity, Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings

mir_frog73's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

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I listed to this book in one day, I know quite a few things about this event so getting to hear Shari’s story was very inspiring. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Moderate: Miscarriage

megmar17's review against another edition

4.0

emotional sad fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic

fionamclary's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

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I strongly recommend this memoir to anyone who has concerns about the repercussions of family channels and the monetization of online content containing children. I had been generally aware of the Eight Passengers channel and its disturbing content long before the arrest of Ruby and Jodi, so it was enlightening to get the full story from someone at the center of it all. Shari is an amazingly strong woman, and her commitment to her siblings is admirable. Although the chapters that chronicled the aftermath of the arrests felt less narratively cohesive, likely due to their recency, overall this memoir presents a thorough and alarming picture of childhood in front of a camera, rife with mental health struggles, abuse, and cult dynamics.

I share the critiques that others have already expressed: Shari's downplaying of her father's role abetting Ruby's abuse, especially in the early days, and her continued connection to the church that both fostered the toxic environment of her childhood and enabled the older man who groomed her in college. But at the end of the day, I just hope that this family is okay, and I trust that the Frankes themselves can give the best assessment of that. It does seem that Shari has developed a faith that is more personal and less centered on the institution of the church, which is promising. I also have a feeling that we will continue to hear from her in the future as she makes her way advocating for the rights of children online. I wish her and her 5 siblings all the best.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Gaslighting

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Stalking

Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment

honeybeewitched87's review against another edition

2.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

lisettemarie's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment

kalira's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional reflective sad tense

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Stalking, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage

kimveach's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

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This book is a beautifully written memoir of a child growing up in the spotlight while suffering from abuse.  It's heartbreaking, yet hopeful.  I never watched videos from 8 passengers, but I certainly heard the news about the arrests of the mother and her therapist.  While voyeurs who want the gross details about the younger children's physical abuse will be disappointed, I appreciated that the author only focused on what she endured and witnessed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment

anicole2047's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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This story is the reason why I will not allow my son to watch the YouTube family videos. i am so proud of Shari Franke for standing up for what she believed in, for watching after her siblings and for keeping her head held high despite the trauma and darkness she faced. We could all be so lucky to keep our wits about us in this type of situation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail