By: Jenny Castro
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 4/7/2026
Released on February 24th, 2026, “A Book,” by Desi Arnaz is a revamped and expanded edition of Arnaz’s original autobiography released in 1976. With a special and personalized Foreword by Arnaz’s granddaughter Kate Luckinbill, a new Afterward by daughter Lucie Arnaz, and featuring exclusive material such as excerpts from Arnaz’s would be second autobiography, the memoir is seen through the lens of Arnaz as he recounts his personal journey from Cuba to his professional life and eventual groundbreaking career in the United States.
Arriving in Miami at the age of 16 in 1933, Arnaz starts off by detailing how he abruptly fled his home country due to the political uprising against Gerardo Machado (President of Cuba, 1925-1933) who was eventually forced into exile by a coalition of opposition groups including students, labor activists, and political rivals who opposed his authority and presidency. With widespread uncertainty and chaos descending upon Cuba, Arnaz, who derived from a prominent and affluent Cuban family, would soon begin a new life in the U.S. where he eventually flourished, ultimately becoming an iconic visionary, musician, entrepreneur, innovator, as well as an influential pioneer in television and entertainment. From friending Al Capone Jr to playing in Xavier Cugat’s band, Arnaz’s legacy since has been cemented through his groundbreaking work on the classic and beloved “I Love Lucy” series featuring wife and co-star Lucille Ball, which has created a lasting impact within the entertainment industry, Latino community, and amongst fans around the world and from all walks of life.
Reflecting upon her grandfather’s legacy, Kate Luckinbill is excited for the re-release of Arnaz’s original memoir, recounting that the book has been out of print for years which sparked the idea for the expanded edition and release, “It’s been out of publication for a long time, and people have been trying to get it and can’t even get it at the library. People were having to pay $500 to get a copy on eBay,” Luckinbill said. Due to the scarcity of the book’s availability, Luckinbill’s mission to reprint the book came into fruition as she further explains, “I had heard from a friend of mine that the publisher who originally published my grandfather’s autobiography was now owned by the same publisher that was creating “Lucy & Desi: The Love Letters”. We then embarked on the process of beginning the reprint of “A Book,” with extended notes that my mom had been finding in things that have been sent over the years since it went out of publication.”
Luckinbill, daughter of Lucie Arnaz and Larry Luckinbill has also worked in the entertainment industry and is currently helping in the preservation of her grandparent’s legacy, “As far as my involvement with this and where the family legacy is concerned, my mom introduced me into the fold in 2015,” she said. Adding, ““There was a lot to learn, and for a few years my mom brought me into every meeting she possibly could. Since then, we’ve worked together on a ton of projects over the last decade. Not least among them is the Love Letters book, which she recently dedicated a great deal of time to creating. It’s really like a museum piece, a look at the actual letters in their own handwriting capturing a largely unknown time between Lucille and Desi during their marriage. These letters date back to when he was serving in the Army during the war, and they were living long distance and it was very hard. It was about over a ten year period when these were collected as my grandmother kept them in pristine condition. Since then, my mother has also done the same. Through time with so many other projects being done and telling the incorrect story, she felt she’d be doing my grandfather a little bit of justice by publishing these letters. It does show my grandmother in her more raw form, as well as how loving my grandfather was to her.”
According to Luckinbill, she has experienced frustration through the years over witnessing her mother having to defend her grandfather’s honor on social media, “People love to come for him and she’ll pop in and correct the story, and I just don’t get it at times and asked myself why don’t people know who he really was or what he went through. People tend to forget him, and he tends to get whitewashed out of the story, and I think it’s really important that he doesn’t, because my grandmother would not have wanted that. She was not the feminist icon that people want her to be. She was a strong, independent, and hardworking woman, but never wanted to be a feminist. My grandfather on the other hand was the businessman, negotiator, and brain behind the business and this book tells exactly how he did it. He actually writes about the fact that he had to leave the marriage so that he could devote his full self to Desilu,” Luckinbill said.
Luckinbill also wants to reiterate to fans the significance in reading the memoir, emphasizing that it provides a more complete and authentic understanding of who Arnaz truly was not only as a performer, but as a pioneering creative force whose personal story, resilience, and contributions to entertainment are often underappreciated. At times, Arnaz is no doubt overlooked or not credited enough for the success of the “I Love Lucy” series or remembered for his visionary contributions to television as he helped create the three-camera set-up while filming in front of live audiences and championed TV re-runs and syndication during the 1950s.
Arnaz also co-founded Desilu Productions alongside Lucille Ball which helped produce classic TV shows “The Untouchables,” and “Star Trek.” Recognized as one of the first Latinos to star on major American television, Arnaz also helped pave the way for greater Latino representation in Hollywood as his success broke barriers at a time when opportunities for Latinos were limited.
Speaking on her Cuban heritage, Luckinbill reflects, “For some reason, I’ve always felt deeply connected to my Cuban heritage, that part of me, even though it’s only a quarter. Personally, it’s really important for me to have Latinos, and especially Cubans, in my life. Some of my closest friends are which helps me stay connected to my roots and maintain a strong sense of that cultural identity. As for my grandfather, I read his book a lot to remind myself of his history. I think mental health prevented him from living a longer healthier life, and I’m so grateful that I got any time with him at all. My grandmother didn’t pass until I was almost five so I have clear memories of her. Luckinbill also keeps in regular touch with her uncle Desi Jr, “He’s amazing,” she said. Adding, “Desi is still an incredibly accomplished drummer, and we visit him regularly when in town.”
An overall captivating and historical read, check out Arnaz’s memoir as he takes you back to classic Hollywood and a time when the entertainment industry was rapidly evolving. Emphasizing Arnaz’s life in Cuba, Luckinbill encourages readers to understand the broader historical context, “I think it’s super important for people to know the story of the Cuban Revolution. Having nothing to do with him being my grandfather, I think this is one of the best books I’ve ever read.”
“A Book,” is now available via Running Press Adult | Hachette Book Group here.
Available on Amazon
Official Lucy Desi Museum: :https://lucydesi.com/
