Honoring Anna is based on the extraordinary true story of three immigrants in the early 1900s, following them from the North Sea to New York to the Northern Plains as their lives intertwine and they discover love, lose it, and find it again in this novel about unwavering faith, love, and honor.
Anna was eight years old and lived on an island in the North Sea with her mother Karen when her mother died. Her father remarried a woman who had children and regarded Anna more as a personal slave than as a daughter. Anna covertly gathered enough money to run away from home and purchase a steerage class ticket on a ship destined for America, as her uncaring father sided with his new spouse.
Anna met her first love, Rasmus, onboard the ship while enjoying her new life. They planned to marry in New York as their love deepened, and Rasmus offered to build Anna a new home when they arrived. Unexpected events tore Anna and Rasmus’ worlds apart and compelled them, in the act of immense love and honor on their parts, to end their relationship and pursue different paths.
Now married and with children, Rasmus had been plagued for years by the prospect of abandoning Anna in New York and failing to fulfill his commitment to building her a house. With the support of his wife Astrid and family, he tracked down Anna’s whereabouts, left New York, and journeyed across America in search of her and fulfill his pledge to build her a house.
In an equally admirable gesture of devotion, Iver threw aside his jealousy and anxiety and permitted, even assisted, Anna’s previous fiance’ in building Anna’s much-needed house on the harsh Dakota prairie. This unexpected conclusion reunites the three immigrants and solidifies their long relationships and lifetimes of faith, love, and honor in what Kirkus Indie describes as “A riveting novel brimming with adventure romance.”
Douglas Hoff and his wife Molly purchased the Hoff family farm after college and lived there until retirement. They have two children and four grandchildren. Doug based this book on the true story of Molly’s grandparents, Anna and Iver Tenold.
During his career in the Livestock Industry, Doug, along with his wife Molly, started and owned Hoffs Scotch Cap Angus Ranch, which became internationally renowned for its’ superior Angus livestock genetics, and founded a genetic research company named Angus America, which they later sold 1/2 interest into Cargill Corporation.
Doug received the Farmers Union SD Young Farmer of the Year award, was named the North American Beef Improvement Foundation Seedstock producer of the year, and was presented the 2000 Livestock Industry Man of the Year award by the National Western Stock Show Foundation and the National Record Stockman.
Honoring Anna is an incredible true-to-based story of unwavering love and honor that would be difficult to believe if it hadn’t occurred. A simple yet deep narrative of American immigrant history that encourages the best in all of us.
You can purchase the book on Amazon!
Honoring Anna (Book I)- https://amzn.to/3rIsEsc
Honoring Anna (Book II)- https://amzn.to/34ayXNn