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A review by librarymouse
The House of My Mother by Shari Franke
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Shari Franke is unfailingly generous in her portrayal of her family members. Even in discussing the harm done by her parents, she offers a sympathetic description of them, discussing the small kindnesses and the moments of joy before and sometimes within the pain. She details exactly how they got from starting a vlog channel to make some extra money, to the point at which the world became aware of the abuse.This book explores in explicit detail both how family vlogging allowed their family to support themselves financially, and how it destroyed their family physically and mentally. Shari goes into detail about the trauma caused by her vulnerable teen years being plastered across the internet for everyone to see, and how editing can make horrors seem like sweet family moments on the screen.
I found it interesting that Franke stayed devout to her Mormon faith through everything she endured, as it played a large part in the damaging aspects of her upbringing. Still, as she expands on the community she's had and the ways in which the church emotionally and financially supported her mental health needs when her parents wouldn't, it makes sense. In the section discussing her mother and Jodi Hildebrand's sexual relationship in the span of time Jodi was living in Shari's bedroom, she is transparent about the issues she sees in the Mormon church that may have lead to the women's nightly semi-secret sexual liaison while they spewed virulent anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric in daily videos. Shari Franke expands on the differences in beliefs held by the younger generation of Mormons and the shifting beliefs of the Mormon church, wondering whether a more accepting church can help as a stop gap to keep more people from turning to hate and violence when they feel that they cannot be themselves.
Amid all of the sorrow and pain in this book, Franke is funny. This book reflects a lot on Franke's childhood, her family's history, and the ways in which her internal life differed from what she shared online. She integrates portions of her old journals and Mormon scripture to help differentiate between sections of the book. Overall, it's well written and engaging. It's one of the best nonfiction books I've read about recent events, in a long time.
I am like 50% sure I watched one Shari Franke school day vlog when I was a teenager, and even then, I found it weird that she was allowed to share so much of herself publicly on the internet at such a young age. I wish her parents had protected her and her siblings better, and I wish there was more done to protect the rights of children to bodily autonomy and privacy, but I hope her testimony can be a step towards taking down family channels and other online platforms that exist solely off the exploitation of children.
I found it interesting that Franke stayed devout to her Mormon faith through everything she endured, as it played a large part in the damaging aspects of her upbringing. Still, as she expands on the community she's had and the ways in which the church emotionally and financially supported her mental health needs when her parents wouldn't, it makes sense. In the section discussing her mother and Jodi Hildebrand's sexual relationship in the span of time Jodi was living in Shari's bedroom, she is transparent about the issues she sees in the Mormon church that may have lead to the women's nightly semi-secret sexual liaison while they spewed virulent anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric in daily videos. Shari Franke expands on the differences in beliefs held by the younger generation of Mormons and the shifting beliefs of the Mormon church, wondering whether a more accepting church can help as a stop gap to keep more people from turning to hate and violence when they feel that they cannot be themselves.
Amid all of the sorrow and pain in this book, Franke is funny. This book reflects a lot on Franke's childhood, her family's history, and the ways in which her internal life differed from what she shared online. She integrates portions of her old journals and Mormon scripture to help differentiate between sections of the book. Overall, it's well written and engaging. It's one of the best nonfiction books I've read about recent events, in a long time.
I am like 50% sure I watched one Shari Franke school day vlog when I was a teenager, and even then, I found it weird that she was allowed to share so much of herself publicly on the internet at such a young age. I wish her parents had protected her and her siblings better, and I wish there was more done to protect the rights of children to bodily autonomy and privacy, but I hope her testimony can be a step towards taking down family channels and other online platforms that exist solely off the exploitation of children.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Stalking, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Medical content