The story of Homer Maxey’s Bank War is not known to most. The David versus Goliath legal battle sheds a lot of light on Texas banking and business. Broadus Spivey and Jesse Sublett enlighten us on this piece of history in Broke, Not Broken.
Homer Maxey made himself a millionaire when he returned to Lubbock after serving with distinction in World War II and became a pillar of the community. He built hotels, shopping centers, and various other projects, later moving into cattle. In 1966, The People’s National Bank Of Lubbock foreclosed on him and secretively sold off his property for pennies on the dollar. Maxey took on the bank in a battle that went on close to fifteen years.
Spivey and Sublett infuse a strong human element into the story. We get to know about Maxey’s military service and the way he built his empire. They use testimony from friends, family, and a few adversaries to give us a complete portrait of this driven, tenacious man. The trial itself also has its fair share of characters.
We also see a changing time in Texas. The trials and their lawyers represent two different periods. The book uses history outside Lubbock to engage the reader. A passage comparing Maxey to Muhammad Ali does this well.
Broke, Not Broken reads like an Elmer Kelton western fused with a Grisham legal thriller. The twists and turns of the trial are broken down clearly for a layman to understand. The real life participants are as vivid as anyone Larry McMurtry could create. Most of all, the book shows a growing West Texas becoming more complex from the handshake deals that built it.
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Jesse Sublett & Broadus Spivey are here at BookPeople tonight, Monday, August 4 at 7pm, to speak about and sign copies of Broke, Not Broken. We’re currently taking pre-orders for signed copies of the book via bookpeople.com.
BookPeople 