Unmasked

by Turia Pitt

Whether via the numerous media reports, 60 Minutes specials, Women’s Weekly cover stories or her first book, Everything To Live For, we know about the why, how and what of that fateful day in September 2011. We know how she died four times on the operating table and her tortuous road to recovery. We’ve had a glimpse of the love of her fiance, Michael, that sustained her, and seen hints of the inner-strength that has made her one of the most admired women in the country. But until now, the true essence of this most remarkable Australian, plus the toll her accident has all taken on her and those around her, have remained a mystery.How and why does she push herself to ever greater physical and mental limits? What does she see when she looks in the mirror? How does her sudden celebrity (for the most unorthodox of reasons) sit with her? What lessons has she learned in the past five years? And how can each and every one of us take those lessons and apply them to our own lives?Since the first edition of Unmasked, in which Turia describes a never-ending series of impressive physical feats, including climbing the Great Wall of China, walking the Kokoda Track and competing in not one but two Ironman competitions, she and Michael have had a little boy, Hakavai. In this second edition, in three new chapters Turia also narrates her pregnancy and the joy of having a child.Unmasked reveals the woman behind the headlines, and in so doing, uncover the grace, humour and inner-steel that gets Turia Pitt through every day – and which leaves the rest of us watching on in amazement.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Disability, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Book Club

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2017

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does one say about Turia Pitt that does her justice. She has an amazing and inspiring attitude. Her guts and determination are second to none. As a former Ironman and 100 miler ultramarathoner my stubbornness and determination pales in comparison to Turia in everything she sets her mind to accomplish. I started reading this book thinking it was an autobiography; it actually is the best motivational book I have ever read (as well as an autobiography). I admired Turia before and now I am in complete awe of her. Congratulations Turia on what you have achieved but more importantly congratulations on being the inspiring and gorgeous woman you are x

[*Lee* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone.should.read.this.book.
I couldn't put it down. Turia Pitt is a dead set legend. 💪🏼✊🏼
And reading this book makes me even more annoyed with people who whine over insignificant shit, or who whinge about things but don't get off their arses to have a crack at fixing it.
#amazinghuman

[Nicole Kelsall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turia is a legend!! Her attitude to life is beyond inspiring. She has literally been to hell and back and yet she brings a positive perspective to all that she has been through. Turia is living proof that with the right attitude and mind set you can do anything. And I have to mention what an awesome human her now husband Michael is. How blessed they are to have each other. 💕💕

[Jess Dumitro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turia - You are an amazing human!
Your story and the love Michael and yourself have for one and other is amazing. I found myself tearing up a few times through out the book, good tears though.
This book will make you realize you can do anything you put your mind to and that beauty comes with in.

[Zoe Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Really puts life into perspective! Wow.

[Annie Gummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely incredible - the resilience, passion and mindset of Turia is next to none. An amazing read that will leave you wanting to throw yourself into things far out of your comfort zone. A story of real hope and tenacity.

[Svenja · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Sterne = Leseempfehlung für jeden, der sich für die Geschichte von Turia Pitt interessiert.

Ich finde das Buch toll. Turia ist sehr authentisch und offen und teil viele Details von ihrer Geschichte in diesem Buch. Mich persönlich inspiriert Turia sehr und dieses Buch hat mir auch wieder Schwung und Motivation mitgegeben. Interessant finde ich auch, dass hier auch verschiedene involvierte Personen zu Wort kommen und aus ihrer jeweiligen Sicht beschreiben.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very inspiring lady who has managed to find a way to live with those amazing burns. I would have liked to hear more about her daily life & the challenges she faces. The
chapters by friends & family seemed unnecessary at times.

[Nic Ayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Tricky to review. While I find everything that Turia has fought for is inspirational and admirable, this book just did not wow me.

[Amy Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a woman. So strong and inspiring.
And MICHAEL!! What a man.
Lots of tears when listening to the different POVs throughout this book.

If you’re not already an organ donor, sign up today! 🫶🏼

[Meg Hoodcamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most down-to-earth books written from the heart and with a refreshing honesty, that endears Turia. Turia's story is a story of someone with great courage and strength, her positive energy is infectious while reading this book. i couldn't put it down. Her story is also a love story between herself and Michael, whose character and integrity are beyond the norm, and he is the calm, quiet strength that lifted Turia in her darkest days. i loved every page and cant wait to read her next journey, marriage, children, and more challenges. My friend has already borrowed this book and another friend is waiting to read it next. The way that Aussies can relate to Turia and her upbringing and her childhood memories, and her love of sport...gives us a common ground and an jnstant connection with Turia. i laughed and i cried in this book. Inspiring and charming i loved this book!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understand this author wrote an earlier book too which I would probably have preferred to read first. The whole event was of course horrendous though the book is not at all depressing really. Throughout the book the author praises help provided to her by family, medical staff and friends. We don't all find the world to be constantly that way and I was just a little sceptical of that constant thread.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It gave a lot of insight into the strategies Turia uses to accomplish all of the endurance events she completes. I will definitely be trying some of when completing Ironman!

