Jacob's Journey by William M. Murphy

A tale of ambition, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the American Dream.

New book by “Michigan history nerd” chronicles a young man’s journey, challenges, and victories in the Michigan Territory

Traverse City, Michigan—Exchanges in small-town diners can lead to some interesting outcomes. For William Murphy it led to him becoming an author. “On a 2004 motorcycle trip to Yellowstone Park, a friend and I stopped in a diner, got to talking with a couple of locals, and shared that we were from Michigan. One fellow suggested we were out west because there ‘certainly isn’t much to do or see in Michigan, is there?’” As if in response to that diner, Murphy wrote his first book, Motorcycling Across Michigan to spotlight the many qualities and charms of Michigan, proving the Wyoming cynic wrong. Twenty years and nine titles later, Murphy has written his first fiction book, Jacob’s Journey, Mission Point Press, (March 11, 2025)—a tale of ambition, resilience, and the enduring spirit of the American Dream.

Jacob's Journey

Given his farming background and career at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Murphy, a self-proclaimed “serious Michigan history nerd,” was fascinated by the 1830s; a time when Michigan saw its fastest growth from 99% pure wilderness to communities with farms, villages, and a trails network. Jacob’s Journey chronicles a young man’s adventures as he leaves his family’s Vermont farm to begin a new life in 1832 and continues through 1860. Arriving in the Michigan Territory, Jacob encounters hard work, danger, and death while also experiencing the joys that come from friendships and creating a family.

Challenge Accepted

Murphy’s experience writing non-fiction, using research and facts to create structure, became critical as he developed his plot and developed characters. “In telling this story, I imagined myself as Jacob which I believe makes it interesting and compelling. By using common experiences such as youthful overconfidence to tragedy, love, loss, friendships, and the ultimate need for community and shared work to succeed, readers can relate to his journey. My goal was to create an engaging story while letting readers learn throughout the process,” Murphy shared.

Were it not for that Yellowstone diner challenge that Murphy answered with his first book, his subsequent books including additional Motorcycling Across titles, Grace and Grit, Not for God and Country and now Jacob’s Journey might never have been written. “Though this is my tenth book, I still consider myself a bit of a ‘walk-on player’ as a writer as I really never contemplated being an author. Now with Jacob’s Journey in print, I’m contemplating a sequel to tell the next generation’s story.” That could include Michigan achieving statehood, experiencing rapid growth, making major contributions to the Union cause in the Civil War, and seeing the mining and forestry industries become mainstays of the state’s economy.

Advance praise for Jacob’s Journey includes this from Dave Dempsey, senior advisor, FLOW (For Love of Water), author and winner of multiple Michigan Notable Book Awards:

“Jacob’s Journey is terrific reading. It’s adventure and history all in one. It’s an American story of vision, courage, and hope-compelling fiction and important history at the same time.”

The Author

William M. Murphy is the author of ten books. He has also written numerous articles published by a variety of journals and magazines including the FBI Bulletin, Michigan history journals, travel magazines, and environmental journals. He is a former Marine and combat veteran of the Vietnam War. His recent award-winning book, Not For God and Country, detailed the history and reality of that war. After retiring from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Murphy took his talents to writing books. He has sold more than twenty-five thousand books on assorted topics, mainly travel and history. Murphy was inducted into the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame in 2018 following his career and volunteerism in the enforcement of environmental protection law. He lives in his native state of Michigan, and his travels have taken him through all fifty states and much of Canada.

The Book

Jacob’s Journey

William M. Murphy

324 pages, 6 x 9 inches, B/W

Fiction; Historical Fiction, Civil War, Michigan

ISBN: 978-1-965278-14-7, $21.95 (Softcover)

ISBN: 978-1-965278-15-4, $31.95 (Hardcover)

Mission Point Press, March 11, 2025

Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its March 11 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at booksbywmurphy@gmail.com.