It is a good book that opens with the kidnapping of Evelyn Chang and her husband in the Philippines. The story goes into the abduction and Mrs. Chang will survive. Then goes into the life of Gene Yu from his younger days to being accepted into West Point his time there and then into his life in the military and becoming a Green Beret. Goes into why he left and now the rest of the story is his second shot at rescuing Mrs. Chang and a second chance at redemption for himself. I enjoyed reading his story and once again I found parts of his story sad that politics led to him leaving the Army after all of the time and money the government spent on training and schooling. Overall a good book.

The Second Shot by Gene Yu is a fascinating and gripping memoir.
An emotional and captivating journey I was not able to put this book down.

Thank You NetGalley and Little A for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Gene Yu’s “The Second Shot” is a riveting true story that plunges readers into the heart of an unsanctioned rescue mission in the treacherous jungles of the Philippines. As a former Green Beret, Yu defies all expectations to become an unlikely American hero.

Evelyn Chang and her husband were on vacation in the Philippines when they fell victim to a terrorist ambush. Her husband was killed, Evelyn was kidnapped, disappearing into the lawless Sulu Archipelago. With no hope of official rescue, her family turns to Gene Yu—an unemployed former Green Beret—for help. His improbable mission: infiltrate one of the world’s most dangerous corners and bring her back. Alone.

“The Second Shot” is more than a tale of daring rescue. It’s a dual narrative—one of personal liberation and self-identity beyond battlefields, and the other set amid the excruciating ordeals of a jungle war zone. As an Asian American man, once self-described as “nobody squared,” Gene defies stereotypes to become Evelyn’s last hope of survival.

Gene Yu’s harrowing and self-deprecating memoir grips readers from the first page. His journey is not only about physical rescue but also about discovering identity and purpose. The tension is palpable, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Yu’s storytelling prowess shines, making “The Second Shot” an unforgettable read.

For fans of real-life heroism, resilience, and gripping narratives, “The Second Shot” delivers. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat, rooting for an unlikely hero who defies the odds.

Something I really appreciated and wanted to highlight about The Second Shot is this titular idea of the second shot, second chances, and being kind to yourself in that way. Once he introduces this concept, Yu does a great job of hammering it home, especially in telling the main story of Evelyn's rescue. I think it could have been that much more effective if it came up earlier than a third of the way through, though. From the moment it was mentioned, the narrative made a lot more sense to me, and I became more invested. On another note, for a while, I was struggling to figure out if his account felt too glorifying of war, but I think I'm settling in that I don't think he overly romanticizes it, and that he offers important critiques of the industry that is war. When it and the army are more glorified, they tend to be in reference to his own experience, which is obviously appropriate for his own memoir, and he also acknowledges plenty about the horrible racism he had to endure on his way to becoming a Green Beret. It definitely hits the hardest when he recounts the time his loyalty was questioned for his relationship with the Taiwanese president, and his anger is contagious.

This brings me to a slight complaint I had, which isn't too major. Like with his retelling of his loyalty being questioned, I felt that his tangents tended to be a little too long. He'd be telling us about an important story or about the main story, and I'd be invested, but then he would start to bring in another time in his life, and I'd get a little lost. These tangents would definitely be relevant, but they would drag on a bit too long, and it gets hard to keep the pace of the central story up. I definitely think that's why it took me longer to read this, because I'd get stuck on one of these tangents and have to put the book down once we returned to the main story.

Despite these qualms I have with the book, I still want to highlight the very rich picture it paints of an Asian man's experience in the struggles of the army. Yu's writing is very imaginative and picturesque, and I found myself lost in it more than once. Yu was able to leave me with a really important lasting impression: that people's best qualities can emerge despite war rather than because of war. The communities he found through his connection with the army and the way he was able to persevere with the help of others really touched me, and I was glad to have read this book regardless of my complaints :)