Review of Man Mission
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Review of Man Mission
[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]
What is the typical he-man stereotype in one sentence? A reckless, adrenaline-driven Homo sapien who bathes in his pride(and occasionally, regular soap) and thrives on proving his macho-ness to everyone around him including himself even though it may end up killing him. Eytan Uliel’s Man Mission represents this sentence and more.
We have heard the story of epic adventures told time and again - both fantastical and real. We have read of them in books and watched them on the television and even heard many tales and many of them end with more than just bruised knees and a broken ego. But when four friends go on an annual adventure into the captivating unknown, what could possibly go wrong?
A lovely lad with a love for food and adventure proposed a truly inviting feat; a means to escape the ache of the unfortunately boring life of a suburban man, an adrenaline-based, poorly planned justification to escape from the responsibilities of an adult once a year; a Man Mission. They decided it would be reckless, straining and, of course, done without the use of helpers(unless absolutely necessary). It sounded so beautiful, so alluring and too good to be true. But with heads put together, anything is possible. From getting a ride from hippie-like drug dealers to biking from city to city to staring an elephant dead in the eye, anything is possible. After all, two heads will always be better than one. Double that and it’s a match made in heaven.
Man Mission by Eytan Uliel tells more than the story of four men being macho for a couple of days over a period of fifteen years, it tells the story of four friends and their ordeals with life. From changing diapers to kayaking, you can read how traditions are born while learning a thing or two about what to and not to do as an adult. You can read about the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. You can read and embrace the fact that sometimes, it’s not about being a man or a woman, it’s about being human.
There are many positive aspects to the book. First and foremost, one which I enjoyed the most was the little portions at the beginning of each chapter dedicated to giving us a glimpse of what would happen later on in the chapter. That entertaining opening always brightened up the chapter and built up tension till I reached that moment in the chapter. Another positive aspect would be that the book is professionally well edited and I carried on reading the book flawlessly from the beginning to the end. Another positive aspect was that this book remained predictable throughout. There were moments when I felt like I could predict the future of the book, but it’s safe to say that in most occurrences, I was left in shock. This, to me, is a positive aspect because it enabled the book to switch tones continuously much to my enjoyment. Finally, there was a beautiful balance between reality and fiction. Although this book is non-fiction, there might seem to be elements of fiction in it through their comedic adventures, however, the author impressively maintained a lovely harmony all through and prevented it from shifting to something unreal or somewhat like a fairytale.
I found myself enjoying this book and it’s safe to say that negative aspects were a rare occurrence. However, there was one thing that offset me at first which was the use of flashbacks and flashforwards. Due to personal preference, I was a bit weary at first, but the author did a fantastic job of using them to enhance the story. This is the only negative aspect I found in the book.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The positive aspects did a wonderful job of outweighing the almost unnoticeable negative ones.
This book contains profanity and sexual references, so it is not recommended for a younger audience. I would recommend Man Mission by Eytan Uliel to lovers of non-fiction who also enjoy a good comedy.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
What is the typical he-man stereotype in one sentence? A reckless, adrenaline-driven Homo sapien who bathes in his pride(and occasionally, regular soap) and thrives on proving his macho-ness to everyone around him including himself even though it may end up killing him. Eytan Uliel’s Man Mission represents this sentence and more.
We have heard the story of epic adventures told time and again - both fantastical and real. We have read of them in books and watched them on the television and even heard many tales and many of them end with more than just bruised knees and a broken ego. But when four friends go on an annual adventure into the captivating unknown, what could possibly go wrong?
A lovely lad with a love for food and adventure proposed a truly inviting feat; a means to escape the ache of the unfortunately boring life of a suburban man, an adrenaline-based, poorly planned justification to escape from the responsibilities of an adult once a year; a Man Mission. They decided it would be reckless, straining and, of course, done without the use of helpers(unless absolutely necessary). It sounded so beautiful, so alluring and too good to be true. But with heads put together, anything is possible. From getting a ride from hippie-like drug dealers to biking from city to city to staring an elephant dead in the eye, anything is possible. After all, two heads will always be better than one. Double that and it’s a match made in heaven.
Man Mission by Eytan Uliel tells more than the story of four men being macho for a couple of days over a period of fifteen years, it tells the story of four friends and their ordeals with life. From changing diapers to kayaking, you can read how traditions are born while learning a thing or two about what to and not to do as an adult. You can read about the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows. You can read and embrace the fact that sometimes, it’s not about being a man or a woman, it’s about being human.
There are many positive aspects to the book. First and foremost, one which I enjoyed the most was the little portions at the beginning of each chapter dedicated to giving us a glimpse of what would happen later on in the chapter. That entertaining opening always brightened up the chapter and built up tension till I reached that moment in the chapter. Another positive aspect would be that the book is professionally well edited and I carried on reading the book flawlessly from the beginning to the end. Another positive aspect was that this book remained predictable throughout. There were moments when I felt like I could predict the future of the book, but it’s safe to say that in most occurrences, I was left in shock. This, to me, is a positive aspect because it enabled the book to switch tones continuously much to my enjoyment. Finally, there was a beautiful balance between reality and fiction. Although this book is non-fiction, there might seem to be elements of fiction in it through their comedic adventures, however, the author impressively maintained a lovely harmony all through and prevented it from shifting to something unreal or somewhat like a fairytale.
I found myself enjoying this book and it’s safe to say that negative aspects were a rare occurrence. However, there was one thing that offset me at first which was the use of flashbacks and flashforwards. Due to personal preference, I was a bit weary at first, but the author did a fantastic job of using them to enhance the story. This is the only negative aspect I found in the book.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The positive aspects did a wonderful job of outweighing the almost unnoticeable negative ones.
This book contains profanity and sexual references, so it is not recommended for a younger audience. I would recommend Man Mission by Eytan Uliel to lovers of non-fiction who also enjoy a good comedy.
******
Man Mission
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
