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 follows the major events to their conclusion. The section on why it happened focuses on the National Education Association assessment, responses to that assessment, and analyses that appeared in the local papers. The lessons to be learned center on the issue of control of the schools. The author notes that the battle of the books was a battle for man's destiny and that the control of schools is a legally shared responsibility that gives all the people a chance to help shape that destiny. (Author/IRT)