The Hard Parts: From Chernobyl to Paralympic Champion—My Story of Achieving the Extraordinary
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-26 06:19:54
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Oksana Masters
- ISBN：1982185503
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Basic B's Guide
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Available today！ Review to come soon。
Rae
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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 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。 。。。more
Leslie McKee
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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 k 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。Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy， but I wasn't required to leave a positive review。 。。。more
Jen Pham for Literary Leftovers Bookstore
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The Hard Parts by Oksana MastersThis memoir is a heartbreakingly honest and unflinchingly brave account of childhood， adolescence， and the arduous journey to Paralympic triumph。 Masters details her odyssey beginning in a Ukrainian orphanage， where she was abandoned by her birth family due to the disabilities she was born with courtesy of Chernobyl。 Freedom from these circumstances did not come easily， and her mother， Gay Masters， endured substantial struggles on the road to adoption。 After two y The Hard Parts by Oksana MastersThis memoir is a heartbreakingly honest and unflinchingly brave account of childhood， adolescence， and the arduous journey to Paralympic triumph。 Masters details her odyssey beginning in a Ukrainian orphanage， where she was abandoned by her birth family due to the disabilities she was born with courtesy of Chernobyl。 Freedom from these circumstances did not come easily， and her mother， Gay Masters， endured substantial struggles on the road to adoption。 After two years of paperwork， endless translation errors and bureaucratic bungles， she at last claimed her daughter， and has remained Oksana’s greatest supporter ever since。 This is an ultimate story of perseverance in the face of incredible challenges， of hope in the most melancholy hours of the night。 As the title says， this book doesn’t shy away from the hard parts， but instead celebrates choosing to persist in spite of them。 To lay bare the darkest deeds of humanity， to tell of horrors unimaginable， is an act of bravery and strength beyond compare。 While the media likes to package athlete’s stories up in an easy， palatable way for viewers， Masters makes it clear that she is much more than a few buzzwords。 Her message is immensely powerful; a reminder that everyone deserves respect， love， and self-worth。 。。。more
Sharon Orlopp
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The Hard Parts: From Chernobyl to Paralympic Champion—My Story of Achieving the Extraordinary is a phenomenal memoir by Oksana Masters。I was fortunate to win this incredible book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I highly recommend it！Masters was born in Ukraine with multiple disabilities due to the radiation from the Chernobyl disaster。 Her birth parents relinquished her to an orphanage that was horrific。Miraculously， she was adopted by a single， determined mother in the U。S。 Masters underwent many s The Hard Parts: From Chernobyl to Paralympic Champion—My Story of Achieving the Extraordinary is a phenomenal memoir by Oksana Masters。I was fortunate to win this incredible book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I highly recommend it！Masters was born in Ukraine with multiple disabilities due to the radiation from the Chernobyl disaster。 Her birth parents relinquished her to an orphanage that was horrific。Miraculously， she was adopted by a single， determined mother in the U。S。 Masters underwent many surgeries， including two above-the-knee amputations。 She was very different than her classmates and school was a continual struggle。 She discovered rowing and became a multi-sport Paralympic champion---rowing， skiing， biathlon， and cycling。 Along the way she had a horrible boyfriend who she continued to stay with because she was afraid that no one else would love her。 Eventually that relationship ended， and she found true， compassionate love。Masters' journey illustrates the power of the human spirit filled with grit， determination， and conviction。 She indicated that she didn't want to have a life of regrets---the what-ifs and the failures---the pain of regret cuts deeper than any other pain。 She convinces readers to never accept the limited views others might have of you---keep on fighting。 There's no perfect path for achieving your goal---but always move forward in the direction of your dreams。Highly， highly recommend！ 。。。more
Michelle Collings
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Loved this book！
Liralen
