My Father's Secret War by Lucinda Franks Search Amazon for other books by or about Lucinda Franks. Rating: Reviewed by: Maurice Williams

Though a biography of a single person, this well-written book depicts human nature so well that we can see a little bit of everyone in this person. Lucinda Frank's story of her father reaches beyond her father, reaches deep into what makes any of us persons, deeper than that, it encounters the reason why we are persons.

Thomas Edward Franks is an enigmatic, silent man, wounded by what he experienced in life, wounding his family, and, in return, wounded by his family. Many of us could be described that way. We have different experiences, but the wounds we bear, the wounds we inflict are astonishingly similar.

Tom Franks served his country during World War II, participating in top-secret, dangerous missions, including a very traumatic inspection of the first-discovered Nazi death camp. Something happened that changed him, perhaps the shock of the death camp. Withdrawing into himself, he would not speak of his war experiences.

He drew away from his family. His wife's bitter reaction was to nag and criticize him. His two daughters, caught in the middle, experienced the same kind of grief all dysfunctional families experience. Lucinda, the first-born, courageously penetrated her father's aloofness. Her tenacious pursuit of the real Tom Franks hidden within his taciturn shell, takes the reader through the major event of our lifetime, World War II, which has shaped the destiny of all of us. What emerges is a human being like ourselves, displaying the same foibles we all, to some degree, display.

Lucinda's polished use of dialog, her deep characterization makes Tom alive, makes his family and friends alive. This is not just a story of one person in six and a half billion: it could be the story of our dear friend. It could be the story of ourself, so deeply does it penetrate what makes a human being human. In the end, after Tom Franks dies, Lucinda adds a spiritual dimension to her father's existence.

This is not merely a good biography; it is a great biography, one that holds our interest and edifies at the same time. The story of Thomas Edward Franks, who wanted to remain unknown, even from his family, will remain part of our literature, an adroitly written biography of a deeply human person, a powerful testimony of the unconditional love of a daughter devoted to her father.