The Hard Parts

Oksana Masters faced more odds in a single year of her life than most of us will in all our years combined, and yet with her fighting spirit, she has already conquered far more than most of us will in our full lifetime. I like overcomer stories, but this was that and far more. She faced life as an orphan with multiple birth defects traced to the Chernobyl disaster her biological mother had endured. Oksana's life resembles a football tackle where everyone piles on even after the tackle is made. Challenge upon challenges to simply function in the world filled with obstacles. This memoir is an engaging page turner that left me both inspired and challenged. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

My thanks to the publisher for allowing me to read this advance copy.

The Hard Parts
A Memoir of Courage and Triumph
by Oksana Masters
Pub Date 21 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 21 Feb 2023
Scribner
Biographies & Memoirs


I am reviewing a copy of The Hard Parts through Scribner and Netgalley:



Oksana Masters by no means had an easy life, nor an easy start to life. She was born in the Ukraine in the shadows of Chernobyl, and it seemingly seemed the world was against her. She was born with six toes on each foot one kidney, a partial stomach, webbed fingers, no right bicep, and no thumbs. Her left leg was six inches shorter than her right, and she was missing both tibias.


She had been relinquished to the orphanage system by birth parents daunted by the staggering cost of what would be their child’s medical care, Oksana encountered numerous abuses, some horrifying. Salvation came at age seven when Gay Masters, an unmarried American professor who saw a photo of the little girl and became haunted by her eyes, waged a two-year war against stubborn adoption authorities to rescue Oksana from her circumstances.


After coming to America, Oksana would endure years of operations which included a double leg amputation. She wondered how she could ever fit in, as she had so many things that made her different.


But Oksana would more than fit in. She was determined to prove herself and had a strong drive to succeed that still smoldered from childhood, Oksana triumphed in not just one sport but four—winning against the world’s best in elite rowing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, and road cycling competitions. Now considered one of the world’s top athletes, she is the recipient of seventeen Paralympic medals, the most of any US athlete of the Winter Games, Paralympic or Olympic.


The Hard Parts is Oksana's story of triumph, of proving to herself and to the world. It's the story of a Mother's love and a daughter's determination. This book is a reminder to anyone who doesn’t fit in: you can find a place where you excel where you have worth.


I give The Hard Parts five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Many are familiar with Masters, the athlete, but this tells a bit of her story behind that. While I admired her before reading this story, that admiration has grown so much. She is such an inspiration! She is determined and encouraged the reader to set their path ... and then fight for it, always moving forward (even if the steps are small). Her story is heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time. The relationship between her and her mother was amazing. For anyone dealing with trauma of some kind, this book will give you a good dose of hope, particularly in the fact that your past doesn't need to define you and hold you back.

The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters is an inspiring story of triumph over trauma and disability. She was born in Ukraine and exposed in utero to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear station. Born with complicated and multiple physical impairments, she was placed in an orphanage and suffered horrible abuse there.

Finally adopted at age seven by an American woman, Gay Masters, Oksana was loved and cared for in every aspect of her life. But she was also subjected to bullying at school, several medical setbacks including amputation of both legs, and all that came with the normal circumstances of puberty. Through her own inner strength and the assistance of her mother and friends she was somehow able to rise above her physical challenges and become a top-notch athlete, competing and winning medals in rowing, biathlon, cross-county skiing, and road cycling at the Olympic level.

Oksana's story is inspirational, raw, honest, motivating, courageous, and remarkable. I highly recommend this memoir and can guarantee that readers will come away from it changed for the better.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Scribner, for access to an e-book copy in return for an honest review.

This will, hands down, be one of my top memoirs of 2023!

The Hard Parts was an incredible memoir by Oksana Masters, in which she details her traumatizing childhood in an orphanage until adoption by her mother. She then describes her journey in athletics and in learning to love herself.

I listened to this on audio, and the narration was great! It was a quick read, and I found myself sobbing multiple times. This one is an emotional read, especially for myself as a mom. Phew.

I applaud Oksana's courage and dedication in sharing her story with the world!

thank you Scribner Books for the gifted copy!