This page includes updates about the book and the author’s talks, suggestions for further reading and website links, plus corrections or news from the publisher.
A Soul on Trial was named one of the top naval books of 2007 by the Naval Institute Press. The most recent review from the Organization of American Historians’ Journal of American History (9/08) can be found at http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jah/95.2/br_87.html
SEE OTHER BOOK REVIEWS UNDER “REVIEWS” LINK ON MAIN PAGE
http://hnn.us/articles/41493.html is a link to Cutler’s History New Network essay (10/1/2007) about the book and its relevance today.
Robin Cutler has given several talks in Annapolis, New York City, and Charleston, South Carolina. She will be speaking in Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Historical Society on September 30, 2008 and at the Clark County Genealogical Society in Vancouver, Washington on October 1 .
Notes:
Members of the Clark County Geneological Society are superb researchers. They have discovered information about the Brant family and even about Lieutenant Sutton’s close friend who disappeared, Edward Roelker, that the author did not have when writing the book. Dozens of people in Vancouver have the surname of Brant and probably some are descended from Rosa’s large family.
If you would like to learn more about the later careers of some of the officers featured in this story check out webmaster Michael R. Patterson’s site about Arlington National Cemetery. www.arlingtoncemetery.net. He’s been working on this site for more than 12 years and has included pictures of some of the men and pictures of their head stones.
Major General Edward A. Ostermann is a good example. 99% of the primary source documents and newspaper articles Cutler read for this book — including almost all of his early personnel files in the National Archives — spell his name Osterman. However, it’s clear from his handwritten signature, his gravestone and his later career that the correct spelling is Ostermann. Apologies to any descendents.
Recent Books:
A LexisNexis case book has just come out by Eugene R Fidell, Elizabeth L. Hillman and Dwight H. Sullivan. Military Justice: Cases and Materials is the first of its kind.
Mary Tillman’s new book Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman may also interest readers of A Soul on Trial.
Errata:
See above on Edward Ostermann’s name.
Page 147: four lines from the bottom of the page, the newspaper title should read the Evening Capital and not the Evening Star.
Page 303: delete the words “in Iraq” seven lines from the bottom of the page.
Should you find any other factual errors in A Soul on Trial, you may contact the author at Columbia74 at aol.com.