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The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice
A rural physician learns that a former doctor at his clinic committed a shocking crime, leading him to uncover an undiagnosed mental health crisis in our broken prison system--a powerful true story expanding on one of the most popular This American Life episodes of all time.
When family physician Dr. Benjamin Gilmer began working at the Cane Creek clinic in rural North Carolina, he was following in the footsteps of a man with the same last name. His predecessor, Dr. Vince Gilmer, was beloved by his patients and community--right up until the shocking moment when he strangled his ailing father and then returned to the clinic for a regular day of work after the murder. He'd been in prison for nearly a decade by the time Benjamin arrived, but Vince's patients would still tell Benjamin they couldn't believe the other Dr. Gilmer was capable of such violence. The more Benjamin looked into Vince's case, the more he knew that something was wrong.
Vince knew, too. He complained from the time he was arrested of his SSRI brain, referring to withdrawal from his anti-depressant medication. When Benjamin visited Vince in prison, he met a man who was obviously fighting his own mind, constantly twitching and veering off into nonsensical tangents. Enlisting This American Life journalist Sarah Koenig, Benjamin resolved to get Vince the help he needed. But time and again, the pair would come up against a prison system that cared little about the mental health of its inmates--despite an estimated one third of them suffering from an untreated mental illness.
In The Other Dr. Gilmer, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer tells of how a caring man was overcome by a perfect storm of rare health conditions, leading to an unimaginable crime. Rather than get treatment, Vince Gilmer was sentenced to life in prison--a life made all the worse by his untrustworthy brain and prison and government officials who dismissed his situation. A large percentage of imprisoned Americans are suffering from mental illness when they commit their crimes and continue to suffer, untreated, in prison. In a country with the highest incarceration rates in the world, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer argues that some crimes need to be healed rather than punished.
When family physician Dr. Benjamin Gilmer began working at the Cane Creek clinic in rural North Carolina, he was following in the footsteps of a man with the same last name. His predecessor, Dr. Vince Gilmer, was beloved by his patients and community--right up until the shocking moment when he strangled his ailing father and then returned to the clinic for a regular day of work after the murder. He'd been in prison for nearly a decade by the time Benjamin arrived, but Vince's patients would still tell Benjamin they couldn't believe the other Dr. Gilmer was capable of such violence. The more Benjamin looked into Vince's case, the more he knew that something was wrong.
Vince knew, too. He complained from the time he was arrested of his SSRI brain, referring to withdrawal from his anti-depressant medication. When Benjamin visited Vince in prison, he met a man who was obviously fighting his own mind, constantly twitching and veering off into nonsensical tangents. Enlisting This American Life journalist Sarah Koenig, Benjamin resolved to get Vince the help he needed. But time and again, the pair would come up against a prison system that cared little about the mental health of its inmates--despite an estimated one third of them suffering from an untreated mental illness.
In The Other Dr. Gilmer, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer tells of how a caring man was overcome by a perfect storm of rare health conditions, leading to an unimaginable crime. Rather than get treatment, Vince Gilmer was sentenced to life in prison--a life made all the worse by his untrustworthy brain and prison and government officials who dismissed his situation. A large percentage of imprisoned Americans are suffering from mental illness when they commit their crimes and continue to suffer, untreated, in prison. In a country with the highest incarceration rates in the world, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer argues that some crimes need to be healed rather than punished.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2022
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16826 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 603 reviews
April 5, 2022
In 2004, Dr. Vince Gilmer picked up his father from the assisted living facility, strangled him, cut off his fingertips, dumped his body, and then calmly went to work at the clinic the next morning and put in a full day’s work. These facts aren’t in dispute. The question is WHY?
Dr. Vince was a much beloved physician and member of the community who went above and beyond in caring for his patients. In the year before the murder there were hints that not all was well in his world, and after his arrest he behaved even more strangely. Many thought he was a malingerer, feigning mental illness to avoid prosecution. But were there other factors that came into play?
10 years after the murder, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer (no relation) accepts a job at the same clinic Dr. Vince Gilmer practiced. What are the odds that they would share a name? He finds he is living in the shadow of the much beloved Dr Vince, and his curiosity grows. The picture of Vince that he was getting from his patients was far different than that of a vicious murderer. Why would a man who couldn’t even kill a mouse in a trap, viciously murder his father? Dr Benjamin begins to investigate the case, combing the court transcripts. He later joins Sarah Koenig of This American Life, who was working on a story about Dr. Vince.
Dr. Benjamin eventually meets with Vince and is shocked at what he finds. Is he a wily psychopath or a seriously ill man? Dr. Benjamin was convinced it was the latter, and that Vince suffered from a combination of mental and physical disabilities that may or may not have contributed to his crime. Even more shocking, he was not receiving the medical treatment he needed. There’s no question Vince committed the crime, and there may be a difference of opinion on what price he should pay if there were extenuating circumstances, but there is no question he should receive adequate medical care.
Due to Dr. Benjamin’s tireless advocacy, Dr Vince was eventually discovered to have a neurodegenerative, disease, Huntington’s chorea, and was suffering from mental illness exacerbated by childhood trauma and abuse. Other factors also came into play in explaining Dr. Vince’s condition including possible head injury and serotonin discontinuation syndrome. But it still took years of work and advocacy for Dr Vince to get the help he needed.
