Goldie Hawn's A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, May 2, 2005

Goldie Hawn's A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, May 2, 2005

Goldie Hawn Speaks From the Heart About the People, Places and Events That Have Touched Her Life

A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD Is a Highly Personal Story of Family, Faith and the Challenges of Show Business from One of Hollywood's Most Admired and Respected Superstars

NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award winner Goldie Hawn is one of the screen's most beloved actresses. Her memorable performances in a wide variety of hit motion pictures-including Cactus Flower, Butterflies Are Free, Shampoo, Foul Play, Private Benjamin, Overboard, The First Wives Club and The Banger Sisters -not to mention her unforgettable three-year run on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, have endeared her to audiences around the world. But despite all the attention that has come with her years of Hollywood success, there is much about her life's journey that Hawn has kept private. Now, in A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD (G. P. Putnam's Sons; May 2, 2005; $25.95), written with journalist Wendy Holden, she shares a very personal look at moments both private and powerful and the ways these moments have helped carry her through life.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050502/NYM217 )

A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD is not a Hollywood "tell-all," but rather a candid and insightful book. Goldie tells us about wisdom she feels she has been given, and the lessons she has learned on her life's journey, in the hope of giving something back. "Each of us goes through transitions and transformations," writes Hawn. "The important thing is that we acknowledge them and learn from them. That is the idea behind this book. Not to tell my life story, but to speak openly and from the heart about episodes in my life in the hope of explaining how they changed my perception and how they helped me to look at the world more clearly."

With the effervescent humor and generosity that is familiar to everyone, Goldie invites us to join her in a look back at the remarkable people and events that have touched her. She writes about:

* Memories of her younger self -- the little girl who felt like an ugly duckling -- and her growing up in suburbia with dreams of becoming a ballerina. She describes what dance meant to her and what it taught her about herself. She also thinks back on the lessons learned from the spirited spontaneity of her father -- a dreamer with his own unique take on life-and the confidence instilled by her mother's courage.

* A horribly frightening experience at age eleven when Goldie was sexually assaulted by one of her sister's male friends during a party at home on Christmas Eve. She reflects on the reassuring way her mother helped her deal with the situation and what that taught her about how we attend to our children, and how we show our feelings. Goldie writes, "This episode and its aftermath were such an important aspect of my growth in terms of sexual energy and understanding, and I will forever be grateful for the way it was handled."

* Memories of her go-go dancing years in New York of the 1960s including a shocking "casting couch" run-in with famed cartoonist Al Capp, creator of the Li'l Abner comic strip; a dispiriting gig at a fifth- rate New Jersey truck stop (booked by an agent who kept urging Goldie to go topless); a near-fatal car crash and the out-of-body experience that ensued; and an extraordinary night during the great blackout of 1965 that restored her faith just as she was about to quit New York and return home.

* An early taste of success after being cast on a new CBS series Good Morning World. Even as network publicists were hyping her as one of CBS's rising stars, and material rewards grew, Goldie -- who had always imagined herself as just another face in the chorus-struggled to maintain a happy façade on the set while battling debilitating anxiety attacks and deep depression.

* Her phenomenal success on the landmark comedy series, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. She describes how her ditzy, bubbleheaded-blonde character originated and how the show became a vehicle for healing herself. She also writes about her marriage to first husband, Gus Trikonis, who led her through her formative years in show business, and how stardom and the baggage that came with it ultimately destroyed that relationship.

* Memorable experiences working with some of Hollywood's leading stars, including Walter Matthau (strange and wonderful and interesting, but not the easiest person to work with); Ingrid Berman (incredibly powerful -- a tower of female energy -- but also extremely nervous about her return to movies after an eighteen-year hiatus); and Peter Sellers (at any one time he could be manically depressed, ecstatically overjoyed or just plain mad). Goldie also writes about what it was like to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her feature film debut, Cactus Flower, an event she describes as both scary and surreal.

* Behind-the-scenes of Swing Shift, a project Goldie found and brought to the studio. She discusses her disappointment on seeing the first cut of the film, which had little to do with her original vision, and the deterioration of her relationship with director Jonathan Demme when the studio called on her to help fix it. She writes about the distress she felt at being left unprotected by the studio when stories started circulating she had snatched away control of the movie. She also writes about the reputation she subsequently acquired for being "difficult to work with" as a result of that film, the lessons she learned about fighting for what she believes in and maintaining her integrity, and the problems women face in dealing with their own power, whether in their relationships or in the workplace.

