Anne Farris. That One Person. Crosslink, 2020.

That One Person is a type of book that has gone out of style somewhat: the personal testimony. Back in the 1970s such books were big sellers. A few have remained in print such as The Hiding Place, Nine O’Clock in the Morning, God’s Smuggler, or Born Again. Most would be hard to find today. It seems as if publishers and readers have been “testimonied out.”

Some of those books sold well because they dealt with extraordinary circumstances such as The Hiding Place, which focuses on the author’s time in German concentration camps, or Born Again, by a high ranking official in the Nixon administration brought down by the Watergate scandal.

Compared to either of those books, That One Person tells of less spectacular events, but may well bring hope to some readers. The author was born in the 1930s to a strikingly beautiful alcoholic mother in Memphis, Tennessee. Her father was out of the picture pretty much until near her teen years. Her mother attracted a series of men into her life, and her mother’s parents, whom Anne lived with on and off, were also alcoholics. Unstable, but, sadly, there are families all over the world in similar circumstances.

Anne Farris’s “one person” changed her life. After Anne’s parents divorced—it was a short marriage—her mother became engaged to a man who joined the Army Air Corps shortly after the United States entered World War II. The man’s mother offered to take Anne in until her son and Anne’s mother could get together and marry. She lived in western New York state, quite far from Memphis, but no one else seemed to really want Anne, so she moved there where spent much of her elementary school years.

Mrs. Thompson (“Mrs. T”) treated her like a daughter. She also gave her many life lessons. As a preschooler, Anne and her older sister were often left alone to fend for themselves. Now someone actually cared about her and encouraged her. For the first time she belonged.

The central part of the book focuses on how Mrs. T taught Anne to live and to cope. At junior high age, Anne lived for about three years with her birth father. He had remarried, gone on the wagon, and was living a stable life back in Memphis. While things went well, Anne really wanted to spend high school back in upstate New York. Mrs. T seemed happy to take her back, even though by then the war was over and her son had married someone else.

Anne thrived socially in high school. She was a cheerleader and had many friends. Some of her birth mother rubbed off; Anne appears to have some trouble in judging men. After one “close call” she writes, “…some people are a part of your history but not a part of your destiny” (166).

She did eventually get married, and they had many happy years but eventually divorced. Sadly, one of her daughters fell into the same pattern.

That One Person does not gloss over the hard things in life. Through it all, though, Anne had a role model and understood that she did not have to see herself as a victim. Her story is positive, encouraging, and may speak to readers who have themselves come from unstable family situations.

Years later, Anne would write Mrs. T thanking her, but Mrs. T recognized that Anne had to internalize the lessons she was teaching her. Mrs. T would write back:

Much of your success is because of your own hard work. I always knew, if given a chance, you’d do well.” (171)

As I read this book, I was reminded of a book I read about an owl—no kidding. I reviewed Wesley the Owl for another publication before I started this blog. Wesley was a barn owl that had been adopted by the author and lived with her for many years. Both books have similar things in their story’s backgrounds.

Stacey O’Brien, the author of Wesley the Owl, was from southern California and had worked some as a child actress before she embarked on a career in a university biology laboratory. A number of her relatives were actors and musicians. An uncle was one of the better-known original Disney Mouseketeers. Her best friend married a popular recording artist.

Similarly, in the background of That One Person are some interesting figures. At one point young Anne lived in the same Memphis housing project as the Presley family and was acquainted with Elvis, who was a few years older. Her birth father would end up owning a music store where Elvis bought most of his guitars and instruments when he was older.

As an adult, Anne moved to southern California, where she would ultimately meet both of her husbands. Like Wesley the Owl, there is show business in the background. She had two musically inclined daughters who worked as child singers and actresses. A well-known singer and actor became acquainted with her and apparently encouraged her to tell her story.

There is a spiritual undercurrent. We never know what Mrs. T believed about God, but after moving to California, Anne would encounter born again Christians and eventually became a Christian herself. Looking back, then, she gives the Lord credit for many things in her life that helped her come out of her circumstances in spite of her rough start. She especially credits the hand of God in matching her with Mrs. T, a woman who had no reason to care for her other than the kindness of her heart.

Ultimately, there is a tone similar to that of The Hiding Place. As Corrie ten Boom would say, “No matter how deep the pit, God’s love is deeper still.” That results in gratitude. As St. Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5:18). That One Person brings those exhortations to life.