There are Imponderables: The Strange Case of Barry Sherman
As published in the October/November 2023 edition of Free Inquiry.
Greetings,
My last shot at the Sherman case, at least for a while.
Free Inquiry, for those uninitiated, is a cool magazine. Hitchens and others populated the pages in years gone by.
It was an absolute pleasure working with the sources, who I am forever grateful to, and indeed the editor of the magazine, who took me up on this strange idea in its early stages and was open to a longer-form article - all of it needed to tell the story I wanted to.
The case has consumed a lot of my attention lately, but I remember being entranced by Sherman’s writing close to the time of the murders. That writing, and Barry Sherman as a participant in the world, have stayed with me since.
Sherman was complex, and I think that this made some in the press stumble a bit when covering his life and the story inside the story.
I hope there is something meaningful to be taken away from Sherman’s story within the larger case - one that amounts to a horrific and senseless double murder. This is our contribution towards that aim.
One of Sherman’s friends and a source for this article recounted, upon learning of the publication venue, that it was perhaps the only one that Sherman would have approved of himself. Maybe he was right - Life really is a joke.
In that spirit, enjoy.
Free from paywall, as published in Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/2023/09/there-are-imponderables-the-strange-case-of-barry/
Postscript
I’ve started Infinite Jest on YouTube and was suddenly reminded of the controversy around footnotes and endnotes. It is a great and lively debate in the writing world, I think. Obama condemns them, but he’s not a writer (ha, jokes, see Hitchens on him), he’s an orator. Foster Wallace beats Obama at the debate, and Hitchens beats he at both. What do you call that, a mic drop?
Anyways, I draw the reader’s attention to the footnotes. If you’re reading this, you’re unlikely to have the print copy in hand(s). Footnotes are included in the web version of this piece, but not quite in the same way.
Maybe it’s like Ferris Bueller said. “If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
-d
2023.09.29
Excellent work, Dennis! It was interesting with a fresh perspective. I’m sure Barry would have liked it and would have felt you understood his views on life. You did his story justice.
Bravo Dennis! Canada certainly was blessed to have a man as brilliant as Barry Sherman fighting the conglomerate pharmaceutical companies (that have become uncontrollable monsters if you ask me) and it's a terrible loss for us all. Even worse is that there was no one to fill his shoes upon his death.
In case you weren't aware Dennis, Hank Idsinga won't be returning your phone call. This was posted over on Websleuths the other day: https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/hunter-tps-homicide-chief-hank-idsinga-hangs-up-gun-and-badge
I look forward to more of your journalism!