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The Other Dr. Gilmer
The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice | Benjamin Gilmer
11 posts | 9 read | 18 to read
A powerful true story about a shocking crime and a mysterious illness that will forever change your notions of how we punish and how we healan expansion on one of the most popular This American Life episodes of all time Fresh out of medical residency, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer joined a rural North Carolina clinic only to find that its previous doctor shared his last name. Dr. Vince Gilmer was loved and respected by the communityright up until he strangled his ailing father and then returned to the clinic for a regular week of work. Vinces eventual arrest for murder shocked his patients. Could their beloved doctor be capable of such violence? The deeper Benjamin looked into Vinces case, the more he became obsessed with discovering what pushed a good man toward darkness. When Benjamin visited Vince in prison, he met a man who appeared to be fighting his own mind, constantly twitching and veering into nonsensical tangents. Sentenced to life in prison, Vince had been branded a cold-blooded killer and a malingerera person who fakes an illness. But it was obvious to Benjamin that Vince needed help. Alongside This American Life journalist Sarah Koenig, Benjamin resolved to understand what had happened to his predecessor. Time and again, the pair came up against a prison system that cared little about the mental health of its inmatesdespite more than a third of them suffering from mental illness. The Other Dr. Gilmer takes readers on a thrilling and heart-wrenching journey through our shared human fallibility, made worse by a prison system that is failing our most vulnerable citizens. With deep compassion and an even deeper sense of justice, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer delves into the mystery of what could make a caring doctor commit a brutal murder. And in the process, his powerful story asks us to answer a profound question: In a country with the highest incarceration rates in the world, what would it look like if we prioritized healing rather than punishment?
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catiewithac
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Pickpick

This book surprised me and certainly wasn‘t what I expected from a true crime book. It‘s a humane examination of the failures of the medical and criminal justice communities. I found the writing propulsive and personal. It‘s really a memoir of a weird circumstance.

Megabooks Great review!! 2y
53 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Cinfhen
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Mehso-so

I don‘t know why but this book just didn‘t connect with me at all. I thought the writing was flat and for some reason I didn‘t warm to either Dr. Gilmer. It‘s a sad story and a terrible truth about the US justice system ( that‘s an oxymoron) but unlike other memoirs/ true crime books I‘ve read in a similar vein where I was completely absorbed, I wasn‘t invested here. Definitely a case of #MeNotYou

Blaire There is a this American life episode about this I think…it felt pretty complete as an episode…maybe didn‘t need a full book? 2y
Cinfhen Hi!!!! Funny you should mention the podcast. Half of the book is about the making of the This American Life episode @Blaire 😉 2y
Megabooks Sorry it didn‘t work for you. Maybe it‘s better on audio, but I stand by it being *my* favorite memoir of the year. 2y
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Cinfhen Funny, this was definitely a big disappointment for me @Megabooks sometimes our opinions slide but it‘s ok, you‘re still my favorite book recommender 😜 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen thanks!! 😘😘😘 I 💜 your recommendations too!! 2y
78 likes6 comments
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Cinfhen
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I‘m having some really good luck 🍀 Lots of my current reads also discuss African countries!!! This book mentions #Gabon / it might only be three paragraphs but who‘s counting?!?!! #ReadingAfrica22 @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Librarybelle This book is on my radar…looking forward to your review! 2y
Megabooks Enjoy this! My favorite memoir of the year so far! 2y
Cinfhen It must be me because so far this book is just meh for me🫤 @Librarybelle @Megabooks @DGRachel 2y
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DGRachel I think it was a slow start for me as well, but once all of the threads started to come together, I got sucked in. It didn‘t hurt that I live in NC and I love references I can pick up. 2y
Megabooks Stick with it! There are a lot of different changes in the story and you may settle into enjoying it more. At least I hope so! 2y
Cinfhen It‘s fairly simple straightforward writing so I‘ll stick with it @DGRachel @Megabooks hoping it picks up for me 2y
EKonrad It was a slow start for me too, but I ended up loving it! Such a crazy story with some interesting threads. Hope you end up enjoying it! 😊 2y
70 likes7 comments
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ashleyn
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If only everyone could have as much empathy, compassion and determination as Benjamin and Vince, the world might be a very different place.

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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

This is one incredible story that would be difficult to believe as fiction. They say truth is stranger than fiction and this book definitely holds true there! This starts out as a true crime, then memoir of a small town doctor, then dives into a medical diagnosis mission, and finally a fight for justice and examination of the criminal justice system, our prisons, and death row. This one truly has it all. Highly recommended!

BarbaraBB Coming from you, I definitely stack this book! 2y
Megabooks This was 5⭐️ for me! Fantastic! 2y
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DGRachel
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Pickpick

Similar to Just Mercy, this focuses on one man‘s efforts to understand the complexities of a local homicide. After a diagnosis of Huntington‘s, the book chronicles the author‘s efforts to free the mentally I‘ll man convicted of the crime. It‘s an important, heartbreaking, and rage-inducing read.

