In the Shadow of Eight: Surviving the Reality of My Childhood

“Collin's story is a powerful reminder that even our deepest wounds can become the foundation for growth, healing and hope.”

—Jay Shetty

“As someone who knows firsthand the lasting impact institutional trauma can have on a young person's life, I was deeply moved by Collin's honesty and strength. So proud of Collin for turning his pain into purpose and powerfully sharing his story with the world.”

—Paris Hilton

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 being held 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 allowed one boy to be erased. This is the never before told story of how he escaped and found his way back from the dark.