(NOTE: this is not a spoiler, the case is all over the news, and has been featured on This American Life. The beauty of this book is the why and the how the case progressed, and the details of Dr B's advocacy)
The kindness and compassion of Dr Benjamin Gilmer led him to become a warrior and advocate, not just for Dr. Vince, but to reform the system. This is a fascinating true crime/medical mystery story that not only tells the story of the two Dr Gilmers, but one that highlights the failures and injustices in our prison system and the lack of medical and mental health care for prisoners. As many as 37% of prisoners have some form of mental illness. Shockingly, there are more mentally ill people living in prison than in mental hospitals. Humane reforms are desperately needed.
Highly recommended! The audiobook is narrated by the author, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, who did a fantastic job.
Dr. Vince was a much beloved physician and member of the community who went above and beyond in caring for his patients. In the year before the murder there were hints that not all was well in his world, and after his arrest he behaved even more strangely. Many thought he was a malingerer, feigning mental illness to avoid prosecution. But were there other factors that came into play?
10 years after the murder, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer (no relation) accepts a job at the same clinic Dr. Vince Gilmer practiced. What are the odds that they would share a name? He finds he is living in the shadow of the much beloved Dr Vince, and his curiosity grows. The picture of Vince that he was getting from his patients was far different than that of a vicious murderer. Why would a man who couldn’t even kill a mouse in a trap, viciously murder his father? Dr Benjamin begins to investigate the case, combing the court transcripts. He later joins Sarah Koenig of This American Life, who was working on a story about Dr. Vince.
Dr. Benjamin eventually meets with Vince and is shocked at what he finds. Is he a wily psychopath or a seriously ill man? Dr. Benjamin was convinced it was the latter, and that Vince suffered from a combination of mental and physical disabilities that may or may not have contributed to his crime. Even more shocking, he was not receiving the medical treatment he needed. There’s no question Vince committed the crime, and there may be a difference of opinion on what price he should pay if there were extenuating circumstances, but there is no question he should receive adequate medical care.
Due to Dr. Benjamin’s tireless advocacy, Dr Vince was eventually discovered to have a neurodegenerative, disease, Huntington’s chorea, and was suffering from mental illness exacerbated by childhood trauma and abuse. Other factors also came into play in explaining Dr. Vince’s condition including possible head injury and serotonin discontinuation syndrome. But it still took years of work and advocacy for Dr Vince to get the help he needed.
(NOTE: this is not a spoiler, the case is all over the news, and has been featured on This American Life. The beauty of this book is the why and the how the case progressed, and the details of Dr B's advocacy)
The kindness and compassion of Dr Benjamin Gilmer led him to become a warrior and advocate, not just for Dr. Vince, but to reform the system. This is a fascinating true crime/medical mystery story that not only tells the story of the two Dr Gilmers, but one that highlights the failures and injustices in our prison system and the lack of medical and mental health care for prisoners. As many as 37% of prisoners have some form of mental illness. Shockingly, there are more mentally ill people living in prison than in mental hospitals. Humane reforms are desperately needed.
Highly recommended! The audiobook is narrated by the author, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, who did a fantastic job.
April 26, 2022
In an incredible twist of fate, or karma, or whatever you believe, Dr Benjamin Gilmer winds up practicing in a small town which the previous doctor, Dr Vincent Gilmer had practiced in for years. Vicent was not a relative of Benjamin's so sharing the same last name was quite odd. Odd indeed, since the Vince had one day picked up his dad at an assisted living facility and then went ahead and brutally committed patricide. What drove Vince to commit such an atrocity?
Benjamin endeavors to learn of the other Dr Gilmer and from what he finds out, Dr V Gilmer was a well loved member of the town of Cane Creek, NC. He also learns that Dr V. Gilmer is serving time in prison. Intrigued, Benjamin decides to investigate further and as he becomes involved, he finds Dr V. Gilmer, had undertaken the job of defending himself at his trial, using the term SSRI brain as his defense. SSRI is the brain's attempt to withdraw from anti-depressant medication.
Working up enough courage, Benjamin visits Vincent and find a shell of a man. He shuffles his feet, looks ten years older than his forty years, and a definite deterioration of his brain functions. Benjamin was intrigued and felt that there obviously had been a miscarriage of justice.
This book, which was narrated by Dr Ben, was an investigation into the years that Ben tried to obtain some compassion and eventually a pardon for Vince. It's a wake up call to the amount of mental illness prevalent in our prison system and how so many of its inhabitants should be in a mental hospital receiving help, not condemned to a small cell. Many parts were hard to listen to and of course along the way, we develop the same empathy for Vince that his many patients and eventually Benjamin and his family find within themselves.
Definitely a fascinating true crime story, one that brought realization that prison has in many cases become a holding cell for people who are seriously mentally ill.
Finding out if Ben and others were successful in freeing Vince was a most interesting tale of how mistakes are made and often the mentally ill wind up in a place where they don't belong.
Benjamin endeavors to learn of the other Dr Gilmer and from what he finds out, Dr V Gilmer was a well loved member of the town of Cane Creek, NC. He also learns that Dr V. Gilmer is serving time in prison. Intrigued, Benjamin decides to investigate further and as he becomes involved, he finds Dr V. Gilmer, had undertaken the job of defending himself at his trial, using the term SSRI brain as his defense. SSRI is the brain's attempt to withdraw from anti-depressant medication.