* Her relationship with longtime partner Kurt Russell. Goldie describes falling in love with Russell on the set of the film Swing Shift, including a particularly memorable impromptu motorcycle ride around the studio's back lot during which she realized she was looking at the man she hoped to have in her life for a very long time. Avoiding what she admits is her usual "glib response" to the oft-repeated question as to why she and Kurt have never married, Goldie talks about the nature of relationships and what it takes to keep them healthy. She also writes of her relationship with her children (actress Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, Wyatt Russell and her stepson, Boston) and what it has felt like as they have moved on to new phases of their own lives leaving behind an increasingly empty nest for her and Kurt.

* Her extraordinary friendship with Private Benjamin costar Eileen Brennan, who Goldie describes as her comedic soul mate. She writes about the bond they forged on the film's set. She also recalls the near-fatal hit-and-run accident that left Brennan severely injured as the two of them were saying their good-byes after a long-planned dinner together, and what she learned during that horrifying incident about the connection they share.

* The difficult birth of her first baby, Oliver, who was rushed to a neonatal intensive care unit as soon as he was delivered. Goldie describes the events of that day that viscerally proved to her a mother's power to heal her child. She writes, "I learned that day that miracles can happen. That prayer is powerful. That faith in something is extremely important. It was one of the first times in my life that I realized that by focusing on something and willing it with all my might, I could actually change or rearrange the course of events."

* Details of numerous travel adventures including an extraordinary trip to Russia to prepare for her role in The Girl from Petrovka; a trip to Africa that reconnected Goldie with the simplicity of life, a trip to Israel -- including a particularly emotional visit to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem -- in response to her agent's dying wish; and several fascinating excursions to India. She also describes a visit to South America for Operation Smile (a charitable organization that helps children around the world who need reconstructive surgery) that brought her to the heights of joy as well as the depths of despair.

A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD ends with Goldie's account of a trip to a Buddhist monastery in Dharamsala, India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, with her sons Oliver Hudson and Boston Russell -- a practicing Buddhist and Buddhist scholar then in his final year at the university. She reveals the lesson learned there that served as the inspiration for the title of this memoir. She also offers her heartfelt reflections on the joys and agonies of letting go of her daughter -- Kate Hudson -- and watching her become her own person experiencing life on her own terms. She talks about what she has gained in the beautiful experience of becoming a grandparent, and the new directions, experiences and opportunities that await her as she moves into this new phase or her life. She writes, "Every day I ask myself, wondering aloud, 'What does the future hold for you now, Goldie Hawn?' And the best thing of all is, I just don't know."

Revealing her skills as a born storyteller, Goldie talks about everything from anger and fear, to love and compassion, friendship and fate, the importance of family, the challenges of show business, the unexpected gifts of comfort from strangers many miles from home, her own spiritual journey in search of enlightenment, and the joys of being a mother, a daughter, a sister, a lover and a parent. A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD is a story of the author's growing faith, of her curiosity for that which is yet unknown, and of her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding. Above all, it is a trip back through a life well lived by a woman well loved.

About the coauthor:

Wendy Holden has been a journalist with the London Daily Telegraph, a coauthor of several autobiographies and is the author of The Sense of Paper, a novel to be published in 2005. She lives in England.

For further information about A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD, or to arrange an interview, please contact Marilyn Ducksworth at 212-366-2564, email: marilyn.ducksworth@us.penguingroup.com or Mih-Ho Cha, at 781-862-9833, email: mihho.cha@us.penguingroup.com.

A LOTUS GROWS IN THE MUD By Goldie Hawn With Wendy Holden G. P. Putnam's Sons May 2, 2005 Price: $25.95 ISBN: 0-399-15285-7

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050502/NYM217 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

CONTACT: Marilyn Ducksworth, Senior Vice President, Executive Director of Publicity, +1-212-366-2564, or Mih-Ho Cha, Senior Director Publicity, +1-781-862-9833, both for Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Web site: http://www.penguinputnam.com/

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