Heart of This Family: Lessons in Down Syndrome and Love. This item is unavailable.Heart of This Family: Lessons in Down Syndrome and Love

1966, the Beatles and "Leave It To Beaver" reign, the Vietnam War and Civil Rights rage, feminism is unheard of, and Linda's first baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome. Linda refuses to institutionalize him, determined to raise Steve at home. For the two more sons who follow and her husband, Linda tries to fulfill cultural norms as a homemaker, a woman whose voice is seldom heard or valued. But it isn't her nature to be meek.

Linda struggles to provide Steve an education at a time when disability rights don't exist. Her advocacy focuses first on integrating him into the community, then, as he grows into adulthood, landing a real job and independent housing. Pioneering what's now called "inclusion," Linda follows her heart to help Steve develop his fullest humanity.

Over these same decades, Linda learns to advocate for herself as well, starting with a career in public education. When she unexpectedly falls in love with a woman, her life path takes unforeseen turns. Linda must dig deep to accept her new identity before she's ready to meet her true soulmate. Throughout, unwavering love for all her sons is her lodestar.

A native of New England, Linda Morrow graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in sociology and later earned her MEd in Guidance and Counselling. In her younger life she raised three sons and enjoyed a thirty-five-year career in public school education. In 2013 she and her wife relocated to Bellingham, Washington: "The City of Subdued Excitement." She deeply appreciates a supportive and talented community of writers, and has learned to value the coffee shops of Washington, not just for the lattes, but also as places for her daily writing practice. Linda roots for the Red Sox and the New England Patriots, walks along beach and woodland trails, treasures time with her grandchildren, and continues to add books to her "to-be-read" pile.