The Golden Hat: Talking Back to Autism - Hardcover

Winslet, Kate; Ericsdottir, Margret

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1451645430 ISBN 13: 9781451645439

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2012

Synopsis

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, 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. The team found an organization called Helping Autism Learning Outreach (HALO), 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 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.

About this title

Review:

“There are gems in this unusual autism book.”—Booklist

“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 today’s most popular stars will have broad appeal.”—Library Journal

“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.”—Publishers Weekly

"A moving, sanguine labor of love."—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author:

Kate Winslet is one of the world’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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1451645430
• ISBN 13: 9781451645439
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288