From March to May 1992, The Floatplane Notebooks were a controversial subject in Carroll County, VA. Below is a timeline of major events in the case, based off of a published article on the case that was written by Marion Goldwasser, the teacher who chose to teach the novel in her classroom.1

After looking at the timeline, visit any subtab under the case section to get more specific information about the actions and attitudes of the major parties involved during the challenge. While the pages are devoted to exploring the individual voices of each stakeholder, it is important to acknowledge that – because Goldwasser’s analysis provides a collective, well-documented version of the events – the subpages are all somewhat reliant upon her voice and interpretation, which is one reason why the timeline is recounted from her memory of events.

In addition to the subpages, The Case section also contains selected primary sources, such as school board documents and news articles, that are listed under the as subpages to the three different main tabs of the section.

Finally, the Conclusions page offers a brief analysis of the case and explores why the case progressed as it did and how it relates to broader themes of literary censorship.  

Citations

  1. Goldwasser, M. M. Censorship: It Happened to Me in Southwest Virginia–It Could Happen to You. 1997. The English Journal, 86(2), 34. doi:10.2307/819671

Timeline Photo Credits 

Figure 1: covs97. Banned Book Display. 19 October 2007. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/covs97/1760761910/in/photolist-3FAnaY-2igqVb-7Ao4mV-2aAJCo9-cAGKRf-cAGDqd-VGmwFC-8Ewim7-cAGSks-cAGQ2y-dcibdN-dgy3LE-cKtwdh-cAGVvN-BzjgUW-8YhUsT-6odtY2-zEhQM-3yDFA-2aR3prE-6Zamhb-9dwvZD-TcknG7-4jZjMQ-cAGZKs-3KuzKy-odc2kd-8DHZGT-dgxbEC-9K6cL2-5Y94pF-erGF9-dtJiPp-isVvvj-nLBkcM-67Mu9X-5ZKJQZ-5ZKA9R-2cCMg6N-7yfjfP-2476XVt-drYVAW-dH91s7-dfqkVQ-65e2WT-62hhTF-d8a33m-8JHmrv-73hros-8w5ywj

Figure 2: Lowe, S. Floatplane. 24 July 2011. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottlowe/5997875716/in/photolist-a91Fuh-3cK2Lf-STFso-iTFufv-iJgvxT-DEQr6-eTaoS2-2SiEe-4n5APa-DEQtL-DEQup-aGVx8X-3dRmwX-7xT2Zx-jarjP-4NUNZu-2foZ1w-8pQRdv-4n5BTX-mLKC-8F57VR-51HtPE-3cK2TY-2SiE1-4NUCSm-p1v5De-gTnnQG-8wbMqy-a5TioZ-8Sq22U-2SiEt-8UE1Wh-8Sq3dL-8SmVhp-8SmQeD-a7ZwX4-J892nR-mLKA-6BuHWD-acaVXG-3bK9wC-8SmRvR-2SiEF-4NUz93-8SmRTx-8Sq1FC-3gEKca-8SpWYQ-8SpXSj-3goTSg

Figure 3: jurek d. Summer reading. 12 July 2015. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jurek_durczak/22008516780/in/photolist-zwPpgS-FZk6kU-pEJu4J-29ESaSE-Ke5mko-LaMRqc-L1vxdJ-L456JP-Ke52Nd-RjQN2v-9MtytK-4rd1bN-o9Txa7-2dAyd96-fimSQh-4wrLk5-aR41AT-CkttPH-7BjC9n-6KMXPw-G1sahd-o8u7ja-SPzdyj-KSCBjW-9kEtGU-7QvJvH-5wGSZF-2cA3XSo-4rvtrk-4Dx6f-9KUvaP-r4HjN7-rdrVj6-k9CJv3-7NtKmp-qe8Vd-5uKmoi-22pMFNt-tBCDz-4f2xgf-edUMym-mF22UP-dCL6ho-cJn1Nd-8nB5eQ-dfDTaC-o1ZnHD-5TiuCW-eeMy6d-7VyWqb

Figure 4: Chung, T. The Phone. 19 May 2007. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomaschung/505440987/in/photolist-LEvZM-s8o6Fg-cA33t1-boEG3w-iic5oy-aPjnax-6XmaCM-cABXT3-cCZcZJ-ZDWsSL-cAThV9-cBMTHu-23RbPF2-VVNrs5-6xWKvE-iTfiZU-85diiu-24CzZ5-rfURwT-E4HnpK-5jVNGf-RSr6UW-gnGaRc-2Zd46t-9e7GBC-UGV6DY-QPwfeQ-7yJuRj-7xDFmq-m1DCW-9AMxoj-4ZWjkm-m26mT-cACYNf-KHBdV-cABrKm-cA3J9S-pUJcDi-4jd4Tu-FjSBZy-4Cx3wX-adSdac-peQ2RE-7GsUn7-7VF3XT-dmhXGn-6mDC2k-bnTfEd-6Q71sN-YGowK7

Figure 5: b3tarev3. Gliwice Radio Tower. 21 May 2014. Flickr. Public Domain Image Mark 1.0. https://www.flickr.com/photos/b3tarev3/14182084337/in/photolist-nBdTzt-83yQH6-9B9Tm5-csE1Sb-dcxUHE-725Tc9-4BwayS-4zAcVQ-bYkUM-4MvCn3-9wk1Y-9vsPXE-de2EaQ-6VtAmP-btbDyT-de2DN5-AvMsm-5Js4s-afvWCZ-dCdwqf-2czRSnC-khkTQm-qNDca3-48NCcJ-oEJ9rq-q1Zgio-dgSVMT-5MUVsA-gMf7ch-qXUKG5-r3UxhE-r3Uymy-3WNNf-29R4P6A-Pp61ch-3bsVtU-qNDbL7-7ahLTT-qQb1Gs-4RTKry-qPv1VT-qPv6jx-5PJFnb-uQg7n-2FQoxc-qFpQSA-qH5oYV-2Hxwn-6F6RCX-mFvnxR