[Bel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. I didn't know much about Turia Pitt's story before reading this, just that she had survived getting caught in a bushfire during a marathon. I am so glad I read this, her already existing resilience and determination really shone through during the challenges she described that comes with surviving burns to 65% of her body. Great for providing perspective on what is really important! Also her physical feats that she had gone on to undertake after her recovery such as completing IRONMAN, the IRONMAN world championship, the Kokoda track... the list goes on, it was just inspiring. They are amazing accomplishments on their own for sure, but with challenges such as not being able to regulate body temperature or without all of your fingers, it was just a little bit more amazing to read about. The parts where people close to her shared their experience of her recovery was really touching too. Read if you liked David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, both books describe pushing the body to the limit and captures the same sort of energy in my opinion

[Mel Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible story. From the horror, pain and suffering, a immensely challenging recovery to amazing, adventures and achievements. Just amazing!! It's an absolute testament to the power of love, to the ability to truly be whatever you believe and an excellent example of hope. I was in tears by the end of it. We can do hard things.

[Meg Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until all my friends have read this book, I will shamelessly continue to zealously harass them to read it. I am obsessed . She is smart, funny, determined- just amazing. Reading this book was humbling, in the best type of way. If you need a change in perspective, motivation, or want to read an amazing underdog story of a burn victim, pick👏up👏this👏gem.

[Ashleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book, really inspirational woman right here.

[Myka Kneebone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I wouldn’t choose an autobiography for myself, but this one came highly recommended. It shows great triumph, emotion and the mantra ‘to eat an elephant you must eat one bite at a time.’

[Kirra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly inspiring lady.

[Ange McEwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring ❤️

[Milly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book about turias life but simplified I loved it she is such an inspiration

[Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

As readers, we can only imagine the physical and mental challenges and difficulties Turia has faced since being badly burnt while competing in a run in the Australian outback. To come back and compete in the Kona Ironman after suffering such horrendous burns is an incredible story, but Turia is obviously an incredible and inspiring young woman.

[Kate Carney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turia is such an inspiration, highly recommend this book.

[Keira · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps this rating is unfair, after all I did not finish reading this book and it could have improved towards the end - however I grew bored of reading about how a person from a caring family background and a good education achieved a lot in her life and was able to exploit a tragedy for financial gain and fame. Given her huge support network surrounding her and access to some of the best medical facilities and expertise in the world the odds were pretty high that Ms Pitt would recover from her burns. There were others who similarly sustained horrific burns in that fire and choose to live the quiet life out of the public eye. It is great that Ms Pitt is giving back through charity work but I question whether or not she deserves the demi-sainthood the Australian media has bestowed upon her. Clearly I have it all wrong as the majority of reviewers give the book the highest rating, so I suggest you go ahead and read the book and decide for yourself.

[Kate Cornfoot · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible woman. And a fantastic book. It's kind of part-memoir, part-motivational, but largely just her telling her story (with the assistance of a ghost writer, Bryce Corbett), drawing on the most significant events in her life (both before and after the fire). The thing that has most stayed with me is Turia's attitude of living outside of her comfort zone and pushing herself to reach ever more challenging goals. She's completed two ironman events - now pregnant, she'll face another kind of endurance event! Truly inspiring.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetative and boring in the many times the same information is shared from the perspective of different family members. I found the book critical and lacking in humilty toward those who differ from a 'double degree engineer' like Ms Pitt and her loved ones.
For example Ms Pitt's mother on first seeing the dreadful burn injuries on her daughter : "From that moment I treated her recovery as a project. There were other burns patients in the hospital and their loved ones seemed not to know what else to do but sit around and cry. I was determined not to be like that." :(

[Jacqui Schischka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this book about Turia's accident and her recovery journey, including her two ironman races. Turia is an absolute inspiration and I also enjoyed reading about the experiences of her loved ones and special people involved in her journey in the first person too. I especially loved the postscript urging readers to donate tissue and organs as this saved Turia's life and has enabled her to live a fierce life. Inspirational stuff!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal!!! This was an outstanding insight into Turia Pitt’s struggles and successes. The contributions from the special people in her life also enhanced the reading experience. When she described how it felt to finish her first Ironman event, I could barely hold back the tears. So many accomplishments following such adversity.
My only criticism came from listening to this as an audiobook. I really wished Turia had narrated this herself.

[Nicole Shires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Turias first book and was so moved by her experience and what a strong, independence, courageous soul she is. Read this in pretty much one sitting at two airports and on the plane. I loved how this time she included the perspective of other people involved and how her changes and life has impacted them in such a dramatic way.

[Alison Petchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turia Pitt is loved very much and while this book explores all the personal motivations that helped her through the ordeals (which were and still are) monumentous, the underlying theme is the love and care displayed every day by those around her that contributed in so many ways to her rehabilitation and recovery. Their stories are interwoven through her own in this inspiring and uplifting book.