The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom

Fawning is a trauma response that involves denying one’s own needs and feelings in an effort to appease others and avoid conflict. The traumatized individual often comes across as a “people-pleaser,” but the response is an attempt to protect oneself from criticism and dissatisfaction. In the text, Franke recounts how she developed an instinctual “fawn response” in the face of her mother’s abusive parenting, which she only began to recognize and overcome with the support of her therapist, Dana.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition that causes an inflated sense of self-importance. This often coincides with a need for recognition and approval, and a lack of empathy for others. While narcissism may present as a sense of supreme self-confidence, it often disguises intense anxiety and self-doubt. In the memoir, Franke speculates that her own mother may have the disorder.

8 Passengers was the name of the Franke family’s YouTube channel. The channel was launched in 2015 by Ruby, who regarded the channel as a new outlet for her ambitions and fed her need for attention. As recounted by Franke in the memoir, the family vlog was deceptive: While Ruby strove to create a “picture perfect” family image for the public, the Frankes’ home life was actually abusive and highly dysfunctional behind the scenes. When, years later, Chad revealed that he had been deprived of his “bedroom privileges” for months on end, internet viewers began to protest Ruby’s abusive parenting style. In 2022, Ruby deleted the channel in favor of focusing on her ConneXions social media with Jodi.