Review by lairybob - The House of My Mother

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

lairybob 's review for:

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Amazing book that hits extremely close to home for me. Not only does Shari's story take place in the same state in which I live, she also belongs to the same religion I was raised in, is also an oldest sibling, experienced similar parenting techniques to those used on me growing up, and the eventual rescue of her siblings took place in the town that I worked in their only Emergency Room. My own colleagues initially treating the horrific and unspeakable wounds and condition of Shari's younger siblings that leads to Jodi and Ruby's arrest. I watched this case very closely from the moment this family went viral (thanks to children siblings who consumed 8 passengers content growing up). I'm absolutely enraged for Shari for what happened to her younger siblings and her family altogether. Her story is another stark reminder that the general public, especially behind a screen, has lost its humanity. The human ego has allowed us to consume this type of content for entertainment, which is prevalent in the industries of true crime and mystery. Our society is too conditioned for human suffering, yet, the human ego allows us to believe that these horrific things could never actually happen to us, and happens to people who are only equipped with the strength and resilience to face such trials. This is a lie. Within Shari I see a child, who was faced with the responsibility of protecting her baby siblings before she was old enough to obtain a driver's license. Let this story remind you that behind every victim is a young child, unsure why and how they showed up in this world, and are trying their best to survive within it. We should listen to these stories and revere those spontaneous heros that were made to be heros in the blink of an eye, unwilling, afraid, and like a child, just surviving in this strange world we call home. We should respect the privacy of Shari's extremely young siblings who were subject to torture, emotional abuse, intense brainwashing, and concentration camp - like conditions for, at the very least, more than a month without end. With the closeness I have to this story, I cannot stress enough that these young children were extremely close to death at the time of their rescue. It is extremely difficult to imagine worse conditions for those children to endure. Let this story ignite action in you, to protect those people in the world around you, who deep down are childlike, and in the same shoes as you, trying to survive and understand the world we live in. You too can be an older sibling, and a hero, by being a passionate advocate for what is right and signaling better behavior from society as a whole. Stop consuming content designed to engross people in the name of capitalism while also dehumanizing victims. Stop consuming family channel content that exploits children and violates their privacy and autonomy. Your attention as a consumer is your most powerful weapon, and like it or not, it is your responsibility as a member of society to weild that power and use it for good. Thank you Shari for being brave and sharing your story when it was not owed to us. I'm deeply disappointed in the spectacle the media has made of your story and as a result, continues to inflict harm on you and your siblings. I wish for Shari and her siblings to eventually find peace and privacy in life, away from the watchful eyes of a demanding and selfish public. I wish you and your siblings the bliss and freedom to believe what you want, to act in whatever way is true to your soul, and have all this without the criticism and dogma of our cunning society waiting to pick apart your choices.

Content Warnings