The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice
- Downloads：2718
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-17 19:21:05
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Benjamin Gilmer
- ISBN：B08SJQDF6P
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Amy Sunshine
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Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for a digital ARC of #TheOtherDrGilmer。 The opinions expressed here are entirely my own。This book is the perfect mash-up of my favorite genres - part true crime， part medical mystery， part memoir with some political/social commentary on the state of health care， mental health and the justice/prison system in the US。 I somehow missed this story on NPR's "This American Life" so it was all new to me。It's the story of 2 men - both family medicine doctors - wi Thank you to @RandomHouse and #NetGalley for a digital ARC of #TheOtherDrGilmer。 The opinions expressed here are entirely my own。This book is the perfect mash-up of my favorite genres - part true crime， part medical mystery， part memoir with some political/social commentary on the state of health care， mental health and the justice/prison system in the US。 I somehow missed this story on NPR's "This American Life" so it was all new to me。It's the story of 2 men - both family medicine doctors - with the same last name。 Young Dr。 Gilmer has started working at a clinic in a small North Carolina town which happens to be the same clinic the Other Dr。 Gilmer worked at before he was convicted of murdering his father。 Young Dr。 Gilmer is terrified yet intrigued by the Other Dr。 Gilmer - how could a man who was adored by his staff and patients alike have committed this shocking crime？ Young Dr。 Gilmer embarks on a journey of discovery that leads to surprising conclusions， unexpected friendship and heartbreaking disappointment。A really excellent read！ 。。。more
Maggie
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I initially thought this book was going to be a typical true crime story， where we learned about the crime and criminal。 I was pleasantly surprised to find a much larger commentary about our justice system and the best way to treat people within that system。 This book looks at small town America， the relationships that were formed between a doctor and the patients in his clinic， and the broader picture of a crime in relation to a clinical diagnosis。 The author focuses on the first Dr。 Gilmer， th I initially thought this book was going to be a typical true crime story， where we learned about the crime and criminal。 I was pleasantly surprised to find a much larger commentary about our justice system and the best way to treat people within that system。 This book looks at small town America， the relationships that were formed between a doctor and the patients in his clinic， and the broader picture of a crime in relation to a clinical diagnosis。 The author focuses on the first Dr。 Gilmer， the members of the community， and his own internal struggles surrounding this story while he was trying to uncover the truth in the situation。 Overall， this was an incredibly interesting look not only into the specifics of this situation and the justice system， but into the key question of how we should treat people within that system。 。。。more
Sallie
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I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book。 I have voluntarily read and reviewed it。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。This is a book that one cannot say they enjoy。 The subject of this true story is a difficult one。 It is brilliantly written。 When you read this book you will become aware of identification and treatment or lack thereof in the justice system。 In the North Carolina hills a doctor attends t I wish to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book。 I have voluntarily read and reviewed it。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。This is a book that one cannot say they enjoy。 The subject of this true story is a difficult one。 It is brilliantly written。 When you read this book you will become aware of identification and treatment or lack thereof in the justice system。 In the North Carolina hills a doctor attends to his clinic patients in loving ways and being very mindful of their needs。 His name is Vince Gilmer。 His patients loved him。 When he brutally murders his own father and tries to defend himself in court he ends up in prison for life。 His replacement in the clinic is a young man named Benjamin Gilmer （no relation） who becomes very interested in the story behind the murder。 He learns more and feels that Vince is someone with intense mental illness who does not belong in prison but rather should be in a medical facility for the insane。 He finally gets a real diagnosis of Huntington’s disease and fights for years to get Vince the help he needs and get him released from prison。 The book is an intense look at the prison systems in our country today and what goes on behind the prison walls。 It is a fight against injustice and the story of a real friendship that evolves between the two doctors。I learned a lot from these stories and it touched my heart to say the least。 I hope you will choose to read this one and maybe someone will get involved with righting the wrongs in the handling of people identified as insane and those who have not been identified but meet the parameters。 I certainly learned a lot about Huntington’s disease。If I could rate this book a 10 star I would do so and I fully recommend it highly to others， 。。。more
Pat Pullum
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Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer starts work in a rural clinic in North Carolina。 He soon realizes that another doctor， D。r Vince Gilmer also worked at the same clinic previously。 Delving into the other doctor's past， he learns that Vince Gilmer was arrested after murdering his father。 He also hears from his patients that Dr。 Vince was well loved and nobody could understand why he would be involved with a murder charge。This makes Dr。 Benjamin even more curious and he fears for his own life。 The ensuing story Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer starts work in a rural clinic in North Carolina。 He soon realizes that another doctor， D。r Vince Gilmer also worked at the same clinic previously。 Delving into the other doctor's past， he learns that Vince Gilmer was arrested after murdering his father。 He also hears from his patients that Dr。 Vince was well loved and nobody could understand why he would be involved with a murder charge。This makes Dr。 Benjamin even more curious and he fears for his own life。 The ensuing story tells of how Dr。 Benjamin finally meets Dr。 Vince and his endeavors to bring justice for Dr。 Vince。This book is a true story of one man never giving up to do all he can to help the other doctor with the same last name。I thank the author， publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jane