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All you need to do to know that Masters is an exceptional athlete is look at her Wikipedia page: medal， medal， medal， medal。。。 Her first athletic love was rowing， but a combination of injury and delight in having a challenge led her to skiing and cycling。But The Hard Parts isn't about that， not really。 Sports matter in this book—they became a vital outlet for Masters， and a way of proving to herself that she was capable and powerful—but Masters didn't have an easy or direct road to them， and in All you need to do to know that Masters is an exceptional athlete is look at her Wikipedia page: medal， medal， medal， medal。。。 Her first athletic love was rowing， but a combination of injury and delight in having a challenge led her to skiing and cycling。But The Hard Parts isn't about that， not really。 Sports matter in this book—they became a vital outlet for Masters， and a way of proving to herself that she was capable and powerful—but Masters didn't have an easy or direct road to them， and in fact the "hard parts" were the dominating parts for much of her childhood。 Born in Ukraine， in the shadow of Chernobyl， Masters had physical deformities that in a place with limited resources meant being consigned to an orphanage and。。。well， given up on， I suppose。 Treated as disposable。 I think it would be disservice to Masters to try to explain her particular circumstances in detail—I'd rather leave it to the words she uses herself in the book—but I will say that the orphanage lived up to nearly every grim expectation and stereotype you might have of an orphanage in Eastern Europe immediately after the fall of the Iron Curtain， and that Masters was the size of an average three-year-old when she was adopted at the age of seven。I wondered， early on in the book， if it was doing itself a disservice by taking a chronological form rather than shifting back and forth between Masters' life in the US and her childhood in Ukraine， but the farther I got in the more I understood that she was in fact doing that—laying the foundation and then making smaller shifts back and forth to illustrate how the abuse and neglect of her childhood continued to affect her， and how she was able to gradually process it。 Intermingled with this， of course， is Masters' introduction to the world of the Paralympics， some of which is so completely infuriating: she notes， for example， that her Team USA gear was first team uniform she'd ever worn， because she'd never truly been allowed to participate in school。 It's illustrative of this odd irony， I think， one that must be true for many people with disabilities: that her options were to compete at the highest level or not at all。 She happened to have the talent and the drive and the creativity to compete at that high level。There's so much that I want to say here—like， I'm fascinated by the way that Masters describes some of para-athleticism as being a matter of figuring out how to make a given sport work best for her body's strengths and weaknesses and quirks; obviously able-bodied athletes also work to their strengths and so on， but the potential for variation with para-athletes seems to be on a different level。 But in the spirit of not accidentally writing a dissertation about a book （。。。wouldn't be the first time。。。）， I'll leave off on an important note: that Masters' mother is an absolute hero of this story， as fierce an advocate as any child could hope for。3。5 stars。Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley。 。。。more
Kate Grant
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What a profound and heartwrenching story。 Oksana is an absolute inspiration and I am in awe of her， not because of her disability， but her resilience。 As someone who briefly lived in Ukraine her reflections on that time hit close to home for me。 She is an amazing woman with more strength in her pinky finger than I possess in my entire body。
Michelle Kidwell
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The Hard PartsA Memoir of Courage and Triumphby Oksana MastersPub Date 21 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 21 Feb 2023 Scribner Biographies & MemoirsI 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 n The Hard PartsA Memoir of Courage and Triumphby Oksana MastersPub Date 21 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 21 Feb 2023 Scribner Biographies & MemoirsI 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！ 。。。more
Molly
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Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for my copy of this book。 Sports memoirs are not my usual genre， but I am glad I read this。 Difficult subject matter， but I am in awe of her 👍
Aimee LaGrandeur
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I’ve followed Oksana Masters since her interview with Players’ Tribune in 2020， which is fittingly what the book ends on。 The interview is striking in its honesty， but also it’s generosity of spirit。 Oksana is adamant that sharing her story empowers her and she wants it to empower others; we are a sum of our parts， especially the hard parts， but we can rise beyond what has happened to us and own our stories。 Her memoir is a deep exploration of that， and a more comprehensive view of her life up t I’ve followed Oksana Masters since her interview with Players’ Tribune in 2020， which is fittingly what the book ends on。 The interview is striking in its honesty， but also it’s generosity of spirit。 Oksana is adamant that sharing her story empowers her and she wants it to empower others; we are a sum of our parts， especially the hard parts， but we can rise beyond what has happened to us and own our stories。 