The Twenty-Seventh Child: A Witness of History

by Harper Garris

In 1939, as a farmer tried to scratch out a living for his family in North Carolina, Harper Garris came into the world as his twenty-seventh child. While growing up on a thirty-nine-acre farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Garris lived in poverty. But when he was suddenly left without a father on a cold winter day, Garris’s life became more challenging than ever. Garris shares vivid memories from a unique, hardship-filled childhood where he ate biscuits for every meal, relied on the woods as his bathroom, and watched his sisters plow the fields with a mule. As his widowed mother sold the farm and moved the family to Shelby, North Carolina, Garris matured into a teen who was determined to make his mark on the world, with the help of a talented sign painter who gave him a job and mentored him. At age sixteen, Garris moved to Indiana and secured work. While there, he played in a band and met his wife. He chronicles his experiences as he and his wife raised three children, making it clear that his steely determination to persevere is what helped him survive his many challenges. The Twenty-Seventh Child offers a glimpse into one man’s family history and journey through life as he bravely faced trials and tribulations and learned to embrace his roots.

260 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2014

Reviews

[Melissa Kitson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is special to me because it’s written by my husbands boss’ dad, Harper Garris. I never knew Harper, but Jesse has become like a father figure to Brian and I’ve grown to love him and his wife Jill over the years. I absolutely cannot imagine having 26 brothers and sisters and definitely wouldn’t have remembered all the things that he did during his long life. I’ll be the first to review this book on Goodreads, but if you’re into history and the history of an enormous family full of more love than I’ve ever known, check out this book. It’s truly beautiful and how awesome it must be for Harper’s sons to have this to remember his family by. I spent half the time trying to figure out who Jesse’s mom was 🤣

My notes while reading:
27 freaking kids!
Molly was 17 when she married 50 year old Harper 😞
Segregation sucks.. having Will sit outside to eat
No plumbing and no outhouse so they had to use the literal outdoors to do their business.
I’m so glad I have no interest in writing a book about my family because they’d hate to know how I felt and see things 🤣
It really sucks that Nolie was sent away for her sibling to raise her just because she was darker skinned. If her moms mom was actually half Native American it makes perfect sense. I wish her dad could have seen that and loved her anyway. I know for a fact she felt unloved, at least by her daddy.
Mack wanted to get out of hoeing cotton fields so he did what Becky and I did to get me out of school and rubbed poison oak all over himself. OMG I remember how that felt and was so not worth it.
I would absolutely hate picking cotton.
Mack was in a bad accident while in the U.S. Navy. His ship full of ammunition was hit by Japanese kamikaze pilots.. and what’s making this book so special to me is that Jesse remembers hearing about this and other things from hearing stories passed down.
OMG can you imagine being 10 years old and going to a prison camp to get a haircut?! I’d be terrified!
Sex was a dirty word growing up for me too Harper.
Aww Harper won the 8th grade talent show
In the summer after 9th grade, Harper came to indiana and Jack worked at Smokercraft in New Paris
Is Jesses’ mom Betty or Miriam? Or neither?!
The infiltration training in the Army sounds terrifying
Harper’s actually hilarious
Oh dear is Jesses’ mom Bonnie?!
Nope, back to Miriam!
Jesse Joe Garris 🥹
Harper really seemed to enjoy driving semi, but man that accident with Butch would’ve scared me to death
Awww he got to play backup for Loretta Lynn, Bobby Helms and Kenny Price
Jesse on his drums 🥹
They played as a family band all across the country for twelve years. How amazing is that?