Tatyana McFadden is one of the all-time great athletes in sports history.
Ya Sama! Moments from My Life
chronicles the incredible journey from her birth with
spina bifida
in Russia in 1989 and her early years in a St. Petersburg orphanage, to her U.S. adoption and international success in wheelchair racing.
Ya sama
is a Russian expression that means "I can do it." Since her earliest memories ya sama has been Tatyana's guiding belief that she could do anything she set her mind and imagination to do. The result is a life that goes beyond just surviving tragedy to actually using her unique situation to become a success both on and off the racing track. Beginning at the 2004 Athens Paralympics at the age of fifteen, Tatyana has proven her exceptionalism through her achievements as a ten-time gold, silver, and bronze-medal summer Paralympic athlete; a silver-medal winter Paralympic athlete; sixteen-time World Champion; and winner of thirteen major world marathons and three Grand Slams. Now 27 years old, Tatyana will be competing in the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games this September.
is written for middle-school readers, but the book's engaging first-person narrative will appeal to people of all ages. Tatyana's story of optimism and perseverance will resonate with anyone confronted with obstacles in life, whether great or small. More than a story of against-the-odds survival,
is a fascinate and unique story of the power of human spirit.