Her memoir is a deep exploration of that， and a more comprehensive view of her life up to this point， and I loved every minute we get to spend with her as the reader。 On her Instagram， she has a great sense of humor and always seems bubbly and bursting with energy。 In her book her spirit bleeds through—I got a good giggle quite a few times—but she also shares what’s going on underneath that and how it often functions as a mask。 The way Oksana leads us through her journey gives the impression that she’s spent time moving through her trauma， and her message is that it’s okay to carry it with you， that it will be a part of you but you don’t have to let it overtake you。 There are definitely trigger warnings， that especially as a bookseller I’ll definitely be conscious of， but the book is ultimately uplifting and things are shared in a reflective way that aims to encourage & inspire anyone else struggling through similar hard parts。In short， I adored Oksana Masters， and her book only made me appreciate her more！！ 。。。more
antiasann13
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Oksana's story is super inspiring！ At the beginning of the book， reading about the struggles she faced in her childhood was so heartbreaking， but it was amazing to see how she developed an incredible relationship with her mom， who pushed her to work hard for her dreams。 This is definitely one of the best memoirs I have ever read and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is trying to achieve any kind of goal in their own life！ Oksana's story is super inspiring！ At the beginning of the book， reading about the struggles she faced in her childhood was so heartbreaking， but it was amazing to see how she developed an incredible relationship with her mom， who pushed her to work hard for her dreams。 This is definitely one of the best memoirs I have ever read and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is trying to achieve any kind of goal in their own life！ 。。。more
Chris
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Thanks for the advanced copy。I loved this book。A lot of parts were difficult to read。。。 how could one little girl live through such a horrible beginning？ Oksana persevered and came out on top。She is amazing， and she has an amazing mom！
Joyce
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Dreams can be fulfilled and demons overcome。 A detailed memoir of a very determined woman to achieve success with both。 Oksana was fortunate to have a mother love her unconditionally thus allowing her to become her own person。 An extremely moving memoir giving hope to others。A very， very good read。
Debra McCann
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It is incredibly difficult for someone to open up sensitive areas of their life and write them down for any and all to read。 In “The Hard Parts”， Oksana Masters， athlete and Para-Olympics gold medalist， allows us to know some of her difficult and inspirational life story。 In an Ukrainian orphanage， she endures severe childhood trauma， and then is adopted by an outstanding individual， Gay Masters， who becomes her devoted mother and advocate。 In spite of physical disabilities， and psychological ch It is incredibly difficult for someone to open up sensitive areas of their life and write them down for any and all to read。 In “The Hard Parts”， Oksana Masters， athlete and Para-Olympics gold medalist， allows us to know some of her difficult and inspirational life story。 In an Ukrainian orphanage， she endures severe childhood trauma， and then is adopted by an outstanding individual， Gay Masters， who becomes her devoted mother and advocate。 In spite of physical disabilities， and psychological challenges， Oksana develops into a top-notch athlete in several sports。 She is able to achieve top athletic accomplishments in world-wide competition。 This autobiography expresses her message about finding inner strength and celebrating life。 This book acknowledges the darkness that lives in the world。 It also defines the healing power of love put forth by people determined enough to care for others who are in desperate need。 Oksana Masters exemplifies the power of the individual to build success， a sense of self worth， and happiness in to their life。 I hope she has the best of everything as she continues her amazing life journey！ USA and Ukraine Proud！ 。。。more
Diane Bateman
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I thought this book was well written and was heart felt 。 I thought it was interesting to read about the trauma and how she coped and how she explained everything 。
Jim
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I won this book on Goodreads。 What an amazing book， I was absorbed from the very beginning until the last sentence。 Oksana is an inspiration to everyone！ From her determination， spirit， endurance and shear will， I will remember her in my times when I am down to keep me going and to never give up。 I just hope I have as much drive and courage as she does。 Oksana captures nicely all her hardships and triumphs。 Wow what a wonderful book this is。
Brittney
