Synopses & Reviews
Imagine what it would be like not to be able to communicate with those we love. For many individuals living with nonverbal autism and their families, this is their everyday reality. andlt;iandgt;The Golden Hat andlt;/iandgt;is an intimate response to this reality created by Kate Winslet, Margret Ericsdottir, and her son Keli, who has nonverbal autism.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Thank you for taking this journey with us. We hope this book brings a new awareness of the opportunity we have to help those with autism learn to communicate and realize their ambitions. People with autism have the potential to achieve great things, but only when given the appropriate support and education. This is why the Golden Hat Foundation was formed. All author proceeds from this book go directly to the Golden Hat Foundation. With your help, we can change the world for people with autism. For more information about the Golden Hat Foundation and ways you can help, please visit our website: andlt;a href="http://www.goldenhatfoundation.org"andgt;www.goldenhatfoundation.organdlt;/aandgt;andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;and#8220;I simply couldnand#8217;t conceive of how devastating it would be not to be able to hear my childrenand#8217;s voices. Not to be able to communicate with them, to hear them learn, grow, and express themselves verbally. How fortunate, how blessed I am. This overwhelmed me. I can talk to my children, I can respond to their needs and comfort them when they tell me they are unwell. I can tell them stories and hear them tell theirs.and#8221; and#8212;Kate Winsletandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Kate and Margretand#8217;s stories, their personal email correspondence, and Keliand#8217;s poetry give us a profound insight into the world of those living with autism. Kate has shared this story with some of the worldand#8217;s most famous people, posing the question: and#8220;What is important to you to express?and#8221; Their responses are a collection of intimate self-portraits and unique quotes. Among them are:andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Christina Aguileraandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Zac Efronandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Julianne Mooreandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Maria Sharapovaandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Kobe Bryantandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;James Francoandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Rosie Oand#8217;Donnellandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ben Stillerandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Michael Caineandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Ricky Gervaisandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Michael Phelpsandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Meryl Streepandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Kim Cattrallandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Tom Hanksandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;John C. Reillyandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Justin Timberlakeandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;George Clooneyandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Elton Johnandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Tim Robbinsandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Naomi Wattsandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Leonardo DiCaprioandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Jude Lawandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Kristin Scott Thomasandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Oprah Winfreyandlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Put together by Kate, Margret, and the dedicated team who work daily on the Golden Hat Foundation, this project has been a labor of love.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;All the author proceeds from this groundbreaking book will benefit the Golden Hat Foundation, founded by Kate Winslet and Margret Ericsdottir to build innovative living campuses for people with autism and raise public awareness of their intellectual capabilities.
Review
"A moving, sanguine labor of love."—Kirkus Reviews
Review
and#8220;Winslet started up the Golden Hat Foundation as a way to generate money for the cause [of creating learning communities for autistic children]; she enlisted the support of famous faces who agreed to photograph themselves with Winslet's beatup trilby. . . . These are engaging, moving public gestures for a notable cause.and#8221;andlt;Bandgt;and#8212;andlt;Iandgt;Publishers Weeklyandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
and#8220;There are gems in this unusual autism book.and#8221;andlt;Bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Booklistandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Readers will come away with an understanding that although children with autism cannot always speak, they have much to say. In addition, photos of many of todayand#8217;s most popular stars will have broad appeal.and#8221;andlt;bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Library Journalandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"A moving, sanguine labor of love."andlt;Bandgt;and#8212;andlt;iandgt;Kirkus Reviewsandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Synopsis
Gorgeously illustrated with an A-list cast of photographs, the book supports Kate Winslet’s mission to boost autism research and outreach.
Synopsis
A special project from Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet—a collection of stunning self-portraits from A-list celebrities and cultural luminaries, all wearing a “magical” hat to support autism outreach and research.Doctors told Margret Dagmar that her son Keli, who lives with a severe form of non-verbal autism, would never be able to communicate; she was told that he would be best off locked in an institution for the rest of his life. Driven by a love for her child and a firm sense of humanity, Margret embarked on a mission to find a way to connect with him.
