BOOK REVIEW: In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin

In the Shadow of Eight by Collin Gosselin
Published by Grand Central Publishing on October 13, 2026
Genres: Biography & Autobiography / General, Biography & Autobiography / Memoirs
Pages: 288
Format: Audiobook
Amazon|Barnes&Noble|Goodreads

Collin Gosselin, one of the sextuplets from ​Jon & Kate Plus 8, breaks his silence ​to share the shocking story of abuse hidden behind the facade of a ​picture-perfect family.

For years, the world watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 through a lens of curated joy. But while the cameras captured the milestones, they missed the moments that defined Collin Gosselin's life: the Christmas morning where the gifts were reclaimed as soon as the cameras went down, and the basement room where silence was his only companion.

In the Shadow of Eight is the first account of a secret childhood lived in the gaps between the frames. Collin is finally sharing the truth about the "help" that held him down, the basement cell where he was hidden for years, and the cocktail of powerful antipsychotics forced on an eleven-year-old boy. This is a reckoning with the dark side of fame: the systems, the entourage, and the institutions that looked the other way while one boy was erased. This is the never before told story of how he escaped and found his way back from the dark.

With all the media buzz about this book, I knew I wanted to listen to it. Which is actually the exact opposite of how I normally choose a book, as I tend to not want to read/listen to what’s the current hype. But this is Collin Gosselin, and there’s a lot of backstory, drama, and conflicting stories. Not gonna lie, I felt like a voyeur listening to this book. I frequently get that vibe with memoirs, but this one hit differently. The world has been a voyeur almost his entire life. I was part of that. While not a be-all and end-all fan of the show, I watched episodes. I found the kids adorable, Kate a control freak (I guess that’s somewhat needed to manage that many small people in a small space), and Jon a doormat. I had stopped watching long before the move to the big house, the divorce, and the things that are shared in this book. All of that brings me to the idea that if it wasn’t for the cameras, would this book even need to exist? But then again, would it all have still happened as Collin sees it, with no outlet to find his safety and tell his story? Did the cameras that put his name in the headlines also give him the platform to tell his story? Was Jon & Kate Plus 8 the reason for this story or the reason Collin actually gets to tell his story?

I firmly believe that while it’s absolutely innocent until proven guilty, I also firmly believe that we should believe the victim until/unless they give reason why we shouldn’t. When you are the only one showing up with receipts, it tells its own story. This is a story that will continue to unfold in the media, probably for years to come. People will take sides, sometimes without even being open to hearing the other side of what they have decided is in the right. There is no positive outcome for something like this, really. Unless all sides come together to really be open and honest, it’s not uncommon in families where abuse is present that one child is singled out and treated differently than the rest of the children. There are a lot of famous books out there. Gen X representing with A Child Called It. Not the same story, but the same situation where one child was singled out, separated, and treated vastly differently from the others. As of when I listened to this book, there is also a Netflix show in the works, but again it’s really one-sided. No one comes out of this unscathed.

One thing that’s not discussed in this book, and as it’s from the perspective of a child, it wouldn’t be appropriate, but we are seeing it hashing out on social media, but where’s the responsibility of TLC?  They were in this home, with this family, filming.  What did they see and not address?  Why, if this family is fracturing, did they continue to push the narrative?  How much responsibility did they not take when they could have prevented so much of what is shared in this book?  At what point does the health and safety of a child become more important than money?  You see this same intensity, TLC, at the heart of so many family scandals and fractures.  Jon and Kate, the Duggars, Little People, Big World, just to name a few.  Kate wrote books (which I will be digging into); Collin wrote a book; and Kate is all over social media, tearing down Collin’s take on his life.  How many scandals need to come out before TLC makes a statement?  Any statement.  What did they know, how did they not know, and what did they do besides just keep scheming ideas and filming?  

I know this is the antithesis of a review; it’s more a ramble. But I have thoughts, and I’m trying to figure out the line of appropriate without getting into my own thoughts on the family fracture and fault and all the times that are playing out in social media (for years now) that just keep pointing fingers. No one can take away what Collin endured. Everyone views events through their own lens, and their takeaways don’t always match those of others who lived through the same things. What I will say is that I admire Collin’s bravery and transparency in sharing his story. Losing so much of his life during vital years of finding yourself and defining who you are going to be through life. I think he did an amazing job of narrating his life and the challenges he faced, which I know had to be extremely difficult. I am so grateful that he has Colleen, Stephanie, and Jon in his corner. My heart breaks that he’s separated from his brothers and sisters. But I keep coming back to the thought that if they had not been a TV family, would this have been his reality? Abuse happens in all sorts of families, and with his reluctance to want to film lead to the abuse, or was the abuse always going to happen? And if they weren’t famous and the outcome was still the same, would he have had the opportunities to escape, heal, and tell his story? No matter whose side you have taken in this situation, the book is worth a listen or read. No one can take Collin’s truth from him, and he has a platform to be able to share the horrors that his life became. And maybe, just maybe, it opens the door for someone else without a platform to have their story heard and believed as well.

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Posted By: Fizzy Pop · In: book review, Collin Gosselin, In the Shadow of Eight