By: Gabriela Sundquist

Read Time ~ 3 minutes

A book recommendation may seem odd for a true crime website, but when that book is a survivor’s story told in their own voice, and this good I have no choice. Which book you ask? “The House of My Mother: A Daughters Quest for Freedom” by Shari Franke, published January 7, 2025.

In my previous article, Moms of Mayhem: Ruby Franke Feels Frighteningly Familiar, I briefly discussed Shari Franke and the part that she had in the investigation and freedom of her siblings. I praised her gumption and bravery. After reading this book (in the span of just two days) I know better than ever Shari’s gumption and bravery. Hearing her experience in her own voice was a truly astounding experience. I laughed, I cried, and my respect and understanding of Shari grew as I related to her deeply raw and real experiences. Some quick pull quotes from the book that really affected me include “From the very start, it seemed, my childhood was destined to be a fight for survival.”, and “I would have to wait to be loved.”

Shari’s book is the perfect closure to this awful reign of the mom of mayhem, Ruby Franke. Shari does perfectly what I wish I would have done in my article; she discussed the frank reality of her childhood and family situation while continuing to protect her siblings. She doesn’t share her younger siblings names, other than her brother Chad, and she prioritizes their privacy. Especially as public as their childhood was, I think it’s incredibly pertinent to provide them with the privacy they were denied, and I need to claim my mistake in this area.

In my previous article I both had pictures and the names of her younger siblings, which I have now edited out. I desired to share their story and raise awareness of their situation, but I did it with the blindness to the fact that awareness wasn’t what they needed and their privacy was indeed more important.

Shari in her book discusses how the media and societal attention affected her and her family during this time. and it really opened my eyes to how I discuss true crime. Moving forward I want to reprioritize the privacy of victims, especially young victims, while still finding a way to continue honoring their story. In her own words:

“I knew I had to make a stand, somehow. Part of that would be saying no to the world’s desire for me to talk about my siblings, anywhere. Even in the pages of my own book. It is up to my brothers and sisters if they wish to share their story one day. But I’d be no better than Ruby if I detailed their experiences without their consent. They deserve to be given back the choice that had been stolen from them for so long. I don’t want to be anything like her, I thought. I won’t exploit them the way she did.”

Shari Franke, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom

“The House of My Mother: A Daughters Quest for Freedom” is truly one of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I couldn’t put it down. She tells her story beautifully and really does an incredible job of putting this awfulness to rest. I feel that the story has been told and now their family is just trying to move on and heal. I recommend anyone interested in Shari’s story and desiring a sense of closure with this case to read Shari Franke’s book. I suspect you will enjoy and benefit from reading her story. I know I did.