Review: One of the Best Memoirs I Have Read

In this review of Vera Koo’s book “The Most Unlikely Champion,” written by Amna Khalid for Online Book Club, the reviewer notes that “this is one of the best memoirs I have read.” Keep reading to find out why, and why Amna rates this book 4 out of 4 stars.

The Most Unlikely Champion is a memoir written by Vera Koo with the assistance of Justin Pahl. The memoir describes the life of Vera Koo, who joined a firearm safety course to defeat her fear of guns. A Chinese-American lady and an immigrant from Hong Kong, belonging to family following traditional values, struggle to become a successful shooter in a male-dominated sport. The traditional values that command women to serve their family, the author defied those values and became a successful shooter, businesswoman, wife, and mother. Vera Koo, a middle-aged woman, encountered tragedies, betrayal, hurt, grief, and disappointments throughout the journey. She explains various aspects of her life, including her relationship with family and husband, her struggles in the field of shooting, and her encounters with several risks leading to injuries. But, by faith in God, the author survived all the challenges and overpowered the hurdles with determination.

She became the first and only woman to earn eight National Women’s titles. Therefore, the first woman to achieve a place in the top 20 at Bianchi Cup. Now, she is the winner of ‘Action Pistol Shooting’ both nationally and internationally.

One of the Best Memoirs I Have Read

There is no specific thing I dislike about this book. It has been one of the best memoirs I have read. I liked the idea that the author preferred to convey her personal life experiences. It was insightful not to include her professional life experiences only. Furthermore, I like the list she mentioned at the end of the book about her championships and records. I love the photographs that she included after the chapter “The Right Direction.” The pictures portray Vera Koo, her family, and her shooting events.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars since the author did amazing work by delivering her personal & professional life experiences. It takes courage to share such distressing moments, and Vera Koo proved to be one of the strong women both physically and mentally. Also, the reason behind the 4 stars is that the book is professionally edited. Few grammatical errors did not influence my focus to read. However, these errors can be neglected by readers. I didn’t rate it 3 stars because the memoir is an inspirational work of the author, and somewhat I was able to relate to it.

I would recommend this book to everyone who is struggling to achieve their goals. I would commend it to the readers who love reading memoirs. Someone who is experiencing twists and turns in their life and lacks determination needs to read this book. If readers are striving with grief and forgiveness, this is the right book to find hope. It’s one of her inspiring pieces of work, and it is one of the reasons she became a well-known personality in the world.

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