The Other Dr. Gilmer: Two Men, a Murder, and an Unlikely Fight for Justice by Benjamin Gilmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for book club. An intriguing story idea, just so happens to be true. The book is a bit preachy and more about mental illness in prison than about a murder. Unless you consider putting a mentally ill person in prison murder.
The shortcomings of our judicial and prison system are well known. You are better off to commit your crimes in some states than in others. Best you have reasonably intelligent judges and lawyers. In the wrong place, with the wrong legal help and supervision, you may find yourself locked up with a lost key.
That's really what this book is about. It makes me want to vomit. If you are rich and well connected you can do and say anything, matters not, you will never get to trial. If you do your high priced attorneys working with well-placed judges will get you off. There is no law if it not swift and equal.


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Künstlers in Paradise by Cathleen Schine
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It might be too soon. The pandemic is still a raw sore for many of us and me included. This is a book that takes place during the pandemic.
It is a story about identity and how it is passed on to children, even grown children. The writing is beautiful and it is a wonderful read but for me it brought up memories of the quiet streets, wiping groceries and feeling isolated.
Not being able to get that image, the pandemic, out of my mind made this a somewhat depressing book for me, maybe not for everyone. After all, the Kunstlers did go from hell to paradise and flourished there.
The history is beautiful and the stories in the story are heartwarming.
Read it. It may be worth the aggravating memories.

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