... was the Revolution truly a 'civil war' at heart? And what was the role of the many tens of thousands of everyday Loyalists whose presence made it potentially so? Where were they, who were they, and did they actually fight? Readers looking for answers to such questions will have to look elsewhere. What Mr. Brands provides is a brisk, engaging narrative history of the Revolution itself. He highlights the Franklin drama, alongside more glancing accounts of other Loyalist cases, to ensure that an oft-overlooked part of the American Revolution receives its due..

Brands offers a fast-paced, often riveting account of the military and political events leading up to the Declaration of Independence and those that followed during the war.

The author ably documents the drift from petitioning to open rebellion, and cites anecdotes on the consequences experienced by Loyalists during the war. He quotes liberally from letters between Patriot leaders.

Much of the book is devoted to the evolution of Washington and Franklin from staunch Britons to unlikely leaders in the movement for independence. But Franklin’s sad family history is equally intriguing.

This engaging book, which includes often-neglected Indigenous and Black perspectives of the war, reads like the story of a contentious extended family, as opposed to a traditional military history. It will appeal to a wide audience..

... a page-turning account.

... an expert account narrated heavily through quotes from the writings of Washington, Franklin, and their contemporaries. The author’s use of original documents lends the book a vivid, historically authentic flavor, though some readers may not thrill to pages of 18th-century prose.