CBA Record May-June 2022

his second wife is part Native American. In addition to owning a dry goods store in Philadelphia, the family owns a mill in a rural area. When a need for a new man ager arises, Thompson decides to have a black man who worked at the mill and his wife become the managers. That too is subject to questioning at the court martial. Interwoven with the fictional Thomp son family are many real historical figures from the times, including Benja min Franklin and George Washington. The scenes and descriptions of the war efforts in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are historically accurate. As Sampen wrote me when I was reading the book, “The historical infrastructure is as accurate as I could make it. That includes the progress of the war, the battles, the disintegration of the Pennsylvania government, Philadelphia’s equivocal support for the war, the British occupa tion of the City, Valley Forge, etc. Also, all the major political and military figures—Howe, Erskine, Cunningham, von Steuben, Lafay ette, other Continental Army gen erals, Pemberton, Morris, Willing, Morton, etc.—were real people.” Readers will enjoy Sampen’s writing and his well-told story of this not-so straightforward period. They will come away with a new understanding that like most history, the telling in black and white of what happened and how every one viewed things in the same way is not accurate. With this book, there is no whim—Sampen demonstrates his writ ing ability and grasp of history to convey a crisp, engaging, enlightening story.

SUMMARY JUDGMENTS

REVIEWS, REVIEWS, REVIEWS!

I n our historical mythology of the cre ation of the United States, all colonists supported the overthrow of Great Brit ain and our independence. However, that is not as clear as the lore suggests. Don Sampen, a trial and appellate lawyer at Clausen Miller, has set about “to present a not-so-simple picture of the American Revolution, an event of huge historical significance that many people take for granted.” And he has suc ceeded in his purpose, producing a his torical novel that takes place during the period 1775 to 1780. In “The Whims of War,” Sampen tells the story of a Philadelphia family during that five-year period and their struggle with taking sides in the emerging conflict. We first meet the family patriarch—a merchant, Daniel Thompson—on trial, Thomp son having been court martialed. The novel then goes back and forth between the trial and Thompson telling the story of his and his family’s changing views towards the British and the Americans. Thompson is on trial for a variety of alleged crimes, “from treason to frat ernizing with the enemy, to conspiracy, to stealing captured enemy property.” Throughout the book, Sampen has the court martial asking Thompson ques tions about events over the five-year period, with the framing suggesting that Thompson’s actions were treasonous. But in each instance Thompson relays back how he acted, how he changed his views over time, and his reasons for having mixed loyalties initially. Sampen does a fantastic job of help ing us feel what life was like in America in the late 1700s—for example, what trade looked like. He also explores relation ships with Native Americans, including one of Thompson’s daughters falling in love with a Native American. Thomp son’s wife dies, and he learns later that

TheWhims of War Reviewed by Daniel A. Cotter

By Don Sampen Adelaide Books (2021)

In celebration of Wom en’s History Month, the CBA invitedwomen law yers and judges to share their personal stories, their perspectives on how to thrivewithin the

Daniel A. Cotter is Attorney and Counsel at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC, a member of theCBARecordEditorial Board, and Past President of the CBA.

profession, their advice for women entering the profession and their predictions for the future. Interviewees include Judge Patrice Ball-Reed, Laurel Bellows, Justice Mary Jane Theis andmore. Watch the full series of videos at www.youtube.com/chicagobar.

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