Love Never Leaves

'Love Never Leaves' is a memoir by Deborah Huse Blanchard, who gave her biracial sons up for adoption in the 1950s after receiving racist threats. Blanchard had met the boys' father as a student at the New England Conservatory of Music but had no idea of the racial turmoil that embroiled the country at the time. Her husband, George, warned Deborah of the difficulties they would face as a mixed couple. What he did not say was that before long he would grow distant and cold, apparently troubled by experiences he had as a black classical musician. As their new family expanded, he took on more work as a waiter in upper-class Boston establishments. Deborah, whose great love before George had been singing, returned to Lowell to resume life with her close-knit family. The people of Lowell turned against her and began sending her threatening phone calls, saying she would never see her sons again if she sent them to school. Finally, she made the agonizing decision to place her sons for adoption. Extraordinarily, she demanded that they be placed with an African American family. She was not, however, able to maintain contact or oversight of any sort after the adoption took place due to the closed system that prevailed at the time. Only later did she learn that her sons had been separated, to her great consternation. She vowed to find her sons once they came of age, beginning an ongoing effort to rebuild bridges with her sons and their children. Paired with Blanchard's moving account are 23 other stories of adoption written by adoptees and members of adoptive families, including Blanchard's older son, George.