A Different Kind of Cell: The Story of a Murderer Who Became a Monk [Paperback]

W. Paul Jones (Author), Sr. Helen Prejean (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2011

The gripping story of one man’s remarkable spiritual journey

A "most dangerous" criminal, convicted of five violent murders, Clayton Anthony Fountain was condemned in 1974 to live out his days in solitary confinement at the highest-security prison in the U.S. Without ever again emerging from his cell, however, Fountain underwent a profound spiritual transformation. Father W. Paul Jones, who served as Fountain’s spiritual adviser for six years until Fountain's sudden death in 2004, shares his amazing story with candor and compassion in these pages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Clayton Fountain was regarded as a ruthless killer beyond anyone's power to save. Yet in the stillness of his solitary confinement — entombed alive in a cell of concrete and steel — God was at work redeeming and remaking Clayton Fountain. I am grateful to Father Paul for ministering so compassionately to a man precious only to God — and for sharing his remarkable story with the world.
— Martin Sheen

"Bernard of Clairvaux in the twelfth century once liberated a murderer being led to execution. 'I will kill him myself,' Bernard promised; he took the man to Clairvaux and made him a monk. Bernard meant that through the process of monastic conversion the man's false self, which had expressed itself in violence, would die and his true self emerge and thrive in peace. W. Paul Jones tells a twentieth-century version of that story. Through Jones's sensitive, gripping prose the reader follows the conversion of Clayton A. Fountain from chaos to clarity."
— Fr. Mark Scott
Gethsemani Abbey, Kentucky

"No one is beyond the mercy of God. No one. The message of this book is that to kill anyone on the assumption that their redemption is impossible is to take the place of God."
— Sr. Helen Prejean (from foreword)

About the Author

W. Paul Jones is a Roman Catholic priest, a Trappist brother at Assumption Abbey in the Ozarks, and founding spiritual director of the Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center, Pittsburg, Missouri. His other books include The Art of Spiritual Direction and A Table in the Desert: Making Space Holy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (September 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802866514
• ISBN-13: 978-0802866516
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A difficult, honest book March 6, 2012

By Chris K.M.

Format:Paperback

I sat down to look at the book and got drawn in to the story so quickly I'd finished it before I knew it. It was a powerful read. The point made by Sr. Helen Prejean in the forward that "no one is beyond the mercy of God" is clearly and irrefutably made by this story of one man's life and death. We are shown the amazing healing transformation that can be brought about by God when one surrenders fully, no matter that person's history. Thank you to W. Paul Jones for making this story, a wrenching one that is ultimately all about hope (as all stories about God and humans are) available to us. It is a much needed story in these times that can seem so hope-less. If there was anyone who might feel hopeless, it was Clayton Fountain, yet God brought love and healing to his life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fastastic story February 6, 2013

By Kristen

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first got a copy of this at my local library. I liked it so much I decided I needed to buy a copy to put in our Adoration Chapel at Church for others to read. It was so interesting that I read late into the night because I just couldn't put it down. It is a true story of the conversion of a man who murdered 5 people, 1 to put him in prison and 4 after being convicted. He had no remorse and seemingly no conscience and was considered so dangerous that a special cell was built for him to keep him away from everyone. But he changed. The book is the story of his transformation. Obviously, not every murderer is going to change but this books opens a readers eye's and heart to the fact that sometimes, a person can change radically for the good. I think it is well worth reading. It gives you a positive feeling about possibilities and humanity.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! April 4, 2013

By Mary Oberlin

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a very plainly told story that is extremely well written. I chose it because I enjoy stories that reveal God's redeeming power in a person's life. I was not prepared, however, for the depth and scope of this story. This prisoner was confined to solitary confinement and while it was possible to keep people out, it was not possible to keep prayers or God out of that cell. Read it, you won't be sorry.