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You may already be familiar with the story of Dr。 Vince Gilmer。 His story was told on an episode of NPR’s This American Life and on CNN。 In 2004， Gilmer， a doctor who worked at a clinic in rural Appalachia， killed his father。 In 2005 he was sentenced to life in prison。 I was not acquainted with the story。 I heard Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer， the author of this book， speak during a publisher’s webinar presentation about upcoming books and was intrigued。 This is an unusual true crime novel。 There is a cri You may already be familiar with the story of Dr。 Vince Gilmer。 His story was told on an episode of NPR’s This American Life and on CNN。 In 2004， Gilmer， a doctor who worked at a clinic in rural Appalachia， killed his father。 In 2005 he was sentenced to life in prison。 I was not acquainted with the story。 I heard Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer， the author of this book， speak during a publisher’s webinar presentation about upcoming books and was intrigued。 This is an unusual true crime novel。 There is a crime – Dr。 Vince Gilmer strangled his father – but that’s not the focus of the story。 There was no question that Vince Gilmer murdered his father。 Even if you have not heard about Vince Gilmer， the author spoils the Big Reveal about the crime by mentioning mental illness in the dedication。 Nonetheless， I found the story gripping。 Benjamin Gilmer is a good writer and had a good editor。 My family is from the Appalachia region， and this passage struck me: “In Appalachia， everything was defined by the mountain。 You were going up the mountain， you were going down the mountain; you were from this side of the mountain or the other side。” （p。 30 of the advance reader copy） Benjamin Gilmer comes across as empathetic and a good observer。Benjamin and Vince Gilmer are not related。 After Vince Gilmer was found guilty of murder， Benjamin Gilmer just happened to begin work at his old clinic。 Many people commented on the coincidence。 It led many of his patients to muse on how much they loved the old Dr。 Gilmer。 The picture they painted was very different from what Benjamin Gilmer imagined of a man who could brutally murder his father。 Benjamin Gilmer became obsessed with Vince Gilmer and began to worry excessively that Vince would get out of prison and come after him for “stealing” his life。 I was surprised at how obsessive Benjamin became。 It must have been quite trying for his wife。 Eventually Benjamin Gilmer met Vince Gilmer and realized there was much more to the story。 Benjamin Gilmer’s book is sad， touching， and infuriating。This is the first memoir I've read since the news broke about Alice Seybold's Lucky （the book is her memoir about being raped as a college student; the man found guilty of Seybold’s rape 40 years ago was recently exonerated）。 I have to admit I found myself questioning whether everything was 'true" or perhaps manipulated to make a better story。 But although the narrative is riveting， it does not （spoiler alert） have a happy ending。 This book is part of a long campaign to get clemency for Vince Gilmer， and to get him out of prison and into a hospital。 It also advocates for changes to how we treat the mentally ill， especially if they end up in prison。If you liked Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy or The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton， you may find The Other Dr。 Gilmer as captivating as I did。 I read an advance reader copy of The Other Dr。 Gilmer from Netgalley。 The book is scheduled to be published on March 1， 2022。 。。。more
Lbmayson
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I really enjoyed this book。 I don’t want to go into a lot of detail because I don’t want to give away any “spoilers”， but it is just a really interesting story and an important book that goes beyond the true crime genre by addressing some very important issues in our culture。 Also， I hope they make a film out of it because this story really has got a lot of unusual twists to it。
Laura
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A compelling story of a beloved small-town doctor who brutally killed his father。 A few years later， a replacement doctor is hired。 This doctor， through pure coincidence， shares the same last name with the murderer， who is now serving a life sentence。 New Dr。 Gilmer is at first intrigued， then frightened， the terrified of the “other” Dr。 Gilmer。 Eventually he visits the murderer in prison and discovers that things are not at all as he’d thought。 This was an engrossing read， and an indictment of A compelling story of a beloved small-town doctor who brutally killed his father。 A few years later， a replacement doctor is hired。 This doctor， through pure coincidence， shares the same last name with the murderer， who is now serving a life sentence。 New Dr。 Gilmer is at first intrigued， then frightened， the terrified of the “other” Dr。 Gilmer。 Eventually he visits the murderer in prison and discovers that things are not at all as he’d thought。 This was an engrossing read， and an indictment of our judicial and prison system。 。。。more
Megan Leathers
