The Leopard Hat

"This story of a mother and daughter opens with a magical childhood on the Upper East Side of New York. At its heart is Valerie Steiker's mother, Gisele, a Belgian Jew who, as a child, was hidden from the Nazis during World War II. As an adult, Gisele developed a large appetite for joy, beauty, and spontaneity, tempered only by her old-world superstitions and protectiveness. The apartment on Madison Avenue where she and her husband raised two daughters overflowed with books, musical instruments, velvet-lined boxes, Gisele's flamboyant wardrobe, and, above all, love and warmth.". "When Gisele…