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marycel 's review for:
The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice
by Benjamin Gilmer
In June 2004, Dr. Vince Gilmer killed his father and dumped his body by the side of the road in Abingdon, Virginia—my hometown, where I had just graduated high school. The road was one a friend of mine lived on (it's actually named for her family), and I remember being shocked and horrified, but I never heard more about it.
Years later, I heard the This American Life episode dedicated to the story, and I learned about Dr. Benjamin Gilmer (unrelated), and how he had been drawn into solving the mystery of why the murder had occurred, largely due to the coincidence of him sharing his last name and taking over at the exact same medical practice that the other Dr. Gilmer had left behind.
This book is incredible, because not only is it an account of crime, punishment, and degenerative illness, it's also a powerful call to action for major reforms of our justice and mental health systems. I feel particular ties to this story since I have personal knowledge of most of the places (and even some of the people) involved, but even without that, it's a moving and infuriating examination of how wrong we go when we enforce black-and-white thinking and focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation.
Years later, I heard the This American Life episode dedicated to the story, and I learned about Dr. Benjamin Gilmer (unrelated), and how he had been drawn into solving the mystery of why the murder had occurred, largely due to the coincidence of him sharing his last name and taking over at the exact same medical practice that the other Dr. Gilmer had left behind.
This book is incredible, because not only is it an account of crime, punishment, and degenerative illness, it's also a powerful call to action for major reforms of our justice and mental health systems. I feel particular ties to this story since I have personal knowledge of most of the places (and even some of the people) involved, but even without that, it's a moving and infuriating examination of how wrong we go when we enforce black-and-white thinking and focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation.