by Don Means (Author)
In 1974, the Board of Education in Kanawha County West Virginia introduced a set of new textbooks into the standard curriculum. These textbooks contained offensive language, compared Bible stories to well-known myths and fables, and also, in the opinion of some citizens, lacked the basic ideals of right and wrong. War in Kanawha County: School Textbook Protest in West Virginia in 1974, written by local-businessman-turned-activist Don Means, details the most important incidents surrounding the protest of the controversial textbooks in Kanawha County. This was not a war fought by armies, but by families-families adamant that their children not be subjected to such offensive materials. The controversies surrounding this war pitted conservatives against liberals in a way the nation had not experienced since the days of the Boston Tea Party. This conflict caught the interest of people across the country, and even those in foreign countries. Thought the war has long since ended in Kanawha County, the controversial curriculum continues to cause conflict across the country today.