Unmasked

In 2011, Turia Pitt made headlines for having barely survived a terrible bushfire in the desert. She is now one of the most inspirational women in Australia.

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 fiancé, 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 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, uncovers the grace, humour, and inner steel that gets Turia Pitt through every day—and which leaves the rest of us watching on in amazement.