Shari Franke Speaks Out On Surviving Utah YouTube Mom’s Abuse: 'I Don’t Want It to Consume My Life'

Shari Franke is moving forward with her life.

Before announcing her engagement on Dec. 28, Shari, 21, spoke to PEOPLE in an interview for this week’s print edition about how she survived her traumatic childhood. Her memoirs, My Mother’s House: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom out from Gallery Books on January 7th.

In both her interview and the book, Franke talks about looking to the future after her mother, Utah YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke, was arrested for aggravated child abuse and sentenced to four consecutive prison terms ranging from one to 15 years in February 2024.

For more on Shari Franke, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.

‘My Mother’s House’ by Shari Franke.

After hooking up with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, who advocated strict parental discipline, Ruby, now 42, disowned Shari and asked her husband and oldest son to move out. She later admitted in a plea agreement that she abused her two youngest children, telling them they were “evil and possessed,” denying them food and water, handcuffing her son’s wrists and ankles, and holding his head under water.

Where are Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt now? The details behind the shocking case that inspired lives Mormon Mom Gone Wrong

According to Shari, her mother’s abuse began before she became involved with Hildebrandt and stretches back to her days as a family blogger under the name “8Passengers.”

Shari Franke and her mother Ruby Franke in February 2021.

Photo by Justin Hackworth

She describes her mother as “very authoritative,” telling PEOPLE, “She always said she wanted to be a good mom. That’s what she always told us, and I think she wanted to force her kids to think she was a good mom, too. She couldn’t put up with anyone disagreeing with her.”

Shari went on to describe how she became more and more disenchanted with recording every aspect of her life throughout her teenage years.

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“As I got older, I was 18 and we went bra shopping — me, my sisters and Ruby — and she was filming it. And that was the first time I was like, ‘Oh, this is a little weird and inappropriate and no I agree with that,’ she says.

“Looking back, I could see how I was forced to publish all my embarrassing moments as a teenager,” she continues. “And I didn’t really realize all the ramifications that would have.”

Family portrait of Franka with children’s faces blurred to protect their privacy. Ruby Franke once ‘took away Christmas’ from two children: ‘The punishments were so extreme,’ says neighbor (Exclusive)

After her mother gave her up, Shari continued to worry about her younger siblings. In addition to calling the child protection services to check on the well-being of the children, she also asked the neighbors to keep an eye on them.

Shari adds, “My biggest priority was just making sure the kids were alive. As long as they were alive, obviously I knew everything was going to be okay in the end.” Today, she doesn’t talk about her siblings or their lives to protect their privacy.

At this point, Shari says she’s not interested in reconnecting with Ruby, who she no longer considers her mother. “She’s very selective about what she regrets and I don’t think she’ll ever fully recover until she can look at everything that happened to her,” he says.

Shari Franke Confronts Ruby Franke After Calling Child Protective Services: ‘I Never Hated You, Mom’ (Exclusive)

“Part of me feels guilty if I don’t forgive,” she continues. “But I realized that forgiveness for me just means not letting her actions consume my thoughts.”

“I’m still angry about what she did, of course, and that will never go away, but I’m living my life and I’m not going to let it take any more from me than it already has.”

My Mother’s House: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom is out on January 7th and is available for pre-order now, wherever books are sold.

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Source: HIS Education