Review: Nothing I Didn’t Like About This Book

In this review of Vera Koo’s memoir “The Most Unlikely Champion,” reviewer Tarie07 explains why there’s “nothing I didn’t like about this book.” Keep reading to find out why this reviewer gives the book 4 out of 4 stars.

For most people life is a constant struggle, fighting one battle after the other. At the end of the day, how you handle yourself in these struggles is what matters most. The same could be said about Vera Koo’s life. The Most Unlikely Champion is a memoir by Vera Koo with Justin Pahl. Koo is a Chinese-American woman from a very traditional background. Growing up she was taught to put everything else first before she could even think about her own needs. She grows up with an inferiority complex brought about by her mother’s remarks regarding her looks. However, these remarks helped build up the kind of resilience she would need to become The Most Unlikely Champion.

Her story is one of family, pain, betrayal, forgiveness and perseverance to name a few. She loses her mother, her son and her brother, but never allowed the pain to break her down. Her marriage goes through turmoil, and instead of letting it break her, she channels the destructive energy into sport-shooting. It also allowed her to find God. Being in a male dominated industry, she never allowed all the constant diminishing remarks to get to her, she kept herself focused. Throughout her journey, Vera experiences not only a great deal of emotional pain, but physical too when she fractures her spine and breaks her leg. Will the broken leg be the end of her sport-shooting career?

Nothing I Didn’t Like About This Book

There is nothing I did not like about this book. It was so captivating and emotional I could not afford to put it down. I was inspired in countless angles. I loved how Vera Koo defied the odds set against women; to always tend to other people’s needs and never your own. Traditionally women are objectified as child bearing machines meant to play the roles of perfect wives. Still, she took a hobby and turned it into a career, and became one of the best in an industry with very few women. Being so competitive at the age of 70 shows it is never too late to follow your dreams. The use of pictures of Vera Koo and her family in the book made the story even more real. Her journey from being non-religious to becoming religious was unique. I personally loved how she found God during her devastating times, how easily she acknowledged his presence in her life, and accepted he is the reason why she has managed to accomplish so much with her inferiority complex. This encouraged me to keep holding on to my faith, to trust that God knows what is best for me and that he will always be by my side to guide me through the difficult times. I was touched by something she said that I quote;

“It can be easy to surrender to hopelessness, but the mark of true strength is to stand still against loss and sorrow and to use these things as your motivation to move forward, no matter how hard it might be.”

Vera Koo’s level of humility amazed me. Despite being better than most men who had always looked down on her, she was always humble about her winnings. I loved how she was not in competition with everyone else, but she was competing with herself, pushing herself to get better with every competition. It is crazy how she started shooting as a hobby, but it ended up being the best therapy through her difficult times with Carlos, her husband. I also liked how Carlos was always there for her and always supported her, even during the times they were having problems and even when he did not understand what the sport-shooting meant to her. Her honesty about her relationship with Carlos is something I found very honorable about Koo. Most people would have left the bad times out of the story, but she chose to be honest and hoped it would help some of the women faced with the same challenges.

The book was professionally edited. It was an inspiration for me and it kept me in awe at all times. Chapters were constantly alternating between the present and the past, but I never got lost in between. The vocabulary was not heavy which made the book that much more enjoyable. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This memoir is full of motivation and inspiration, and I would recommend it to all age groups. If you are constantly questioning yourself and you are struggling with inferiority complex, then this book could be of great help.

Purchase your copy of Vera’s memoir at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.