Valerie Steiker’s Belgian Jewish mother, Gisèle—who, as a child in Antwerp, was hidden from the Nazis—wasn’t a typical American mom. She spoke with throaty Belgian Rs and wore only high heels. Before her marriage, she had studied acting with Lee Strasburg and been a model in Mexico. With her vitality and elegance, she created a joyous childhood for Valerie and her sister. Together they tangoed through their vibrant Manhattan apartment, took in great art, and shared “women’s hidden secrets.” Gisèle’s premature death left Valerie (at the time a junior at Harvard) unmoored, but in grieving and in finding her own path to womanhood, Valerie would ultimately grow to understand Gisèle more profoundly than she ever had as a child. Beautifully evocative of a glamourous and now-vanished world, The Leopard Hat is an extraordinary memoir about the warm and indelible bond between mother and daughter.

Valerie Steiker's mother — Gisele — wasn't a typical American mom. She spoke with throaty Belgian Rs. She was a Jew who had somehow survived her World War II childhood in Antwerp. She had modeled in Mexico and the only shoes she ever wore were high heels. With her vitality and glittering elegance, she created a joyous childhood for Valerie. Together they tangoed through their vibrant apartment in New York, took in great art, and shared "women's hidden secrets." Gisele's premature death left Valerie (at the time a junior at Harvard) unmoored, but through mourning and remembering her mother, she grew to understand Gisele more profoundly than she ever had as a child.