WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Maybe you had to be there. Or maybe it doesn't make any difference. But Michael Rosenberg's "War as They Knew It" (Grand Central) brings back the great days when college football truly defined matters of class loyalty and even political persuasion.
When Woody Hayes' Ohio State teams met Bo Schembechler's Michigan teams, it was like Highlander - there could be only one.
Both coaches had terrible tempers and ruled their teams by fear and intimidation; both coaches had no interest in being anything but dominant.
Both of them would have held a coach like Bill Walsh in utter contempt.
Rosenberg's subtitle - "Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler and America in a Time of Unrest" - also figures heavily in the book, as Hayes and, to a lesser extent, Schembechler, imagined that they were somehow holding back the barbarian hordes of the counter-culture just by playing football on Saturday afternoons.
Ultimately, Hayes destroyed himself, while Schembechler managed a more graceful third act. Rosenberg's book is worthy of its tormented subjects, and their tormenting times.
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"Madeline and the Cats of Rome": Ludwig Bemelmans' grandson takes up the franchise and spins a charming tale with art that Bemelmans would appreciate.
"Supreme Courtship": Christopher Buckley's waggish tale of Supreme Court maneuverings.
Scott Eyman writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: seyman AT pbpost.com