Oksana Masters

I'm not really one for sports stories, but the story of Oksana Masters offers much more. Born in Soviet Ukraine, Oksana was born with severe disabilities which required multiple surgeries and caused her to be placed in an orphanage. She was adopted, after many struggles, by an American woman who was fiercely determined to give Oksana the best life possible. As a teenage, Oksana started rowing, partially as therapy. This began a journey that took Oksana to multiple Paralympic Games, where she has won multiple metals in different sports. An engaging story and one that can appeal to even those like me, with little interest in sports.… (more)

The Hard Parts by Oksana Masters

This 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)