Working up enough courage, Benjamin visits Vincent and find a shell of a man. He shuffles his feet, looks ten years older than his forty years, and a definite deterioration of his brain functions. Benjamin was intrigued and felt that there obviously had been a miscarriage of justice.
This book, which was narrated by Dr Ben, was an investigation into the years that Ben tried to obtain some compassion and eventually a pardon for Vince. It's a wake up call to the amount of mental illness prevalent in our prison system and how so many of its inhabitants should be in a mental hospital receiving help, not condemned to a small cell. Many parts were hard to listen to and of course along the way, we develop the same empathy for Vince that his many patients and eventually Benjamin and his family find within themselves.
Definitely a fascinating true crime story, one that brought realization that prison has in many cases become a holding cell for people who are seriously mentally ill.
Finding out if Ben and others were successful in freeing Vince was a most interesting tale of how mistakes are made and often the mentally ill wind up in a place where they don't belong.
November 26, 2022
Real Rating: 4.5* of five, rounded up because the issues it raises too important to ignore
A 2022 New York Public Library Best Adult book!
I RECEIVED MY DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: The carceral economy that makes corporations wealthy is evil.
That's my bias, right there; I make no apologies for it, and if your opinion is otherwise, this review will make you angry and upset, and feel (correctly) that you are being shamed and blamed for your absence of empathy and decency. Doubled if you claim to follow a religion.
The rest of my screed is here: https://expendablemudge.blogspot.com/...
A 2022 New York Public Library Best Adult book!
I RECEIVED MY DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: The carceral economy that makes corporations wealthy is evil.
That's my bias, right there; I make no apologies for it, and if your opinion is otherwise, this review will make you angry and upset, and feel (correctly) that you are being shamed and blamed for your absence of empathy and decency. Doubled if you claim to follow a religion.
The rest of my screed is here: https://expendablemudge.blogspot.com/...
April 10, 2022
5 Stars
February 15, 2022
What are the chances that a relatively newly minted MD would take over a rural practice from another MD with the same last name? Minuscule, I think, but it happened. I was unfamiliar with the Gilmer case and almost didn’t read this. The state of our prison system is appalling. Those in need of treatment receive punishment. I was heartened by one Dr. Gilmer’s dogged determination to help the other Dr. Gilmer.
April 19, 2022
There are three things I want to say about this book, and they are things that I rarely say:
1. It made me cry (hard to do).
2. I learned a lot.
3. This book is a MUST READ.
I debated for a long time about how much to reveal about this story. I have decided that since it is a true story that was in the news (though I’d never heard of this particular case), that it was okay to share details. If you want to go into it fresh, stop reading my review now - but know that you should definitely read the book.
Dr. Vince Gilmer was a rural doctor in the Appalachian area of southern America. He was gentle, kind, well-loved and very respected by all who knew him … until one day, when he took his father out of his healthcare facility, strangled him with a dog leash, cut off his fingers, and dumped his body on the side of the road.
Dr. Ben Gilmer (no relation) soon took his spot at the small clinic, and was horrified to hear what his predecessor had done. He was worried this tight-knit community wouldn’t accept him, especially since he is also Dr. Gilmer, and also worried that the “other” Dr. Gilmer would somehow get revenge while serving his life sentence. However, after hearing about the elder doctor and how much his patients loved him, he decided to visit the other doctor in prison to get his side of the story.
Long story short, he soon realized that Vince Gilmer was a man who was suffering. Shortly before killing his father, Vince went off the SSRI antidepressant he was on, Lexapro. As anyone who has been on an SSRI knows, when you start or stop taking them abruptly, you can literally go crazy. Was this a case of serotonin withdrawal? The other Dr. Gilmer had also been sexually abused by his father as a child, and had PTSD from that abuse. He ALSO had recently received a traumatic brain injury, which can certainly make people irrational and completely change their personalities. Was this a man with a brain that was severely damaged, or a psychopathic killer trying to make excuses for his behavior?
With all of these factors in play, Dr. Ben Gilmer realized that this doctor, who ended up defending himself in court, may not have been in his right mind when he murdered his father. He began visiting Vince more, and one day brought a colleague who noticed some disturbing physical symptoms that mimicked Huntington’s Disease. I had never heard of this, but it is kind of similar to having both Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s at the same time. It causes tics, tremors, walking issues and mental instability. The only way to find out for sure if he had it was to do genetic testing … which came back as positive for Huntington’s.
With this new knowledge, and after getting to know Vince, Ben realized that this entire situation was a miscarriage of justice. This man had multiple factors that could have caused him to “snap” and kill. He was allowed to defend himself, when it should have been clear to most people that he was suffering from a mental illness. He was sentenced to life in prison, and was left with no physical or psychiatric care - very common in the American prison system. Soon, Ben realized that he needed to step in and advocate for this man.
The rest of the book goes through the years-long process of trying to get clemency for this once kind and gentle man, and get him into a mental health facility that could help him. Huntington’s has no cure, but there are treatments that can bring some comfort as the victim’s mind and body are ravaged until they die a horrific death. I won’t spoil how it turned out, in case you are like me and had never heard of this story, but this book will keep you captivated and hoping for some justice.