Figure 6: Steinhardt, K. Envelopes. 30 May 2008. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinsteinhardt/2579025866/in/photolist-4VUbxd-8t3Abt-tMZHT-8EsoU1-WaiTJ-7sYd7Y-bpe84-nQtug3-49uAsr-evAKhA-ny3L7y-nQf84B-g3gV-nQopq9-nQop7U-dwEXzU-6RnHrE-nQtupj-5sKV11-5aph1Z-4q1QWj-4s3qik-m7JqUV-8YPhBB-CyeQy-9p6LCJ-T2fqaY-5AoMGH-61zRPJ-9j5FRR-8nWUUo-Q3raN-9p6FzN-8ksxcn-9p3ELe-9QGMqr-63tZQd-9p6G97-5D1qvk-8vnCR2-aiCU5U-aFPpm8-dBzo7f-44by6X-aC12jt-7DRjvH-m7L7NQ-xoxdRs-6s6kqW-dAeYa8

Figure 7: Kennedy Library. BBW-13. 23 September 2018. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kennedylibrary/45034953091/in/photolist-2bBzUyt-2aw1MKq-8JLpaW-apaxtk-2YBft8-dgxbEC-5ZKA9R-5ZKJQZ-8JHmrv-Sr7YRL-7kmV2P-2dT83ua-dgxc1A-RomiKj-RqUBKR-2di6YtG-aL2yGX-2aH9pSn-dyGtR6-9S7eS2-5pj2oV-apKMrq-6ZTFwS-d44Aeo-g6gZtH-aAN8x6-nL7bdB-RK9Ukg-nHRVU9-5i2HKd-8L3QnZ-6ZrAQK-6ZvBp3-6ZvAR7-5zCNT7-dj4sLp-3eNVET-5ZKJSB-azmuxj-bBEY42-EvWQfz-27PkcpA-FhQmDy-7AGf6Z-23WfKxe-9Sa9Lw-EvWQpx-RsGxFZ-Ftv35p-2bxm9No

Figure 8: WalrusWaltz. IMG_1398. 16 June 2014. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/walruswaltz/16255975136/in/photolist-qLu84o-5b1GqT-bdJQu6-7G1jQH-bsprrW-3cc5BY-5Zvcm2-aHnjn6-gZxNxQ-wmoCfm-9xCxmP-aZpEUB-oPRCi1-NiTqG-ii42L-8jqjQi-dxhHLy-5umDuc-7z7nA8-7gu651-7MFqeH-4SUnNR-7RMAf5-7MKpyj-7RJkk8-7RMyKC-7MFpxv-3sPpcD-75vcLk-oZfEtN-aQ35Pv-7Zs9Y6-4thDfF-4HMqzR-dGHSDP-6ataaL-7RJnd8-3sPp1c-29Am7f-9dS2PB-nzstuh-6fivBJ-q6vKwG-pNXkXV-aDoLpP-8bDDQn-6hq7Bk-6NzxWW-pNXoxp-JLFuML

Figure 9: Emerson, J. Carroll County Court House. 11 November 2007. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/2034464450/

Figure 10: theilr. parallel lines. 22 June 2013. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/theilr/10268837315/in/photolist-gDqtze-3MTfDt-7xLAFR-FRujp-4sE2Jz-23chMeK-dNr8yb-bMh6PR-ceG9AL-9rUJ4W-9rUJ45-5LSuwm-prSHik-7yDFHC-7erqEc-6YJx8e-9tBN3K-9tFrUD-dNr8zN-dQdBPC-qrV4Cm-hjNbHS-WDAsCC-aEgzk3-29H4CLF-4yzkGK-2d1HnqV-7EkDrN-63eEjC-cADL9y-Mmd2sc-cADkR1-7vUYBJ-7sTm1R-R6ZZ1W-amPKcJ-dSfY51-8wdBB8-7LuvQj-p9LUKA-pMHeZR-5bEW2y-5xCb3a-9QLQMz-67MPUw-wKbC-crfg-2j8LYW-atU1PE-dNkxS2

Figure 11: Tam, M. gavel. 21 November 2003. Flickr. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License. https://www.flickr.com/photos/vitualis/137380545/in/photolist-d97s6-2evKeDX-94f4rj-8Cp6in-aQ9ojg-cUMKgw-HgzdGJ-HgKLfT-HgKKt2-HM7AZE-HgzfsC-4VLPuN-LvZVL7-LQuYyX-7VdYuL-njSSUk-bx3x63-6jPLzo-ZknHQ2-aqCiHc-7MphFj-qzaAGY-cTXQqU-p7WG5N-bH9CKc-9U4rkf-bSUiaz-nyeBRi-9Q7uhV-WXjCki-6GDmu9-9SpCY6-e8wEGf-J1qbtp-T2DcFC-ozMFjy-6GDp8J-snGMQ5-7pNGkG-6dMTJX-A8zQK-QBmFfM-9qGVTS-HabpDm-mBnc9L-26tQJWF-26DmDVZ-a3JEJZ-mBLcUD-55UTTG