This book recounts in narrative form the influence of Mel and Norma Gabler, two Texas parents, on the purchase of textbooks for Texas schools. Concerned over content they found objectionable, for more than ten years the Gablers used direct mail campaigns, radio talk shows, petition drives, and personal appearances, in addition to testifying…

Divided into three main sections, this monograph about the Kanawha County textbook controversy deals with lessons drawn from that conflict. In answering the question of what happened, the author begins with events that predated any outward signs of dissent, such as the phasing out of the citizen advisory committee on textbook selection, and…