I learned a lot while reading this book - not only about Huntington’s Disease, but about how so many mentally ill people fall through the cracks in our legal system. I know it happens all the time, but the specifics of this situation are shocking. I found myself rooting for an admitted killer, and hating the people who failed him. He had been telling people that his brain wasn’t working properly, but it was brushed off as malingering. Had anyone intervened sooner, the murder may have been avoided. Why didn’t anyone see that this man was suffering? Why didn’t the legal system investigate the situation more thoroughly? Why did they automatically assume he was faking the physical symptoms he was having? WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?
As an advocate for mental health, I was shocked and saddened by how everything went down, as was Dr. Ben. He spent years getting to know Dr. Vince, and trying to get him out of prison and into someplace more appropriate for his situation. Again, I won’t spoil the very end, but it is very emotional and heart-wrenching. As I said earlier, this is a must-read book, and the case should be highly publicized as an example of how the American prison system just does not work. I can’t give this book anything less than five stars - it was involving, intriguing and very, very illustrative. I could not recommend it more highly, and I hope this book helps affect major changes to our legal and prison systems.
(Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. I’m kicking myself for sitting on it for so long.)
1. It made me cry (hard to do).
2. I learned a lot.
3. This book is a MUST READ.
I debated for a long time about how much to reveal about this story. I have decided that since it is a true story that was in the news (though I’d never heard of this particular case), that it was okay to share details. If you want to go into it fresh, stop reading my review now - but know that you should definitely read the book.
Dr. Vince Gilmer was a rural doctor in the Appalachian area of southern America. He was gentle, kind, well-loved and very respected by all who knew him … until one day, when he took his father out of his healthcare facility, strangled him with a dog leash, cut off his fingers, and dumped his body on the side of the road.
Dr. Ben Gilmer (no relation) soon took his spot at the small clinic, and was horrified to hear what his predecessor had done. He was worried this tight-knit community wouldn’t accept him, especially since he is also Dr. Gilmer, and also worried that the “other” Dr. Gilmer would somehow get revenge while serving his life sentence. However, after hearing about the elder doctor and how much his patients loved him, he decided to visit the other doctor in prison to get his side of the story.
Long story short, he soon realized that Vince Gilmer was a man who was suffering. Shortly before killing his father, Vince went off the SSRI antidepressant he was on, Lexapro. As anyone who has been on an SSRI knows, when you start or stop taking them abruptly, you can literally go crazy. Was this a case of serotonin withdrawal? The other Dr. Gilmer had also been sexually abused by his father as a child, and had PTSD from that abuse. He ALSO had recently received a traumatic brain injury, which can certainly make people irrational and completely change their personalities. Was this a man with a brain that was severely damaged, or a psychopathic killer trying to make excuses for his behavior?
With all of these factors in play, Dr. Ben Gilmer realized that this doctor, who ended up defending himself in court, may not have been in his right mind when he murdered his father. He began visiting Vince more, and one day brought a colleague who noticed some disturbing physical symptoms that mimicked Huntington’s Disease. I had never heard of this, but it is kind of similar to having both Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s at the same time. It causes tics, tremors, walking issues and mental instability. The only way to find out for sure if he had it was to do genetic testing … which came back as positive for Huntington’s.
With this new knowledge, and after getting to know Vince, Ben realized that this entire situation was a miscarriage of justice. This man had multiple factors that could have caused him to “snap” and kill. He was allowed to defend himself, when it should have been clear to most people that he was suffering from a mental illness. He was sentenced to life in prison, and was left with no physical or psychiatric care - very common in the American prison system. Soon, Ben realized that he needed to step in and advocate for this man.
The rest of the book goes through the years-long process of trying to get clemency for this once kind and gentle man, and get him into a mental health facility that could help him. Huntington’s has no cure, but there are treatments that can bring some comfort as the victim’s mind and body are ravaged until they die a horrific death. I won’t spoil how it turned out, in case you are like me and had never heard of this story, but this book will keep you captivated and hoping for some justice.
I learned a lot while reading this book - not only about Huntington’s Disease, but about how so many mentally ill people fall through the cracks in our legal system. I know it happens all the time, but the specifics of this situation are shocking. I found myself rooting for an admitted killer, and hating the people who failed him. He had been telling people that his brain wasn’t working properly, but it was brushed off as malingering. Had anyone intervened sooner, the murder may have been avoided. Why didn’t anyone see that this man was suffering? Why didn’t the legal system investigate the situation more thoroughly? Why did they automatically assume he was faking the physical symptoms he was having? WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?
As an advocate for mental health, I was shocked and saddened by how everything went down, as was Dr. Ben. He spent years getting to know Dr. Vince, and trying to get him out of prison and into someplace more appropriate for his situation. Again, I won’t spoil the very end, but it is very emotional and heart-wrenching. As I said earlier, this is a must-read book, and the case should be highly publicized as an example of how the American prison system just does not work. I can’t give this book anything less than five stars - it was involving, intriguing and very, very illustrative. I could not recommend it more highly, and I hope this book helps affect major changes to our legal and prison systems.
(Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. I’m kicking myself for sitting on it for so long.)
July 22, 2022
I unfortunately had a very hard time liking the author. The story is a good one. But I found the author to be troublesome.
