The Whims of War - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

Philadelphia. 1777. A foreign army occupies your city. You haven’t decided whether to support the army or the rebels the army is trying to crush. Your pro-rebel sister sits in prison for printing rebellious literature. Your anti-rebel father and brother are moving the family business out of the country. And your teenage daughter is pregnant with the child of her dead lover. So, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

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THE WHIMS OF WAR is an historical novel taking place in Philadelphia between 1775 and 1780. It tells the story of a family businessman, Daniel Thompson, who is standing trial for treason before a Continental Army military court during the American Revolutionary War.

Testifying in his defense, Daniel freely acknowledges his passive support of the British for the first two years of the war, in the city where Loyalists, Patriots and officially-neutral Quakers number about the same. Then in late 1777 the war comes to Philadelphia. Daniel tells the court that his life turns on its head. Forced to choose sides between the Loyalists and Patriots, he ends up facing life-threatening situations, both on and off the battlefield.

Though written with humor, adventure and romance, the story presents a not-so-simple picture of events that, in hindsight, seem full of clear-cut moral choices. In the process it explores both conflicts among family members and friendships between ideological foes.

Don Sampen is an appellate attorney in Chicago who writes for a living. He has written many articles, book chapters, and briefs in court on non-fiction topics. The WHIMS OF WAR is his debut novel of American historical fiction. Two considerations inspired Don to write the novel. One was an interest he developed to write the kind of historical novel he would want to read. The writing turned out to be a labor of love. He is convinced, moreover, that others will enjoy the final product as well. As a second reason, Don wanted to present a not-so-simple picture of the American Revolution, an event of huge historical significance that many people take for granted. He tells the story from the perspective of a business and family man, in a city, Philadelphia, whose citizens were conflicted over the prospect of independence.

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