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"The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 37 percent of male inmates in prisons suffer from severe mental illness。 My conversation with Vince that day made me ask myself， and not for the first time， why？ If mental illness was one of the reasons they were in prison， then crime was not just a legal problem， but a medical one--not just for the courts but for us care providers， as well。。 Clearly， we could be doing a better job。"This stunning book by Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer about Dr。 Vince Gilmer "The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 37 percent of male inmates in prisons suffer from severe mental illness。 My conversation with Vince that day made me ask myself， and not for the first time， why？ If mental illness was one of the reasons they were in prison， then crime was not just a legal problem， but a medical one--not just for the courts but for us care providers， as well。。 Clearly， we could be doing a better job。"This stunning book by Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer about Dr。 Vince Gilmer navigates the world of a mentally ill killer， but not in the way you would expect。 There is compassion， understanding， and the search for true justice， not punishment。There is no doubt about what crime occurred and who committed it， but it is the "why" and the actions of the following days that are so intriguing。 Delving into the backstory， as well as the author's own history before launching into a uphill battle of seeking the truth kept me rushing back to these pages anytime I had a free second。 Your thoughts and opinions at the beginning will be vastly different from the end （in a good way） and you will fully empathize with the author's still-continuing fight to get a man out of prison who shouldn't be there。 。。。more
Val
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Big thanks to Ballantine Books， as well as to @NetGalley， for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Other Dr。 Gilmer。What a fascinating book！ Fascinating and heartwrenching！！ The The Other Dr。 Gilmer begins with a strange twist of fate whereby Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer starts working at Cane Creek clinic in rural North Carolina and takes over the practice that once belonged to Dr。 Vince Gilmer。 The bizarre part is that they aren't related to each other。 What are the odds？？Dr。 Vince G Big thanks to Ballantine Books， as well as to @NetGalley， for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Other Dr。 Gilmer。What a fascinating book！ Fascinating and heartwrenching！！ The The Other Dr。 Gilmer begins with a strange twist of fate whereby Dr。 Benjamin Gilmer starts working at Cane Creek clinic in rural North Carolina and takes over the practice that once belonged to Dr。 Vince Gilmer。 The bizarre part is that they aren't related to each other。 What are the odds？？Dr。 Vince Gilmer was a kind， considerate， and much-loved physician 。。。 right up until he strangled this father， cut his father's fingers off， dumped the body in a spot where it would be located， and went back to the clinic to see patients！ He was tried， convicted， and had been imprisoned for 10 years prior to Dr。 Benjamin showing up to work the practice。Rumor has it that Dr。 Vince is about to be released。 He is said to be furious about Dr。 Benjamin taking over his practice and he is going to take back what is rightfully his！ After a period of time where Dr。 Benjamin is making himself crazy， making sure his house is completely locked up， and keeping a baseball bat within reach， he decides to go to the prison and meet Dr。 Vince。 What he finds is a shell of a man who constantly twitches， rolls his eyes， and twists his mouth as he veers off into nonsensical tangents。 Rather than receiving treatment， Dr。 Vince has been dismissed by prison and government officials。 Dr。 Benjamin is horrified and resolves to at least diagnose Dr。 Vince and get him the help he needs。 Unfortunately， pleas for clemency have been repeatedly denied and Dr。 Vince remains in prison to this day， although he is at least now receiving the medication he needs。 This book definitely opened my eyes to the fact that some crimes need to be healed rather than punished。 Everyone should read The Other Dr。 Gilmer。 It not only educated me but it's one I'll never forget。#TheOtherDrGilmer #NetGalley 。。。more
Melinda
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A good companion read with #JustMercy。#netgalley @netgallyey #HuntingtonsDisease
Jen Juenke
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wish that I had a personal defender as the author is to Dr Gilmer。 The authors devotion to knowing the facts， knowing the details， and his sense of wonderment at Dr Gilmers cause/crime is most notable。 We follow Dr Benjamin Gilmer from the interview in the small town to the stunning NON CONCLUSION （I will get into this in a minute） of the story。 I was transfixed by the story， I had never heard about it， and I was stunned。Dr VINCE Gilmer （the OTHER Dr Gilmer） picked up his elderly father from a I wish that I had a personal defender as the author is to Dr Gilmer。 The authors devotion to knowing the facts， knowing the details， and his sense of wonderment at Dr Gilmers cause/crime is most notable。 We follow Dr Benjamin Gilmer from the interview in the small town to the stunning NON CONCLUSION （I will get into this in a minute） of the story。 I was transfixed by the story， I had never heard about it， and I was stunned。Dr VINCE Gilmer （the OTHER Dr Gilmer） picked up his elderly father from assisted living and while driving around， strangled him and cut off all of his fingers。 Dr Vince Gilmer then calmly went on to work for the next few days before being arrested for the murder of his father。The author， also a Doctor， also a Gilmer， but no relation， steps into the vacant position left by Dr Vince Gilmer。 As he begins to learn more about Dr Vince Gilmer and the crime， the more he realizes that something is NOT right。 The author delves into a possible MEDICAL reason for Dr Vince Gilmer killing his father， with that medical reason in hand， the author tries to get Dr Vince Gilmer's conviction overturned or to get clemency。Throughout the book， I just kept returning to Dr Vince Gilmore calmly returning to his practice， throwing away his dead fathers fingers into the Koi pond and seeing patients until he was arrested。Can this medical condition explain that away？ I am still not convinced。However， the author is convinced that because of this medical condition that Dr Vince Gilmer may have， it can explain the murder。 The author does so much for Dr Vince Gilmer that it is so admirable， I couldn't help but root for him。Alas， the end of the book is deeply unsettled。 SPOILER ALERT: The pleas for clemency are denied and Dr Vince Gilmore remains in prison。 The book really unfolds between the unknown， the knowing of the medical condition and the fight for justice。 It was well thought out and a wonderful read。Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more
Valerity （Val）
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