Review of Man Mission
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Lindiwe Chakhala
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Review of Man Mission
[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]
Summary
The metaphor “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus” might ring in your mind when you begin to read Man Mission by Eytan Uliel. This 362-page story is about four men who keep a youthful promise to travel the world. The trips give them a chance to escape the daily life grind. Over 15 years, they progress through life from young men to full-grown adults who learn how to navigate career, marriage, family and society values. They travel to exotic locations such as Hawaii, Taiwan, South Africa and many more to hike, to trek, to bike, and to kayak. They become more daring and impulsive with each dangerous adventure to test their masculinity.
In every chapter, the gentlemen meet male mammals who inspire them to be more masculine. From meeting Peter, a skipper, who left the corporate world for the ocean to an encounter with a lion in the South African bush. The book examines how the protagonist redefines his purpose as a son, a husband, a father, and a corporate man over 15 years. Dear reader, if I may pose a question to you, who and what is a real man in today’s world?
Positive aspects
A positive aspect is that the protagonist gives readers food-for-thought moments as he experiences them. He highlighted a crucial generational comparison. The older generation had a simpler world. They followed a general life path – marry, work, have children, raise a family, grow old and then die. This world has more options and choices. As a father, he thinks of his son and the world he will live in with its endless choices and freedom. He also questions how he can teach his son his purpose when he doesn’t know his own. His father did not adequately prepare him to develop emotional intelligence.
Another positive aspect is that he shares his true feelings and thoughts from his experiences. He was able to communicate them to readers. There were moments where I was disappointed by his decisions e.g., the marital affair, but I continued to read the story to understand his perspective without judgement.
Negative aspects
There are two negative aspects to Man Mission. Firstly, the protagonist’s name and physical description are not in the story. He is a male shadow. His friends Sam, Daniel, and Alec have physical descriptions that readers can image in their minds. Lastly, the .epub version of the book had an error. There were blank pages in-between each page affecting the overall reading experience.
Rating
A fantastic novel worthy of 4 out of 4 stars! It was refreshing to read a narrative with a male tone. There was a balance of drama, sarcastic humor and self-discovery. There were no grammar or spelling errors. The Man Mission trips provided them with the opportunity to take a break and be young boys at heart which warmed my heart whilst reading the book.
Recommended Audience
Man Mission by Eytan Uliel is a great novel. I recommend it to everyone. I would suggest keeping a clear open mind to allow yourself to join the protagonist on his self-reflective journey on what it means to be a real man. One key lesson I learnt is that we all need friends like Sam, Daniel and Alec in our lives. We all need friends that can support us and remind us of our dreams when we get lost in the daily grind of life. Friends who say, “Let’s just go right now!” regardless of what is happening in our lives. To conclude, the book flips the aforementioned metaphor to "Men are from Venus; Women are from Mars". Today’s real men have to redefine masculinity in terms of how they interact with people, handle life situations whilst figuring out how to achieve physical, mental, emotional, spiritual balance. Men have emotions, but today’s society does not give room for them to express themselves, and so dear reader, let me pose another question to you, have you checked on your male relatives and friends today?
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Summary
The metaphor “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus” might ring in your mind when you begin to read Man Mission by Eytan Uliel. This 362-page story is about four men who keep a youthful promise to travel the world. The trips give them a chance to escape the daily life grind. Over 15 years, they progress through life from young men to full-grown adults who learn how to navigate career, marriage, family and society values. They travel to exotic locations such as Hawaii, Taiwan, South Africa and many more to hike, to trek, to bike, and to kayak. They become more daring and impulsive with each dangerous adventure to test their masculinity.
In every chapter, the gentlemen meet male mammals who inspire them to be more masculine. From meeting Peter, a skipper, who left the corporate world for the ocean to an encounter with a lion in the South African bush. The book examines how the protagonist redefines his purpose as a son, a husband, a father, and a corporate man over 15 years. Dear reader, if I may pose a question to you, who and what is a real man in today’s world?
Positive aspects
A positive aspect is that the protagonist gives readers food-for-thought moments as he experiences them. He highlighted a crucial generational comparison. The older generation had a simpler world. They followed a general life path – marry, work, have children, raise a family, grow old and then die. This world has more options and choices. As a father, he thinks of his son and the world he will live in with its endless choices and freedom. He also questions how he can teach his son his purpose when he doesn’t know his own. His father did not adequately prepare him to develop emotional intelligence.
Another positive aspect is that he shares his true feelings and thoughts from his experiences. He was able to communicate them to readers. There were moments where I was disappointed by his decisions e.g., the marital affair, but I continued to read the story to understand his perspective without judgement.
Negative aspects
There are two negative aspects to Man Mission. Firstly, the protagonist’s name and physical description are not in the story. He is a male shadow. His friends Sam, Daniel, and Alec have physical descriptions that readers can image in their minds. Lastly, the .epub version of the book had an error. There were blank pages in-between each page affecting the overall reading experience.
Rating
A fantastic novel worthy of 4 out of 4 stars! It was refreshing to read a narrative with a male tone. There was a balance of drama, sarcastic humor and self-discovery. There were no grammar or spelling errors. The Man Mission trips provided them with the opportunity to take a break and be young boys at heart which warmed my heart whilst reading the book.
Recommended Audience
Man Mission by Eytan Uliel is a great novel. I recommend it to everyone. I would suggest keeping a clear open mind to allow yourself to join the protagonist on his self-reflective journey on what it means to be a real man. One key lesson I learnt is that we all need friends like Sam, Daniel and Alec in our lives. We all need friends that can support us and remind us of our dreams when we get lost in the daily grind of life. Friends who say, “Let’s just go right now!” regardless of what is happening in our lives. To conclude, the book flips the aforementioned metaphor to "Men are from Venus; Women are from Mars". Today’s real men have to redefine masculinity in terms of how they interact with people, handle life situations whilst figuring out how to achieve physical, mental, emotional, spiritual balance. Men have emotions, but today’s society does not give room for them to express themselves, and so dear reader, let me pose another question to you, have you checked on your male relatives and friends today?
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: WatchDogs Abnormal Beginnings by Mike L Junior
