Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
When Vera Koo enrolled in a firearm safety course in the late 1980s, she couldn't have looked more out of a place. She was a petite, Chinese-American woman in a class of mostly men. She had no idea this "man's world" was about to turn her life upside down.
In The Most Unlikely Champion, she shares her story of perseverance that eventually transformed her into the most unlikely pistol champion, an eight-time winner of the Bianchi Cup in the Women's Division, America's most prestigious action-pistol championship. In this memoir, she narrates how she had plenty of experience as a woman in a man's world. She'd grown up in Hong Kong, where conservative Chinese values told women their place was in the home, where they would serve their husbands as supportive wives and mothers.
When Koo was twelve, her father moved the family to the United States. With new opportunities came new challenges. Koo and her husband, Carlos, navigated the male-dominated world of real estate, only to find their business teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. They tried to build a family, but were shaken, time and again, by unexpected tragedies. Throughout the journey, she developed a deep faith in God which helped her the survive pain and disappointment threatening to crush her.
The Most Unlikely Champion tells a story of triumph and tragedy, persistence, and pain. But more than that, it's about how faith and hard work can help a person achieve more than they thought possible.
Synopsis
Vera Koo enrolled in a firearm safety course because she was afraid of guns. Goals are important to Vera, so she set hers high, completing the beginner's course, and eventually becoming the best shooter in her advanced class. Her instructor suggested she reach for an even higher goal with competitive shooting. And she did. With unflinching focus and determination, Vera became one of the most accomplished shooters ever. At age 70, she's an eight-time women's division winner of the prestigious Bianchi Cup Action Pistol Championship. She's the first woman to place in the Top 20 in the Bianchi Cup competition.
Vera's story is more than that of a petite Asian woman becoming a top competitor in the male-dominated sport shooting world. It's the story of a Chinese immigrant, raised in a traditional Chinese culture, where women deferred to their husbands and kept to their socio-economic class, succeeded in America. Vera is a successful businesswoman, accomplished athlete, and a loving wife and mother. It was never an 'either or' for Vera, it's about meeting life's challenges head-on with dogged persistence, grace, humility-and humor.
With faith in herself and God, Vera has survived unexpected tragedies, tremendous hurt, and betrayal. And yet, her story is about hope, love, compassion, and forgiveness. Through all the twists and turns in her life, Vera shows us how the same grit that made her a world class athlete, helped her find joy.
"Search for something you're good at," Vera says, "and it will take you far."
- Vera