Part true crime, and part memoir & autobiography, The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice by Benjamin Gilmer will check a lot of boxes for anyone who gravitates towards nonfiction. It not only involves a murder and an odd coincidence, but there is also a healthy amount of science, research, and a critical look at the U.S. criminal justice system.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book written by a Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, about his relationship with a Dr. Vince Gilmer. The first thing that should be made clear is that these two men are not related. Also, they did not meet until 2012. The second thing to bring up is that they meet because Benjamin Gilmer ends up becoming a doctor at the same clinic that Vince Gilmer used to work at. And although Vince Gilmer has been serving a prison life sentence after being convicted of murdering his father, his former patients still remember him fondly, many not convinced that his life sentence is justified. After discovering the strange details of the crime and the trial, Benjamin Gilmer decides to meet Vince Gilmer, and what follows is a years long journey for justice for anyone experiencing mental illness while behind bars. Not only does Benjamin Gilmer tell Vince Gilmer's story, but also manages to tell his own, while pointing out a myriad of issues and blind spots when it comes to how this country deals with mental illness within the prison system. The current state of our healthcare system does not go unmentioned, and neither does the lengthy process required when working with lawyers and politicians when asking for clemency.
My Verdict: I meant what I said when I mentioned how this book checks a lot of boxes: true crime, memoir, as well as history and biography, with some medical drama on the side. Benjamin Gilmer was determined to advocate for his friend and get his story out there, and I would say he succeeded in giving readers a narrative that is honest, to the point, and somehow encouraging, despite the subject matter and an incredibly uphill battle with many obstacles. Possibly what I found the most fascinating is the many turns this book takes as far as the feel and emotions. At first it is fairly haunting, with these images of a bear-like Vince Gilmer killing his father. And then there is the tension of Benjamin Gilmer reaching out to a convicted murderer and the giant question mark around everything that can possibly come out of an interaction like that. A lot happens in less than 300 pages, and it is certainly worth a read.
Favorite Moment: Near the beginning of the book, Benjamin Gilmer is getting used to his new job and patients, and there is some humor and fascination in seeing him interact with those who knew and loved Vince Gilmer.
Favorite Quotes: "But that was precisely Schweitzer's point: that true reverence extended compassion to the hopeless, the destitute, the scorned. It included the sick and the healthy, the poor and the rich, the free and the imprisoned. It included addicts and thieves, murderers and the men they killed. The chickens and the stray dogs, the mice and the man who held them: Reverence for life was unconditional."
"Most prisons in this country are engineered to be invisible. Hidden in rural communities, they are places where humans are stowed away and forgotten. Widespread privatization has only hastened the trend toward invisibility. Who, after all, wants to be known for making their money off the backs of those behind bars?"
Recommended Reading: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan is another fascinating look at how our brains can betray us.
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