Dragon I was just reading an article tonight on Medscape about these two physicians who were affected by a murder - so definitely a sign to stack this 2y
DGRachel @Dragon I saw @Megabooks review of it and immediately used a Libro.fm credit for it (just took me a few weeks to get to it). It‘s really good. 2y
Dragon Great ,I put a hold on Libby, there‘s a 6 week wait ( than pretty good compared to my 24 weekers) 💚🐉 2y
Megabooks So glad you enjoyed this!! 2y
46 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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DogMomIrene
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Pickpick

Started a bit slow for me, and the gruesome crime details were hard to listen to, but the pace quickly picked up. I was wondering how the story would turn out until the last sentence sealed Vince Gilmer‘s fate. Ben Gilmer narrates the audiobook, which conveys how much he had invested in this fight for justice. This saga makes a solid case for reforming US prisons and justice system.

Megabooks Great review! 3y
DogMomIrene @Megabooks Thanks! Litsy challenges me to share the most important highlights or thoughts. 3y
45 likes2 comments
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EKonrad
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Pickpick

This true-crime story was absolutely riveting! I'm worried it's going to fly under the radar because I haven't heard too much buzz about it, but it was sooo good! #arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Full review at: https://erinkonrad.com/2022/03/29/the-other-dr-gilmer-book-review/

DogMomIrene I think this one will be my next audiobook. Sounds so good! 3y
EKonrad @DogMomIrene Hope you enjoy it - I thought it was fascinating! 3y
Megabooks So glad you enjoyed it too. Definitely deserves more buzz! 3y
38 likes3 comments
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

I thought this would be a grisly true crime book, but it was much better. It draws together true crime, a medical mystery, and prison reform. I don‘t want to give too much away because Dr. Gilmer unfolds the story so well. Easily a 5⭐️ book!

If you‘re a fan of Just Mercy, This American Life, or always wanted a nicer Dr. House, read this.

Megabooks @Cinfhen and @Chelsea.Poole I think you‘d both love this. The #audiobook is fantastic!! 3y
vivastory My ex loved House 😂 3y
Megabooks @vivastory 😂 I watched it all the time when I was in vet school. We‘d all play along trying to figure it out. Didn‘t watch much after I graduated though. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 3y
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DGRachel …and I just bought it with a Libro.fm credit. You have the best nonfiction recommendations! 3y
Megabooks @DGRachel thank you so much! 💜 I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. One of the best books I‘ve read this year. 3y
Chelsea.Poole So glad to see this 5 ⭐️ rating!! It was already on my tbr but a @megabooks rec bumps it up 🔝 definitely right up my alley 🙌 3y
DogMomIrene Your detail a nicer Dr. House has me convinced. Gotta get this audiobook! 3y
Centique This sounds fabulous 😍 3y
Megabooks @DogMomIrene the spitballing about diagnoses was everything I loved about House even though Gilmer is a family physician. (edited) 3y
Megabooks @Centique I think you‘d enjoy it! 3y
Cinfhen I somehow missed this post!!! #stacked 3y
Christine So glad you enjoyed!! 3y
93 likes10 stack adds12 comments
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Megabooks
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It looks like my weekend forecast is cloudy with a chance of true crime! 🔪🔪

Megabooks Also is anyone else watching Colgate vs Wisconsin?? What a crazy nightcap! 3y
RamsFan1963 @Megabooks I had Wisconsin in my brackets, so I'm glad they won but Colgate gave them a good game. 3y
Megabooks @RamsFan1963 UW is a great post-season team usually, but I was really happy about the fight in Colgate. Fantastic game. 3y
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JenReadsAlot Go Badgers!! 3y
Megabooks @JenReadsAlot 🎉🎉🎉 3y
jlhammar Fun! Scoundrel is great so far. Hoping to finish it this weekend. 3y
Cinfhen Fabulous 🥰 3y
Megabooks @jlhammar yes, I agree! I‘m reading that first and halfway through. 3y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I feel like @Reviewsbylola 😂👍🏻 3y
Cinfhen Yes…our true crime junkie ….missing @Reviewsbylola 3y
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Christine
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Pickpick

Wow - can‘t remember a book opening that captured my attention as much as this one! 😳 Made all the more riveting by the exceedingly gentle tone of the author-narrator‘s voice. What followed kept me engaged and made me think. Highly recommended if you‘re interested in healthcare, mental health, criminal justice/prison reform, true crime media production, and/or complex personal stories well written and told.

Librariana Excellent review! 3y
Megabooks Excited to get this from the library. I‘m up next. Fantastic review! 3y
Christine @Librariana Aww thanks! I really enjoyed this one. 3y
Christine @Megabooks I definitely look forward to reading your thoughts on this one! 3y
49 likes4 comments