The part up until the diagnosis and essentially the case is figured out is fairly riveting. An interesting true crime and no doubt a wonderful feat for the author and inmate. And I don't want my dislike for this book take away anything from my true appreciation to the energy and dedication it took to find the underlying truth. But this is a book review and the truth of the matter is, I did not care much for the author and his tone of voice in his writing. I found him, well to be quite frank, annoying.
After the truth is discovered the author becomes preachy and a bit self-righteous which I found in contradiction to some of the times in the book where I found him on the daft/ignorant side. He got so grandiose in his thoughts about Vince and the world and his part in it and our part in it, I almost quit. My issue isn't that the author isn't correct, my issue is I found him disingenuous. I couldn't shake the feeling that although he claims to not want the attention, he truly does like it and he wants to be congratulated for it fairly often, thus the interviews, and thus this book. Just too much saviorism for my taste.
Stay for the crime and the solving and the back drop of rural North Carolina. Leave immediately once dinner is over, don't stay for drinks after and hear the author drone on and on.
The part up until the diagnosis and essentially the case is figured out is fairly riveting. An interesting true crime and no doubt a wonderful feat for the author and inmate. And I don't want my dislike for this book take away anything from my true appreciation to the energy and dedication it took to find the underlying truth. But this is a book review and the truth of the matter is, I did not care much for the author and his tone of voice in his writing. I found him, well to be quite frank, annoying.
After the truth is discovered the author becomes preachy and a bit self-righteous which I found in contradiction to some of the times in the book where I found him on the daft/ignorant side. He got so grandiose in his thoughts about Vince and the world and his part in it and our part in it, I almost quit. My issue isn't that the author isn't correct, my issue is I found him disingenuous. I couldn't shake the feeling that although he claims to not want the attention, he truly does like it and he wants to be congratulated for it fairly often, thus the interviews, and thus this book. Just too much saviorism for my taste.
Stay for the crime and the solving and the back drop of rural North Carolina. Leave immediately once dinner is over, don't stay for drinks after and hear the author drone on and on.
April 28, 2022
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 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 criminals should 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
What a fascinating book! Fascinating and heartwrenching!!
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 criminals should 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
June 30, 2023
This is the true story of Dr. Vince Gilmer, a beloved and well respected physician in a rural Appalachian community. This same man was accused of the murder of his father, for which he was convicted and incarcerated. End of story. Until a physician was selected as his replacement, also named Gilmer, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer. Having the same name, he was initially fearful of the madman who mentally broke and murdered his father, living in a nearby prison. But later he became curious and started to dig into Dr. Vince’s story, finding serious physical and mental illness that could well have affected him at the fateful time of the murder. Dr. Benjamin took up the banner to fight for justice for Dr. Vince, not trying to prove his innocence because, in fact, he was responsible for murder, but to move him from the general prison population to a facility with a hospital setting where he could be better cared for. Dr. Benjamin has been fighting for many years, and eventually Dr. Vince was given a conditional pardon from the Virginia governor. Sadly, as of this writing, Dr. Vince remains in prison, awaiting a facility that is willing to accept him.
November 22, 2021
Once I started reading this book, I realized that I’d already seen the story on a television crime show a couple of times. That didn't detract from a very good, well written true crime story with much to recommend it. It really fleshed out the rest of the story for me. It’s sad and disturbing in what it reveals about life in prison for the mentally ill. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 2, 2022
Dr. Benjamin Gilmer finds himself in an odd position: taking the position at a small rural doctor's office, replacing the doctor who was now a convicted murder -- Dr. Vince Gilmer. As author Dr. Gilmer begins learning about the case and the community, he realizes that the old Dr. Gilmer may not have been a crazed psychopath, but perhaps suffering with a medical condition that likely could have caused him to commit such a heinous crime. As Gilmer himself says, this is not a true crime book in the sense that it is not a story whose sole purpose is to cover the murder and the investigation. It is, rather, a story about the potential medical cause of the murder, the search for a medical diagnosis for the murderer, and the experiences of the mentally or physically ill in America's prison systems.
Admittedly, however, I enjoyed the more true crime aspects towards the beginning of the book more than the appeal process near the end. The murder, the trial, the aftermath -- the competing facts of each of these kept me hooked and interested in reading further. Once we get a diagnosis and Ben Gilmer begins narrating the experience of the appeals process and Vince's decline in prison, I found my interest waning. There were definitely moments I found interesting in the back half, especially with the conversations about the systematic neglect of people who have been incarcerated, but I wished the pacing was a bit more balanced.
If you like books like "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" or "Just Mercy", you'll love this one!
Admittedly, however, I enjoyed the more true crime aspects towards the beginning of the book more than the appeal process near the end. The murder, the trial, the aftermath -- the competing facts of each of these kept me hooked and interested in reading further. Once we get a diagnosis and Ben Gilmer begins narrating the experience of the appeals process and Vince's decline in prison, I found my interest waning. There were definitely moments I found interesting in the back half, especially with the conversations about the systematic neglect of people who have been incarcerated, but I wished the pacing was a bit more balanced.
If you like books like "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" or "Just Mercy", you'll love this one!
