Jacob's Choice: Return to Northkill, Book 1

This novel is based on the true story of my ancestor, Jacob Hochstetler, who emigrated from Alsace in 1738 and settled on a farm with his family in the eastern edge of the colonial Province of Pennsylvania (today about a mile west of the present day village of Shartlesville, in Upper Bern Township, Berks Co., Pa).He was Amish--an anabaptist Christian sect--and the area where his family settled was an Amish community with neighbors of the same faith. The community thrived and by the time of this story in 1757 two of the oldest of his six children--a son and a daughter--were married and living on neighboring farms with their own families. The family remaining at home at this time consisted of his wife, three sons, and one daughter.Unfortunately, their community was located on the western fringes of European settlements and lay at the foot of the wooded Blue Mountain range which was the edge of Indian territory. Thus when the French and Indian War began in 1754 their community was vulnerable to attack.On the evening of September 19, 1757 their house was attacked by the Indians and set on fire. The family managed to hold out until morning by retreating to the cellar. But upon their exit in the morning they were captured. The wife, daughter and one son were killed. Jacob and two sons were taken captive by the Indians.This book is the story of Jacob and his experience as an Indian captive and his subsequent escape after about a year. This book is the first of a planned trilogy, and the next two books will tell the stories of the two sons whose time living with the Indians lasted much longer.Today Hochstetler is regarded as a hero among Amish and Mennonites because of his nonresistant response to an Indian attack on his home. He refused to let his teenaged sons shoot at the Indians in self defense. One of the surviving sons later in life indicated that he believed that he and his brother--both skilled hunters--could have successfully defended the family if they had been allowed to use their guns.All known facts of Jacob's life could probably fit on a couple pages of text that would provide the barest outline of his life. The author of this book has creatively managed to fill in the details of Jacob's life from historical sources of that era and writing imaginative descriptions of family life, farm work, church meetings, personal feelings and even a love story to create a novel that captures the reader's interest.I believe the author has provided a reasonably fair recognition of the humanity of the American Indian's side of this story even though their actions in this case were very cruel to Jacob's family. The author promises to tell more of the American Indian way of life in the next two planned books about the life of the two sons who continued to live with the Indians from many years. When they did return to the "white man's life" they did so with regret and reluctance--but their story is not contained in this first book.

What a very interesting series! I absolutely became engrossed first by the story being set during the French & Indian War. Second, the novel is based on an actual person who lived during this time with the last name of Hochstetler. In the first book, we read the narrative through the point of view of the father named Jacob and his daughter Barbara.Here is a story based on a man who is considered a hero among the Amish as he chose to stand firm on his nonresistant stance when facing danger, death and torture. In the story, we see the family face death, separation from each other and the community, yet holding out hope, both eternal and perhaps a reunion of family members taken captive.It simply is stunning how Jacob stood firm in his stance even knowing that some if not all of the family would lose their lives. Whether one agrees with nonresistance or not, the fact remains his life challenges us today where many change beliefs like shifting sand. Reading the story from the father’s and one daughter’s view was intriguing as it shows how each felt, thought, and lived after the attack. There is tension between Jacob and Barbara for his beliefs, but Jacob holds firm. He loves his family, but he loves God more.What a great series this is so far set in a time where life was precarious even without the attacks occurring. At the beginning, the author shares facts about the man and his family along with sources to read to learn more about the Native American issues. The book ends on a cliffhanger so I was glad that I had Joseph’s Dilemma, which is the next book in the series to read right away! The series ends with the final book titled, Christian’s Hope, so grab the books and enjoy!

I also purchased this book for the story book approach to a story that I have heard for years as a decedent, have helped my child work into a school assignment, and shared with friends who love historical information such as this. This genre of writing is very similar to those of other authors that I have read for years, so all put together, it seemed to be a must read!While not presently of the Anabaptist faith, I do share the pacifist beliefs that have been passed down to me. I appreciate the manner in which the actual attack was presented. As a parent, I have often questioned to myself, in this position, would I have actually been strong enough to hold true when my own children are threatened. It was interesting to read Mr Stutzman's portrayal of how Jacob must have been feeling, and instructing his children to handle the situation as well.

I have yet to read these books. . I am also a descendent of Jacob, and am anxious to read them. I believe my sister said he is our 7th or 9th great grandfather. I have them but must finish with another project first. My sister read them and also said they are hard to put down. Love true stories, but to have them about our family is even better!! Looking forward to reading them.

Let me begin by saying that Jacob was my 6th great grandfather, and therefore I had a strong interest in the book. I downloaded the Kindle version and have been savoring the book in small portions. The book is fiction based on real information and events and it is interesting to see the story weaved around my family history. Having said that, I think anyone that enjoys historical fiction would find Jacob's Choice a good read, even if they aren't family. This being the expanded version is of particular interest as a lot of information is contained in the expanded part.

I had heard about these books, but when I finally read it, I could not put it down. Well actually, I bought it in order to read while on vacation, but my husband picked up the book and read it during our vacation (he couldn't put it down, so I didn't even get to read it on vaca!) so when we returned home I started reading it, and I couldn't put it down either - excellent!

Good story that should be read by all. True history of early Amish family torn apart by French and Indian War.