Ruby Franke’s daughter, Shari Franke, has made shocking revelations about the abuse she and her siblings endured in a newly released memoir. In The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, Shari opens up about the severe mistreatment she faced at the hands of her mother, who recently pled guilty to aggravated child abuse.
Shari describes the horrific punishments, which included starvation, being shackled, and being smacked, leaving visible bruises on her body. In her memoir, Shari recounts how the punishments were designed not only to hurt but to humiliate. She writes, “Punishments took on a more elaborate, almost theatrical quality. These often grand gestures or prolonged periods of deprivation are all designed to make us truly ‘feel’ the weight of our transgressions.”
Shari further explains that her mother’s abuse was methodical, stating, “Ruby’s hand would often find its way to my face, a sharp sting of displeasure delivered with precision. Her slaps were calibrated—never hard enough to leave visible bruises, at least to me, but always sufficient to instill fear. In her twisted logic, she was molding obedience, sculpting compliance with each stinging blow.”
The abuse Shari endured began when she was just nine years old, marking the start of years of torment. Her mother’s actions have had a lasting impact on Shari and her siblings, with four out of Ruby Franke’s six children now placed under the care of the Division of Child and Family Services.
Shari, now 21, shares her heartbreaking story and the struggles she and her siblings faced in the memoir, which is available for purchase.