The Loyal Son

April 3, 2017
Epstein (The Ballad of Bob Dylan), a biographer, poet, and playwright, skillfully shows how the American Revolution divided communities and households, as would happen more famously during the Civil War. Benjamin Franklin’s family is Epstein’s case study, with Ben in his familiar role of celebrated patriot, while his only son, William, led the line as a loyalist. What Epstein writes of Ben is already fully known, though here he’s rendered as feeling competitive with his talented son and comes off less well than his idolaters will like. Where the book succeeds splendidly is in rescuing William Franklin from obscurity. He was a loving son, an intelligent and honorable man, and a skilled (and final) royal governor of New Jersey who paid dearly by losing everything for his principled, agonizing fidelity to Britain. William could never regain the affection and respect of his father, who refused to fully reconcile with him. Perhaps this isn’t surprising, since William actively promoted Britain’s military actions during the war. Yet while never exculpating William for his choices, Epstein makes him thoroughly sympathetic (like other Franklin family members beset by the era’s divisions), the victim of “a piteous misunderstanding” on Ben’s part. Epstein’s portrayals result in a thoroughly enjoyable and well-informed, if overly detailed, work of history.

Starred review from April 1, 2017
A gripping history of a family torn apart by political upheaval.In this fresh contribution to the abundant biographies of Benjamin Franklin and histories of the American Revolution, poet, playwright, and biographer Epstein (The Ballad of Bob Dylan, 2011, etc.) focuses on the relationship between Franklin and his illegitimate son, William, who rose to become a political force in his own right. Epstein's title refers both to William's sorely tested loyalty to his father and unwavering loyalty to England as the Colonies erupted in rebellion and violence. Drawing on much unpublished correspondence as well as published works, the author constructs a fast-paced, vivid narrative with a host of characters whose appearance and personality he etches with deft concision. According to a close family friend, Franklin had been the loving, "intimate, and easy companion" of his son when William was a young man. Charming, "handsome, easy-going, more agreeable" than his father, William achieved success that eventually rankled Benjamin. Epstein notes "open, unabashed competition" by the time William was 40 and governor of New Jersey. However, it was not competition that caused their deep rift but rather their immersion in vastly different political worlds: William, in the Colonies, sought to "manage the volatile emotions" of rebellious protesters; Benjamin, in England, saw Parliament as "power-hungry, factious," and corrupt and urged his countrymen "to stand firm, trusting in their own sense of justice," even risking "a permanent break from the mother country." Epstein is sympathetic to William's desperate desire to quell dissent, actions that led to a year's imprisonment in a squalid cell while his father basked in the warmth of celebrity in Paris, where he lived a luxurious life in a villa. What did Benjamin know, asks the author, about "that hell on earth," the "war of desolation, the hangings and rapes and dismemberments," the 10,000 refugees? Father and son eventually reconciled, but Franklin never really forgave William for what he considered betrayal.A perceptive, gritty portrayal of the frenzy of war and a father and son caught at its tumultuous center.

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May 1, 2017
The American struggle to win independence had elements of a civil war since perhaps one-third of the colonists wished to remain attached to Britain. Like all civil wars, this one tore apart regions, friendships, and families. One of the most notable and saddest of these ruptures involved Benjamin Franklin. At the age of 24, Franklin fathered a son out of wedlock, whom he adopted, and his son became both companion and collaborator. Like his father, son William was an empire man, and he became Royal Governor of New Jersey. When the revolution began, however, Benjamin declared for independence, while William remained a staunch loyalist. The Continental Congress imprisoned William as a traitor, and he endured prolonged and harsh captivity. Epstein, an acclaimed poet, playwright, and biographer, portrays these two strong and powerful men with balance and compassion. Yet one must conclude that Benjamin's refusal to intercede for his imprisoned son was based as much on a personal sense of betrayal as principle. This is a well-done account of one of the many personal tragedies engendered by the Glorious Cause. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2017

What better indication of how fractious the American Revolution was than this portrait of Benjamin Franklin and his illegitimate son, royal governor of New Jersey and loyal to Britain?

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017

Epstein (The Lincolns) delves into the complex relationship between Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) and his illegitimate son William, and the far-reaching effects the Revolutionary War had on both men. Although not unheard of at the time, Franklin's decision to raise his son with his common-law wife, Deborah Read Franklin, was out of the ordinary. William Franklin (1730-1813) grew up learning the trades of diplomacy while shadowing his father throughout America and Europe. When William became Royal Governor of New Jersey, however, he was reluctant to give up the position during the war and sided with England as a loyalist. After being placed under house arrest, William lost his home, property, and wife, who died while he was imprisoned. The rift between William and his father, who played an integral part in the colonies' fight for independence, never healed, and William lived in exile for the rest of his life. The flow of Epstein's writing allows for a fully immersive experience and illuminates the tangled family relationships of one of the pillars of the American Revolution. VERDICT For all readers interested in biographies and those who want to learn more about this underexplored part of Franklin's life.--Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.