Unexpected Lessons from Professor Higgins: A Joyful Memoir of a Mother Raising a Son with Down Syndrome

by Patti Smith

Sometimes our best teachers are the ones we least expect.When Patti Smith’s first child was born with Down syndrome, her world shifted overnight. What began as fear and uncertainty became a lifelong education in love, patience, and the power of perspective. Unexpected Lessons from Professor Higgins is the heartwarming true story of how one remarkable son became his mother’s greatest teacher.

Told through 24 unforgettable “lessons,” this deeply moving narrative reveals how life’s biggest challenges can become our most profound teachers. From moments of heartbreak to bursts of humor and joy, Patti shares how her son Christopher—affectionately known as “Professor Higgins”—transformed her understanding of success, purpose, and unconditional love.

More than a parenting guide, this is an invitation to see the beauty in imperfection and the grace in letting go. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, educator, or anyone seeking inspiration in the face of life’s detours, Unexpected Lessons from Professor Higgins will lift your heart, open your mind, and remind you that the unexpected may be your greatest gift.

This book addresses the emotional exhaustion and self-doubt many parents experience when facing unexpected life challenges—particularly raising a child with unique needs. It gently replaces fear, guilt, and the need for control with peace, perspective, and self-compassion.

This inspirational memoir is a celebration of resilience, joy, and the limitless lessons love can teach.

Genres: Nonfiction

294 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2024

About the author

Patti Smith retired in Southern Utah after practicing law in California for 30 years.
Her memoir shares funny and profound stories highlighting her inspirational journey of
unexpected learning from her oldest child, Chris Higgins who was born with Down syndrome.
Patti enjoys traveling and spending time with her six exceptional children, including Christopher, whom she honors as her master teacher.

Patti was honored to be awarded the prestigious Olive Woolley Burt Award for Creative Writing in the
New Voices category.

Patti is dedicated to learning and helping
others. In fact she is donating hundreds of books to parents of new babies with Down syndrome to share her belief that the life
of a person with this diagnosis is one to cherish and celebrate.

Additionally, a portion of each
book’s proceeds are donated to Rod’s Heroes, a non-profit organization which facilitates the
adoption of vulnerable children like those with Down syndrome from orphanages in third world
countries.

Reviews

[Katherine Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected Lessons from Professor Higgins is a heartfelt, honest, and deeply moving memoir that offers wisdom far beyond its pages. Patti Smith shares her lifelong journey as the mother of Chris Higgins with warmth, humor, and vulnerability, revealing how what first felt like a life-altering hardship became a profound source of perspective, growth, and unconditional love.

Structured around the clever and endearing metaphor of her son as “Professor Higgins,” Smith organizes her lessons into stages of learning that mirror an academic journey. This framework gives the memoir both clarity and charm, allowing each chapter to focus on a distinct moment of insight sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, always sincere.

What makes this book especially powerful is its emotional presence. Smith does not shy away from the realities of single parenting, caregiving, exhaustion, or societal discrimination, yet the story never becomes heavy-handed or preachy. Instead, the narrative invites readers into lived moments that feel immediate and real, making the lessons resonate naturally rather than didactically.

The memoir is not solely for parents of children with disabilities. It is for anyone open to learning about resilience, compassion, and the quiet strength found in everyday acts of love. Smith’s storytelling reminds us that wisdom often comes from unexpected teachers, and that humanity is richer when we learn to see value through a wider lens.

Uplifting, emotionally grounded, and written straight from the heart, Unexpected Lessons from Professor Higgins is an inspiring read that lingers long after the final page.

[Armelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free as a Goodreads giveaway.

A memoir of the joys - and the struggles - of raising a child with Down syndrome, told via a series of lessons the author learned from her son. The lessons were mostly about letting go of her own expectations and allowing Chris to move, learn, and live on his own terms. Sometimes those lessons have to be learned over and over again, but the result is a happier, more joyful life for all.

I enjoyed reading about Chris and his ability to spread happiness to those around him. Having each chapter depict a particular lesson made it seem a little repetitive after a while as the big lesson was how much there was to be gained by letting Chris be Chris, whether he was the star of the show, the friendliest guy in the store, or the world’s biggest 45-year-old Santa fan (or wrestling fan!)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir was written by a lawyer who is the mother of a first-born son, Chris, with Down syndrome. Ms. Smith celebrates all that her son has taught her, and chronicles the joys and struggles of life with a special needs child. At times Ms. Smith’s own expectations for her son clashed with Chris’s own preferences, clashes that amplified as Chris grew older, but she ultimately learned that letting Chris, with his outsized, joyful personality, at least partially steer his own destiny made life better for him, her, and the rest of the family (three later daughter and her late sister’s older sons). She was married to Chris’s father, who abandoned his family, and then to another man, but she ultimately raised her family as a single mother and put herself through law school.

There is much to be admired in Ms. Smith’s story, but this book was self-published and really could have benefited from an editor. At times it was quite repetitive. Three and a half stars.

Thanks to Goodreads and Ms. Smith for offering this book in a giveaway, which I was pleased to win.

[Sunny Lovestories · Rating 4 out of 5]

The son is the teacher. The son is not the child the mother thought she’d have but he turned out to be the son she needed. A life as a mother I personally can’t imagine navigating, is told to us through some humor, some tears, but mainly we hear the voice of a mother who is beyond proud of her son…and herself. Which was amazing as I usually feel like the mother/writer of these narratives wants praise from us the reader, because of “look how good of a mom I’ve become.” In Unexpected Lessons, Patti does not need our congratulations, she simple shares that everyday we can learn something new…and learn how to process the “not normal” on a daily basis.

[Topper Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smith's “Unexpected Lessons" was an unexpected delight. The book is packed with laugh-out-loud moments and deeply moving anecdotes about the author’s journey raising her special-needs son. Through her experiences, Smith offers powerful life lessons that are sure to transform you. I especially appreciated her portrayal of Christopher, whose remarkable Emotional IQ offers readers a fresh perspective on the world. If you're in need of a heartwarming read, grab a copy of Smith’s debut. A chapter a day is sure to put a smile on your face.

[Travis Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected Lessons from Professor Higgins
Author: Patti Smith
Narrated by Tara Janae Smith

This is a memoir where Patti Smith is writing about raising a child with Down Syndrome. She tells different stories that lead to teaching moments. As someone who helped raise my twin brother with a mental disability I found her stories to be very relatable.
Tara Janae Smith does a fantastic job narrating the audio book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Two Octaves Publishing for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audio book for my honest review.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother of a Downs syndrome child tells of the lessens she has learned from him during her lifetime. At first she was excited and nervous to be a new mother and then she was nervous and anxious to learn that her son had Downs syndrome. Doctors were suggesting that she put him in an institution. She didn't listen to them. She raised him and 5 other children as a single parent and tells how her son taught her that she was stronger than she knew; that you need patience, love, and understanding.

Audio book

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming memoir of unconditional love and acceptance. The stories were heartfelt, honest and full of happiness despite hardship.

I enjoyed the audiobook which is narrated well by the author's daughter, Tara Janae Smith.