I just finished reading this book:

Cecil Bothwell is the local Mountain Xpress writer just voted best journalist. He was also fired shortly after the Xpress ran a cover story about this book. If you haven't read it, I would recommend it, especially if you're interested in what going on politically underground in Asheville.
In some ways, The Prince of War isn't an entirely surprising book. It will offend some Christians and perhaps grossly misrepresent many individuals of faith. for others it will simply confirm their suspicions. As someone who was raised in the heart of Billy Graham's "territory", I found myself somewhat on the fence with this one. Bothwell doesn't hold back and makes no pretense to support anything that Graham has ever done. So, if you're looking for an unbiased biography on one of the most influential religious leaders in America, you might want to check out a different book. The first page for instance, leading into the introduction has this quote by Thomas Jefferson: " Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man"
Don't expect Bothwell to have much more sunshine than that. While I don't necessarily agree with his methodology on this one, you do have to hand it to the guy for stepping out in the middle of one of the most entrenched regions in the country and to publish something as scathing as this book is. And while we could sit around and argue his journalistic style (lack of an objective voice etc) I would venture to say that 75% of the book are direct quotes from Billy Graham spanning the past 50 years, many of which are taken verbatim from the Nixon tapes, speeches, phone conversations, etc. Bothwell also observes Graham's negotiation of the civil rights movement; strategic if not downright neglectful at times. Hosting numerous events and crusades for instance where there were either no black admittance or segretated seating are just two examples.
Whatever I can argue about Bothwell's obvious dislike of the man and the faith, I would highly recommend this book. The direct quotes, citations, official reports are all just a few of the ways Bothwell makes the case that Billy Graham has been entrenched in the White House, helping win elections and suppressing numerous grassroots movements from washington for the past 40 years. Its a side of Billy Graham that we don't often see and quite a few people i think don't want us to see.
I picked my copy up at Malaprops bookstore downtown, but i'm sure other local places and online stores have it available by now.