Oscar Award-winning actress Kate Winslet paired up with Margret and Keli to produce a documentary film about their journey. Eventually the team found an organization called Helping Autism Learning Outreach (HALO) in Austin, Texas, where specialists taught Keli other ways to communicate. He now composes beautiful and deeply moving poetry; one poem Keli wrote is called “The Golden Hat,” which describes a magical hat that enables an autistic boy to communicate.
Inspired by Keli’s poem, Winslet developed a truly innovative way to raise awareness and funds to support autism outreach. Her project asks friends to pass a hat—chosen from Kate’s closet—from one to another, after they’ve each taken a self-portrait wearing it. The list of those photographs includes Angelina Jolie, Steven Spielberg, Oprah, Sting, Daniel Craig, and many more. The Golden Hat combines elements of the Dagmars’ incredible odyssey into a beautiful location, featuring Keli’s original poetry alongside stunning photographs of the world’s most well-known celebrities wearing “the golden hat.”
Synopsis
Kate Winslet met Margret Ericsdottir and her son Keli, who has nonverbal autism, during the making of the Icelandic film
A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism (aka
The Sunshine Boy), a film that tells the story of Margret’s journey to find a way to help her ten-year-old son communicate. Kate, who was deeply moved by their story, remained in close contact with Margret. While discussing the possibility of setting up a foundation, Kate came up with the idea to produce this book as a means to raise autism awareness. She went on a mission to track down as many well-known individuals as she could and ask them to take a photograph of themselves wearing her favorite beaten-up trilby. She gate-crashed parties; drove with her children to Baltimore; hung out on other people’s film sets; went backstage at theaters; carried the hat on her lap to Texas, LA , London, and Paris; as well as sending more than two hundred emails and leaving numerous begging phone messages. The result is this book.
Most of us cannot imagine what it would be like to not be able to communicate with our loved ones. For the millions of individuals and families living with nonverbal autism, however, this is an everyday reality. Carly Fleischmann was at last able to alert her family to the pain she was in, stating “Teeth—Hurt—Help.” Dov Shestack, when asked what he had been doing for all the years he could not express himself, replied that he had been “listening.” Josh Andrus’s request was to “try fully to understand my condition because I get so lonely.”
The Golden Hat celebrates self-expression. Alongside the unique self-portraits of some of the world’s most famous people are their responses to the question: “Think about how much we take communication for granted. What is really important for you to express?” Deeply moving quotes from the contributors with nonverbal autism, Kate and Margret’s personal email correspondence, and Keli’s poetry give us a profound insight into the world of those living with autism.
All the proceeds from this groundbreaking book will benefit the Golden Hat Foundation, founded by Kate Winslet and Margret Ericsdottir to build innovative living campuses for people with autism and raise public awareness of their intellectual capabilities. Celebrities from the worlds of film, music, sports, and fashion have contributed their words and self-portraits, including:
Christina Aguilera
Kobe Bryant
Michael Caine
Kim Cattrall
George Clooney
Leonardo DiCaprio
Zac Efron
James Franco
Ricky Gervais
Tom Hanks
Elton John
Michael Kors
Jude Law
Julianne Moore
Cynthia Nixon
Conan O’Brien
Rosie O’Donnell
Michael Phelps
John C. Reilly
Tim Robbins
Kristin Scott Thomas
Maria Sharapova
Ben Stiller
Meryl Streep
Justin Timberlake
Diane Von Furstenberg
Naomi Watts
Oprah Winfrey
Anna Wintour
Elijah Wood
Put together by Kate, Margret, and the dedicated team who work daily on the Golden Hat Foundation, this project has been a labor of love.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Kate Winsletandlt;/bandgt; is one of the worldand#8217;s best known and best-loved Academy Award-winning actresses. She made her film debut at the age of seventeen and is the youngest actress ever to have received six Academy Award nominations. Kate has two children, Mia and Joe, and divides her time between New York and the UK.