By Kaylee Ray and Kenny Short, WSU News interns
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| Leach | Levy |
PULLMAN, Wash. – An upcoming book co-authored by Washington State University’s Mike Leach and Buddy Levy about Apache warrior Geronimo will focus on leadership.
Levy, a clinical associate professor who teaches English at WSU, said he originally pitched the idea to his agent who also represents Leach, WSU head football coach. The agent suggested talking to Leach because he knew Leach is fascinated by Geronimo.
“It started when my mom would read us books when we were kids, and for some reason I got into Geronimo,” Leach said. “We’d go to the library and grab these historic books about him, and she would read them every night.”
The book, still in the works, will talk about general leadership and problem solving skills that spill over into all aspects of management and people, Levy said. His strong point is the history, whereas Leach has a profound understanding of leadership, he said.
Leach has a strong interest in how the Apache warriors trained, Levy said. He has made few references to football.
“We’re telling the story together,” Levy said. “Leach weighs in throughout the entire process, providing commentary on leadership, community and family.”
Leach said he is excited about what they will learn throughout the process. Levy is a great researcher, he said: “It’s important to me to have Buddy and his experience. I’ll learn a lot from him.”
The goal is to reach a broad audience and show readers what can be learned from Geronimo and how he became such an icon, Levy said.
The most challenging part of writing the book will be “weaving our two voices into one,” said Levy, who added that all of his previous books have been done solo. For Leach, deciding what to keep in the story and what to take out during proofreading will be the hardest part.
Levy said Leach is a fascinating person and he is excited to work with him.
“It’s a tremendous story and I think we’ll make a great team,” Levy said.