European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Books Switzer accepts no blame for footballs woes Bootlegger s boy by Barry Switzer and Bud Shrake Morrow 401 pp., $19.95. Tim Layden new Day Banry Switzer had just finished watching half of a College football game on television. That was All it took for him to know his former team Oklahoma University was on target. The sooner were Well on their Way to crushing Pittsburgh. Switzer smiled. A i planned on whipping Urcla i planned on. Whipping Pittsburgh i expected to win the big eight and go to the Orange bowl a he said. This bravado is offered from afar because you can no longer watch Switzer coach his beloved Wishbone track meets not since his resignation on june 19,1989. You can however read All about him. Switzer has written a Book a a a bootleggers a boy a with Bud Shrake a about his life and his coaching career. Up front the autobiographical portion is fascinating Switzer a turbulent life would be Worth relating strictly for entertainment value if he were an insurance agent. His revelations on the inner Workings of College football Are titillating enough a i read boys and Joe a books a he said. A a mine a different.�?�. The Book is Selling like Bart Simpson to shirts and has former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer made the new York times Best seller list. That a Fine. What is troubling Here is Switzer a Complete Lack of contrition at any of the events that brought about his fall from Power at Oklahoma. You remember the rape the shooting the Mcaa violations the Chipping away at his character Quot these Are just my recollections and thoughts that i wanted to get Down a Switzer said. A a in a not doing this for a popularity contest or to make Money. I wanted the Book to help people in Oklahoma know what happened. The people like those in the East Arentt going to change their opinion of  that much he has guaranteed. His Book is a 401-Page defense of the Switzer administration along the usual lines blaming the system blaming society blaming his accusers at Oklahoma. Every coach who is dragged Down in scandal does the same thing. Why should Switzer be the one to say a i went too far. It was my fault. Here is what we can do not a Chance. He still claims to be conducting his own a a investigation into the reasons for his forced resignation. College football has a ton of problems. Oklahoma a were magnified because Switzer was such a huge personality and because his players committed felonies. Sure a coach can to Monitor 90 players 24 hours a Day but if the coach does no to take responsibility where does improvement begin the Mcaa is largely clueless the universities Are Only beginning to understand the issues behind the Revenue. It has to be the coach. Switzer wants no part of it. Even in proposing Reform Switzer stumbles. He outlines that race relations lie at the Root of College athletics troubles because Many College administrators Are out of touch with Black athletes. And he writes a the Road out of the ghetto is certainly not through College to the National football league or the National basketball association. It has to be through mass  but his opinions on the Black athlete a positively Jimmy the greek esque a do More to damage that concept than any naive administrator. Its hard to believe that he is serious about Reform. The current Oklahoma team is loaded with Switzer a recruits and coached by Gary Gibbs one of his assistants. In a sense it is still very much his team. A the people i touched at Oklahoma the players i coached without a doubt i made things better for  there is Comfort now that he touches them Only As an author and not As a coach. The Book will be available at stars and stripes  look Sheds Light on depression darkness visible a Memoir of madness by William Styron random House 84 pp., $15.95 s. Keith Graham Cox news service William Styron could Bat cleanup in anyone a literary lineup. In a darkness visible a Memoir of madness he takes on the Challenge of coming to the plate with two strikes against him. The first is his topic depression. Not Only is this too Little understood mood disorder a grim subject but also Styron a account of his descent into personal hell is even More harrowing than you might imagine. The second even if the author is the heavy hitter who banged out Quot Sophie a choices and a the confessions of Nat Turner a potential readers May balk at shelling out $15.95 for this slim a and padded a volume. Why then did Styron a publisher feel so certain that the author had produced another solid hit maybe because there can be Little doubt that this work of candid if painful eloquence deserves to be Between hard covers. Its also a Book that should move almost everyone. Not Only Are All of us potential victims of this sickness at least in its Milder form Styron says but one in 10 of us Likely will suffer severe clinical depression. Worse still despite widespread notions to the contrary its not an ailment to be shrugged off easily by its victims a nor discounted by the healthy depression a takes upward of 20 percent of its victims by Way of suicide a Styron says. The Story begins with his visit to Paris in 1985 to receive an award. Already mired in gloom and confusion Styron forgot a lunch in his Honor and later while reeling Zombie like through a dinner lost his $25,000 prize Check. No longer Able to avoid the truth about his mental health he flew Home to begin psychiatric treatment. Underlying much of this tale of woe is Styron Sanger at mental health professionals who could offer Little Solace. Neither psychotherapy nor mood altering drugs provided the necessary Relief. His anger is probably minimal compared with that of victims with less Access to Quality help. But some readers May consider it misguided nonetheless. The real villain Here seems to have been the Lack of Concrete knowledge of the illness More than a failure of compassion. Unfortunately for anyone seeking release from similar pain Styron a recovery also defies any total understanding. Abandoning Hope he prepared to commit suicide like a a tragic legion of other artists he cites. Then drawing a upon some last gleam of sanity Quot he resisted the final plunge going instead to a Hospital a a a Kinder gentler Madhouse a for seven weeks. William Styron no glib self help Book this Clear eyed testament will not bring Home All the souls languishing in depression but if the news that Styron has not Given up inspires someone the Book is Worth whatever it costs. As this beautifully written work attests a great writer is Back on base. The Book will be available at stars and stripes  16 c to plus sunday october 21,1990