June 3, 2022
The first third of the book inspired my high expectations. It's like a true crime case mixed with Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption and Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. In the end, I think the writing is lacking: it's simple, slightly predictable, and oftentimes moralizing. I believe in the connection between Benjamin Gilmer and Vince Gilmer, but I don't think the author wrote it in a way were I could see how it came to be. It came across mostly like one day it wasn't and the next day it was. For that reason, it felt difficult to connect with Vince Gilmer's story. I still would love to know more about the disappeared sister (that was just a paragraph and poof!) and also Vince's early life - how that all impacted his deterioration. The interesting stuff in here was the journalistic parts with This American Life and learning about rural medicine. For books about how the justice system intersects with mental illness, I recommend While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man's Descent into Madness instead.
December 19, 2021
"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.
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.
July 9, 2024
Pierwsza połowa "Przypadku..." była w porządku – dopóki autor trzymał się faktów i historii, którą obiecał swoim czytelnikom, reportaż czytał się właściwie sam. Druga połowa jednak mocno rozczarowuje. Jest tak, jakby materiał się skończył i trzeba było szyć.
No i Gilmer szyje i to grubym ściegiem. Obiektyw przesuwa się z Vincenta, osadzonego w więzieniu człowieka, którego dotknęła prawdziwa tragedia, na samego autora i jego rozważania. O czym? O wszystkim. Czym jest szacunek dla życia, co to znaczy być dobrym lekarzem, czy opatrzność boska istnieje, czym jest sprawiedliwość, jak przebiegała jego diagnoza ADHD... Masa kompletnie niepotrzebnych, megalomańskich przemyśleń, których lektura była dla mnie udręką.
Ta historia była warta opowiedzenia. Jak najbardziej. Ale powinien się tym zająć dziennikarz, który byłby w stanie zrobić to dobrze i odcedzić wszystko z nadmiernej emocjonalności, której ja osobiście w reportażach naprawdę nie szukam.
No i Gilmer szyje i to grubym ściegiem. Obiektyw przesuwa się z Vincenta, osadzonego w więzieniu człowieka, którego dotknęła prawdziwa tragedia, na samego autora i jego rozważania. O czym? O wszystkim. Czym jest szacunek dla życia, co to znaczy być dobrym lekarzem, czy opatrzność boska istnieje, czym jest sprawiedliwość, jak przebiegała jego diagnoza ADHD... Masa kompletnie niepotrzebnych, megalomańskich przemyśleń, których lektura była dla mnie udręką.
Ta historia była warta opowiedzenia. Jak najbardziej. Ale powinien się tym zająć dziennikarz, który byłby w stanie zrobić to dobrze i odcedzić wszystko z nadmiernej emocjonalności, której ja osobiście w reportażach naprawdę nie szukam.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2022
There are two Dr. Gilmers.
Vince Gilmer was beloved by his patients until the day he gruesomely murdered his sick father then calmly walked back into his office to treat patients.
Benjamin Gilmer has taken over Vince’s Asheville practice and through conversations with patients and staff, is driven to learn what could have propelled Vince to commit this heinous crime. He reads transcripts of Vince’s past court appearances and is shocked when he first visits him in jail, witnessing his behavior. The prison system will fail him for years to come.
Will Benjamin be able to put a name to this neurologic degeneration? A fascinating true story first spotlighted in an episode of This American Life.
Vince Gilmer was beloved by his patients until the day he gruesomely murdered his sick father then calmly walked back into his office to treat patients.
Benjamin Gilmer has taken over Vince’s Asheville practice and through conversations with patients and staff, is driven to learn what could have propelled Vince to commit this heinous crime. He reads transcripts of Vince’s past court appearances and is shocked when he first visits him in jail, witnessing his behavior. The prison system will fail him for years to come.
Will Benjamin be able to put a name to this neurologic degeneration? A fascinating true story first spotlighted in an episode of This American Life.
March 10, 2022
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, then 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.
March 7, 2022
This book will break your heart. It will anger you and frustrate you and then break your heart all over again. This is a book that needs to be read with Bryan Stevenson's "Just Mercy" and Michelle Alexander's "The New Jim Crow". This is a book that needs to be read with an open mind and an open heart and will evoke emotions you may never recover from. You may THINK you know this story and what it is about and how it will end, but I am pretty sure you [like me] will be wrong. I am still grappling with all I just read and I will be grappling with it for a long time. There is so much that needs to be done in the area of mental health and incarceration - we as a nation need to really reevaluate WHY and HOW we lock people up and this book is a prime example of why.
Such a great read, one that will never leave me. I highly recommend that you go and get this book immediately.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Ballantine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Such a great read, one that will never leave me. I highly recommend that you go and get this book immediately.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Ballantine Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
January 23, 2022
This one turned out to be what I was not expecting. I had not seen the undertones of political socialism advantages and the Obama care issues coming. Once we hit that plateau the book lost some of its credibility. I appreciate the research put into the story but this one was just not for me. I am sure it will appeal to the intended audience though.
Being married to a police investigator I am sure, swayed my opinion on this one. In this broken world of allowing the evil free for political gain, the concepts of this author are hard for me to envision.
Received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 3 stars.
Being married to a police investigator I am sure, swayed my opinion on this one. In this broken world of allowing the evil free for political gain, the concepts of this author are hard for me to envision.
Received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 3 stars.
July 10, 2022
Just an excellent read about a curious coincidence that turned into much, much more. Well written, hard to put down. There was medical material in here but it was delivered in plain English. Moving and hard to put aside. A lot of this story shocked me to the core. Don't miss this one.
