First published 2026
Harry Connick Jr. celebrates his mother Anita-Francis Livingston Connick in his first book. He lost her at age thirteen, but her love and dreams for his musical career stayed with him. She wanted him to become famous and perform at Carnegie Hall, often saying she wanted to be known as Beethoven's mother. Connick saved Carnegie Hall for a special moment. That moment came on May 22, 2026, exactly one hundred years after his mother's birth. The book tells her story from childhood in New York through meeting her husband in Morocco to becoming one of New Orleans' first female judges. Connick weaves together memories and legends about the woman he called Babe. He explains the musical composition he wrote for her and performed at Carnegie Hall. The book includes personal photographs and excerpts from his orchestral score, showing how a mother's love shaped both his life and his music.
Genres: biography, family-life, american, memoir, music
Vibes: celebratory, heartfelt, intimate, nostalgic, reflective
Tropes: artistic-inspiration, legacy-and-inheritance, tribute-to-loved-one
Setting: New York, Morocco, New Orleans, Carnegie Hall
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Harper Celebrate
Content warnings: death