Vera Koo Book Review in ‘The Daily Caller’

In this review, Gunsite rangemaster and firearms trainer Il Ling New writes about what Vera Koo’s book, “The Most Unlikely Champion,” means to her, as featured in “The Daily Caller.” After Il Ling wrote the review, she met Vera at a trade show in Nashville. This photo was taken at that show, and later, Vera and Il Ling had dinner together with their husbands.

Vera reported that she believes she and Il Ling share Yuanfen, which, according to Vera in this column over at “Women’s Outdoor News,” has this meaning: “In the Chinese culture, we believe in a concept called Yuanfen, which is when fate brings two people together. If you have Yuanfen with another person, you will feel comfortable with that person. You can talk with each other like you have known each other forever, even if you have known each other only for a short time.”

It appears that Il Ling would agree with this conclusion from Vera, and you can read her review at “The Daily Caller,” below.

Vera Koo Book Review

What would you do if life handed you not 1, not 2, not 3, but a series of gut-wrenching, only-in-the-movies tragedies? What would you do if your life, as you knew it, had ended – not once, not twice, but so many times that you felt like the walking dead?

If you’re Vera Koo, you pick yourself up, “find something you’re good at,” and while you’re at it, become a record-breaking, gender-busting, multi-world champion. All after you raise 3 kids, run a successful business, and hit 40-years old.

Koo’s autobiography, “The Most Unlikely Champion,” is nearly impossible to categorize, and it’s just as hard to put down. Short but deftly crafted, Koo’s and collaborator Justin Pahl’s book is paced like a mystery and reads like an intimate journal. It’s deep look into one woman’s journeys – yes, there are several – through unthinkable heartache, tragedy and dark family secrets, to find her way to personal bests and personal discovery.

Background On Vera Koo

I’d heard of Vera Koo for years, and had been impressed and intrigued.  At a time when there weren’t many women shooters, let alone female competitors, she was breaking down walls and records, paving the way for the rest of us. To win the Bianchi Cup women’s championship an unprecedented 6 years in a row (including an overall-match high score), to hold numerous national and international medals and titles, is impressive enough. To endure and dominate for more than 2 decades is staggering.

I wanted to read her book because I wanted to know more about how all this came to pass. And, I’d hoped to gain some insights into being a better shooter.  I never expected that “The Most Unlikely Champion” would make me want to be a better person, too.

There are plenty of training tips for shooters who want them: walking on your knees to train going to prone! Blocking out thoughts – how even 2 words can lose you .32 seconds! But more important, Koo shows us how the strengths she developed to be the best shooter she could be, also helped her to be the best human being she could be.

Hop over to “The Daily Caller” to finish reading this excellent review by Il Ling New.