September 14, 2022
Interesting and sad story. I truly admire the author's compassion, empathy and dedication, but at times he came across a little too preachy and a little too dedicated to the other Dr Gilmer and his cause (at the expense of his own family and health).
March 17, 2022
This was an amazing read that covered so many topics - a terrible crime, mental illness, incarceration, humanity and dignity. It was an inspiring read about those who put time into the right causes and look beyond statistics and numbers to the person behind bars. It opened such a great conversation about how we treat the mentally ill (in a “reactive not proactive way”) and the importance of competent doctors, lawyers, and law enforcement that should be working together, not against each other.
September 12, 2022
I read this book for a quarterly nonfiction book club I’m a part of, but I was familiar with the story from This American Life. Overall, it was an informative narrative nonfiction read that I would recommend if you’re interested in prison reform, prison abolition and mental health in the United States. I think this book would have benefited from some tightening (the author was on his soap box a little too often) and editing. Still, it’s a moving story and a sad look at mental health care in the US prison system.
March 8, 2024
I loved this book. I put off reading it because growing up in the area, knowing a little about the case, I’d assumed it was more of a true crime book. Upon learning it was about the importance mental healthcare, advocacy for those incarcerated, and a search for justice in an inherently injustice system I picked it up immediately. I could not have asked for a better book. It’s stories like this one which I hope will eventually change the way we treat the incarcerated and mentally ill in this country.
April 27, 2025
Who suffered more, the murderer or the victim? Probably the obsessed author’s family. A very good argument for prison reform, though.
October 2, 2022
Holy moly
March 12, 2022
The Other Dr. Gilmer is part medical mystery part social justice story. At first, I was not sure where Benjamin Gilmer was going with the story. He is paranoid about Vince Gilmer for sure, but then, with the help of Sarah Koenig, he begins to dive into what happened to the other Dr. Gilmer. The story takes a very grizzly murder and turns it into a story of the mental health needs of prisoners.
Gilmer does a great job of explaining Huntingtons to the reader and also correlating the various symptoms to events in Vince Gilmer's life. By the end of the story, you will be ready to write a letter to the governor advocating changes in the way the justice system treats people with not only mental illness, but with medical conditions that affect the brain.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson, The Emergency by Thomas Fischer, ...then you will probably like The Other Dr. Gilmer!
The Other Dr. Gilmer
February 8, 2023
While I don’t disagree that prison reform may be needed and treating people humanely is always the way, I don’t agree with this author that “we should never lock up a fellow human being.” Huh? You mean a man who chops up his father should be on the outside??? Dr. Gilmer (the author) makes sweeping statements throughout the book that I take issue with. So many that is would take me writing my own book as a rebuttal. His arguments are in lockstep with what some call “bleeding heart” liberalism and they fail to see the point through to its logical end. For example, he quotes someone else in saying that “we are all one step away from this” (this being hacking up other humans). While I believe in the potential for evil for any human being, having Huntington’s disease doesn’t turn people into killers, nor does it excuse such abhorrent behavior. This is an overly simplistic view of mental health. He also took his young children to prison to hug and hang out with the inmate-who does this?! It seems (and Gilmer admits) the book took priority over his family, marriage, medical practice and personal well-being at times. He says nothing about anyone who was a patient at the practice that surely thought the elder Dr Gilmer was guilty or had some problem with him after his conviction. I can think of one exception that he mentions. Skimming over certain things while banging a hammer on the same nails over and over made the book feel like it lacked objective fairness. I think the author really got overly enmeshed with his predecessor and that he believed what he wanted to believe as a result. His prejudices toward some of the Appalachian people and certain politicians was very obvious and he didn’t spend one sentence on their point of view where it differed from his own. The end of the book was overly didactic to the point of trying to ram critical theory down the reader’s throat. Anyway, the book was interesting so I granted 3 stars. I try to keep an open mind, as evidenced by the fact that I persevered till the end, but I can’t necessarily recommend it…
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2022
This is a very compelling story about my former hometown, but I'm 86% of the way through and am so frustrated with Dr. Benjamin Gilmer's insistence on othering his fellow humans that I'm not sure I can finish.
First: It is absolutely inhumane the way prisoners, especially ones with mental disabilities, are treated in U.S. prisons. This book does a tremendous job of highlighting those realities, and I admire Dr. Gilmer's commitment and growth. However, the torture and abuse he describes is inappropriate and unjust for ANY HUMAN, and at 86% of the way through I'm waiting for that lightbulb to go off. Yes, we can center injustice of the most marginalized and detail the intersections of these issues, but why it hasn't been said explicitly this far is frustrating. "Can you believe we torture?" is enough of a question without adding qualifiers for mental fitness.
Second: The beginning of this book was so thoughtful—it had me viewing rural NC through more empathetic eyes than I have given it in the decade since I left. But Dr. Gilmer's insistence on assuming the powerful women he comes to rely on — the legal powerhouse, the chief — as just wives or interns is gross. There have been at least three examples he details "I assumed she was an intern"... why are these in the book? If he's making a point to highlight his own bias, fine, but SAY THAT. At no point (thus far) is his sexism addressed directly. I'm uncomfortable with the themes of white saviorism. His additional otherings of Black inmates and their families and the "fifty pounds overweight" guard really illustrate the frustrating realities many of us are continually faced with: doctors — even self-identified liberal ones with the best intentions — will see your as your marganilizations first, and humanity somewhere after that.
