Kate Winslet To Pen Autism Book
Actress Kate Winslet is writing a book to promote autism awareness that will feature a series of celebrity self-portraits.
The book called “The Golden Hat” will tell the story of how Winslet came to know Margret Dagmar Ericsdottir and her son Keli, who has autism and is nonverbal. In 2009, Winslet narrated the film “A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back To Autism” about the Ericsdottirs’ journey to teach Keli to communicate.
The book is inspired by a poem Keli wrote, also called “The Golden Hat,” in which a magical hat allows a boy with autism to communicate.
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In addition to Winslet’s story, the book will include Keli’s writings and a series of more than two dozen celebrity self-portraits Winslet solicited. Ben Stiller, Christina Aguilera, Demi Moore, Ellen Page, Maria Sharapova, Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Meryl Streep and Ricky Gervais are among those participating.
Each celebrity will be pictured donning a “magical” hat for the book. They will also share a personal statement about what their first words would be if they were “unlocked” after living for years unable to communicate, as Keli did.
The book will be published in November by Simon & Schuster.
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