Book Review: "The Meanest Man in Texas"

This true story, written by Don Umphrey, is fabulous. Clyde Thompson, known for many years as the meanest man in Texas, spent most of his life in prison for killing two men, and had years added on for killing two more.

The stories of life in prison for this man are amazing. Don Umphrey did a tremendous job of getting inside Thompson’s head (through interviews later in Thompson’s life) so we can see what was going on inside his mind while in prison. And the journey through the psychology of this man is tremendous.

Thompson’s dad was a Gospel preacher some of the time and continually encouraged Clyde to repent of his sins and let Christ’s blood wash the sins away. After often refusing, Thompson finally decided that Christ was the only way to improve himself. While he fell away from the Lord, Thompson would later return and even began to have worship services in the jail each week.

Filled with faith, romance, violent swings and societal overtones, The Meanest Man in Texas is a wonderfully-written book. There are 35 chapters, but they are brief, making it easy to break up the reading of the book. You won’t want to break it up, though! You will have trouble putting the book down, and will continue to wonder what twists and turns lie ahead.