First: It is absolutely inhumane the way prisoners, especially ones with mental disabilities, are treated in U.S. prisons. This book does a tremendous job of highlighting those realities, and I admire Dr. Gilmer's commitment and growth. However, the torture and abuse he describes is inappropriate and unjust for ANY HUMAN, and at 86% of the way through I'm waiting for that lightbulb to go off. Yes, we can center injustice of the most marginalized and detail the intersections of these issues, but why it hasn't been said explicitly this far is frustrating. "Can you believe we torture?" is enough of a question without adding qualifiers for mental fitness.
Second: The beginning of this book was so thoughtful—it had me viewing rural NC through more empathetic eyes than I have given it in the decade since I left. But Dr. Gilmer's insistence on assuming the powerful women he comes to rely on — the legal powerhouse, the chief — as just wives or interns is gross. There have been at least three examples he details "I assumed she was an intern"... why are these in the book? If he's making a point to highlight his own bias, fine, but SAY THAT. At no point (thus far) is his sexism addressed directly. I'm uncomfortable with the themes of white saviorism. His additional otherings of Black inmates and their families and the "fifty pounds overweight" guard really illustrate the frustrating realities many of us are continually faced with: doctors — even self-identified liberal ones with the best intentions — will see your as your marganilizations first, and humanity somewhere after that.
February 3, 2022
This is a true-crime as well as a biography. Dr.Benjamin Gilmer became a doctor later in life than most. And he has accepted a job at a clinic in rural North Carolina. Cane Creek Clinic serves an area of the poorest of the poor. He also is replacing another doctor who just happens to have had the same surname. Only this Dr. Gilmer is in prison for murdering his own father.
Benjamin is somewhat obsessed with the story and how and why a doctor would suddenly do something so outside of his beliefs. Is he mentally ill? Was there past abuse? As he listens to the staff and patients tell him about the former doctor, Benjamin becomes convinced that Dr. Gilmer had been going through withdrawals from an anti-depressant. An SSRI. Dr. Gilmer himself had complained that his brain wasn’t working right, but still, they sent him to prison.
Benjamin meets This American Life journalist Sarah Koenig and together they work relentlessly to get the man out of prison. But the prison system isn’t in the business of caring about your mental status. So they are just beating their heads against a wall of politics and ignorance. This country obviously needs reform in our mental health system and our prison system.
This was a story that I did know about. And I admire the good doctor for giving it his all for so long. One thing I did not understand was how he earned a living while doing all of this work. It didn’t seem as if he was at work a lot and his small family was barely hanging on financially. I wish that had been addressed.
NetGalley/ March 1st, 2022 by Ballantine Books
Benjamin is somewhat obsessed with the story and how and why a doctor would suddenly do something so outside of his beliefs. Is he mentally ill? Was there past abuse? As he listens to the staff and patients tell him about the former doctor, Benjamin becomes convinced that Dr. Gilmer had been going through withdrawals from an anti-depressant. An SSRI. Dr. Gilmer himself had complained that his brain wasn’t working right, but still, they sent him to prison.
Benjamin meets This American Life journalist Sarah Koenig and together they work relentlessly to get the man out of prison. But the prison system isn’t in the business of caring about your mental status. So they are just beating their heads against a wall of politics and ignorance. This country obviously needs reform in our mental health system and our prison system.
This was a story that I did know about. And I admire the good doctor for giving it his all for so long. One thing I did not understand was how he earned a living while doing all of this work. It didn’t seem as if he was at work a lot and his small family was barely hanging on financially. I wish that had been addressed.
NetGalley/ March 1st, 2022 by Ballantine Books
April 3, 2022
There is one other review here that describes this book much better than I could by Teresa. Absolutely spot on her succinct reaction. I also was stymied and aghast at some of this author's opinion and copy lengths. As horrendously sorrowful as this Dr. Vince tale is, the posits for treatment described and implied in the author's worldview of idealist never-never land?
Victims of such horrific deeds occur. Containment of perpetrators for nearly all various types of such outlier mental illness are absolutely necessary. SSRI withdrawal just a mere tip of an iceberg to such depths of mental/ chemical imbalance.
Genetic diseases of this nature are truly heart-wrenching. Some of the worst mental and physical realities for sure.
But time and again reading this, I felt strongly- Dr. Benjamin Gilmer heal and fix yourself. He poor mouths more than several times too. And yet where is his time spent?
I truly understand the common reaction to this book and Dr. Benjamin's tale. Where is the empathy for victims of death and mutilation in this very visceral outcome?
Victims of such horrific deeds occur. Containment of perpetrators for nearly all various types of such outlier mental illness are absolutely necessary. SSRI withdrawal just a mere tip of an iceberg to such depths of mental/ chemical imbalance.
Genetic diseases of this nature are truly heart-wrenching. Some of the worst mental and physical realities for sure.
But time and again reading this, I felt strongly- Dr. Benjamin Gilmer heal and fix yourself. He poor mouths more than several times too. And yet where is his time spent?
I truly understand the common reaction to this book and Dr. Benjamin's tale. Where is the empathy for victims of death and mutilation in this very visceral outcome?
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