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Thanks for this Giveaway！I never heard of Oksana Masters， but I entered to win this book initially because my fiancé works in prosthetics。I fell completely in love with Oksana reading her story。 She has such a good soul and is beautiful inside and out。 The situation that happened with her best friend Laney was heartbreaking。I read books in rotation up until a certain point where if I only have a few chapters left of one， I’ll go ahead and finish it。 I still had quite a bit to go with this one， b Thanks for this Giveaway！I never heard of Oksana Masters， but I entered to win this book initially because my fiancé works in prosthetics。I fell completely in love with Oksana reading her story。 She has such a good soul and is beautiful inside and out。 The situation that happened with her best friend Laney was heartbreaking。I read books in rotation up until a certain point where if I only have a few chapters left of one， I’ll go ahead and finish it。 I still had quite a bit to go with this one， but finished it anyway because it was THAT good！Thank you for this one。 Oksana is humble and an inspiration。 Definitely worth reading！ 。。。more
H
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Five big stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book was wonderful。 It was honest and powerful。 I highly recommend this book and am happy to loan my copy out。 Oksana - you are so inspiring！ ♥️
Kristine （Trying to Get Back to Reading）
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💖❤️🩹💖 I just received this in the mail today and it sounds really interesting。 Oksana Masters was born in the Ukraine and has many physical challenges since she was exposed to Utero Radiation from Chernobyl。 She seems dandy to grow up in an orphanage， but at 7 was adopted and came to the United States。 She has to endure so much， but does go on to become America’s most decorated Winter Paralympian。 I like these type of stories， where reading I learn how someone gains the strength to persevere an 💖❤️🩹💖 I just received this in the mail today and it sounds really interesting。 Oksana Masters was born in the Ukraine and has many physical challenges since she was exposed to Utero Radiation from Chernobyl。 She seems dandy to grow up in an orphanage， but at 7 was adopted and came to the United States。 She has to endure so much， but does go on to become America’s most decorated Winter Paralympian。 I like these type of stories， where reading I learn how someone gains the strength to persevere and triumph。 I also especially like books about the Ukraine Region and the hardships many have endured over the years。 These are incredible achievements and will check back with a full review of this book。 We have a small library where I live and trying to develop it more。 Reading really offers so many answers to life’s challenges I find。 📚💕 。。。more
Georgette
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Wow。 What a fantastic book！ Her story is as hard as the title indicates， but her positivity shines through。 Warning: if you are sensitive， grab the tissues。 You will need them！
Kasia
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**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**I am not a sensitive person but this book made me ugly cry by the time I've reached page 50。Oksana had a terrible start in her life and if you think you have an idea what "terrible" might mean I am going to warn you right away - it is much， much worse。 If you are triggered by any kind of abuse - don't pick up this book。 However， from the heartbreaking beginnings sprouts a very uplifting story about healing powers of sports and love， a **ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**I am not a sensitive person but this book made me ugly cry by the time I've reached page 50。Oksana had a terrible start in her life and if you think you have an idea what "terrible" might mean I am going to warn you right away - it is much， much worse。 If you are triggered by any kind of abuse - don't pick up this book。 However， from the heartbreaking beginnings sprouts a very uplifting story about healing powers of sports and love， about perseverance and coming to terms （at least partially） with past traumas。 Oksana's achievements are extraordinary and its very intriguing to see not only the outcome （many medals in the biggest sport events） but also a path that lead there。 It's a "motivational porn" at its best。To my utter delight this book also contains an absolutely amazing depictions of healthy and supportive mother-daughter relationship。 In the sea of ugliness this bond is like a beacon of hope and I loved how importance of it was emphasized multiple times。 I love Mrs。 Masters with all my heart and I wish everyone could have a mother like that。Recommend to anyone and everyone。 。。。more
Bridgette
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The Hard Parts brought tears of sorrow and joy to my eyes！ Oksana does a beautiful job taking you back to her cruel orphanage days， her adoptive mother's journey to get her and her life in the Olympics。 It is beautifully written！ Thank you， Oksana！ Highly recommend！ The Hard Parts brought tears of sorrow and joy to my eyes！ Oksana does a beautiful job taking you back to her cruel orphanage days， her adoptive mother's journey to get her and her life in the Olympics。 It is beautifully written！ Thank you， Oksana！ Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Nancy
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