cover image 596 Switch: The Improbable Journey from the Palouse to Pasadena

596 Switch: The Improbable Journey from the Palouse to Pasadena

Ryan D. Leaf and Greg Witter. Crimson Oak (www.crimsonoakpublishing.com), $26.99 (272p) ISBN 9780982950531

Montana native Leaf made a splash as quarterback at Washington State University, where he would led the Cougars to the 1998 Rose Bowl. He engagingly recounts the events of individual games throughout his college career, while painting portraits of mentors, colleagues, and competitors. His cockiness at the time made him somewhat unlikable (such that folks for years to come would look at him "with fire in their eyes"), but he reminisces with honesty and courage. As he writes: "We were a collection of characters, some from the sticks and some from the big city. We were white and black, big and small, quiet and loud and everything in between. Above all, we were committed and loyal and determined." Passionate, hardworking, and%E2%80%94above all%E2%80%94focused, Leaf, with coauthor Witter, invites readers to relive those four years of exhilarating ups and somber downs that shaped a kid from the Palouse into the man he is today. (Oct.)