Review of Man Mission

[Uwe Neufeld]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Man Mission" by Eytan Uliel.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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In Man Mission, Eytan Uliel narrates the adventures he and his 3 college friends undertake on their yearly week-long vacation. For 15 years, these travels take them from their home in Australia, to many different parts of the world, like New Zealand, Vietnam, Peru, Iceland, and many other countries. Meanwhile, they find their girlfriends, get married, have children, and navigate the dangerous waters of marriage and family life.

In this novel, the author writes in the first person how he meets Rachel, who soon becomes his wife. Their first children are twin daughters. Later they have a son, too. All the while, each year, the male friends will spend their holiday together with more or less the approval of their wives. There is one incident in their first adventure, which was a 5 day country hiking tour in New Zealand, in which the author got injured in his leg and had to be driven in the back of a pick-up truck to the hospital in the city. His rescuers were drug dealers, and the driver alternated between beer drinking and pot-smoking while racing at a neck-breaking speed on the bumpy road. There are emotional moments too. Once, while cycling in South Korea, they meat an old man at the side of a ditch where an injured and dying rabbit had fallen. This man summons one of the travelers to kill the rabbit out of mercy, which he reluctantly does. They both feel sorrow for the poor animal.

This book of 362 pages is divided into 15 chapters, one for every of their manly adventures. During these 15 years, a lot happens in their personal lives. The story of which is woven adroitly by the author in the recount of their physically demanding explorations. I liked the way the author could raise some serious issues in a humorous and lighthearted way. All four had as object building a family. The way they went ahead was different, though, and their families suffered quite some challenges.

This book contains numerous profanities. Maybe the writer wanted to convey emotion, but for many readers this is not acceptable. I would suggest the author to use them more sparingly, as in the movies, for example.

Nonetheless, I will rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is exceptionally well edited and the writing style is quite professional. The way the personal stories of the four characters are interwoven with their yearly vacations is adroitly achieved. Each year they go out to prove they are real men, but sometimes the lines are blurred between what is manhood and what is not.

For 15 years, they are testing their physical prowess. All the way, they mature into middle-aged people with families, and put on some weight. These vacations in a distant land and between friends constitute a refuge in their troubled private lives, and in the end, the notion of being a man is not always so clear. I recommend the book to adult readers who like adventure. It is not apt for young people because of the rough language.

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Man Mission
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[Oluwatosin Balogun]

This is such a lovely review of Man Mission. I enjoyed reading this book too and I agree with your judgement on the intense use of profanities. I cringed a lot while reading some of them. Nonetheless, the book was an enjoyable read.

[OTrain Disene]

I have read the book. I love how focused the team was. It was hilarious at the start. Seeing the failures they came across and ended up having to cut the trip short was so funny. But they started to mature as they went on, especially when they went to Japan.

[WriteOn]

I liked the way the author could raise some serious issues in a humorous and lighthearted way.

I liked that aspect of the book too. I enjoyed reading your review Uwe Neufeld. You captured some great moments in the book and I appreciated your insight. Thank you.

[Amy Luman]

Everyone needs friends that they can rely on. These four have really found something special, in that, they all seem to share the same interests, more or less. It’s also a plus when their spouses also agree.

[Saint Bruno]

I like the book's plot. There's nothing as beautiful as having friends who share the same views of having a good time as you. I wish I could have what they had. Thank you for your detailed review and recommendation

[Nemanja Jankovic]

I like how he pointed out that the book is full of profanities, probably from the author's desire to convey emotion. Excellent review.