Arch: The Life Of Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr.

Why a book about the disgraced former governor? "When you consider that his accomplishments probably affected the day-to-day lives of West Virginians more than any figure in its history, the story is compelling," explained Brad Crouser. "I waited for twenty years, thinking someone else would write it but, when I realized that was unlikely, I tackled the project myself. Moore himself was reluctant to be interviewed for it, because so much ugly stuff had been written about him in recent years." He continued, "But Arch had been reduced to 'The governor who went to jail,' and there was a good chance that his significance would be lost to future generations. Love him or hate him, his life story is as fascinating as any national figure's, as interesting as Nixon's, for example. It needs to be told. There are character and political lessons to be learned from it-good and bad."