Evaluation Of Man Mission By Eytan Uliel In Terms Of The Effect On Reader

Man Mission by Eytan Uliel is a story collection of different journeys that four men undertook in fifteen years. The creation of the annual Man Missions occurred when these four friends were university students, a time full of hopes and dreams. These missions, however, didn’t start until years after graduation with the first mission only taking place due to a cancelled conference. Man Mission #1 takes place in a hiking path in New Zealand. The narrator describes how he and Sam slept with cows, hiked sixty miles with a torn ligament, and were saved by drug dealers. Uliel balances the everyday adventures with the travel adventures by describing the group’s lives between each Man Mission. The outdoor adventures full of injuries and sweat contrasts with their domestic journeys full of marriage, kids, and broken hearts. The fact that Uliel described the men’s domestic and adventurous lives throughout the book is what I liked the most about Man Mission. If the book was only about the Missions, the book wouldn’t be the original piece of art it currently is. The reader would not have the ability to connect with the characters. By seeing their flaws and achievements, many of which may be similar to those of the reader, the characters become real people. The readers can put themselves in the narrator’s shoes, experiencing the hikes, marriages, and injuries. This is the best part of Man Mission because it inspires the reader to go out and have their own Man Mission.

Another part of the book that I liked was the structure of the book and its uniqueness. Each chapter has two small quotes which represent a lesson that the narrator learned or what the chapter is about. The chapter begins with an exciting event, a cliff hanger, that persuades the reader to continue reading. This short section makes the reader curious in how events will turn to that described moment and how the problem will be resolved. Another smart aspect of the book is the quick, bullet point summary of the Man Mission at the end of each chapter. This reminds the reader of the adventure the characters experienced and shows the logistical side of the journey (i.e. injuries, lengths, etc.).

The worst part of Man Mission is how Uliel will add a long section of narrative and introspective thoughts. Although it is good to allow the reader to understand the narrator’s point of view, the reflective sections become agonizingly long. When reading these sections, the reader is more likely to become bored and skim through the rest of the chapter. The reader is not able to evaluate and process the events for themselves when the analyzing has already been done for them. I rate Man Mission 3 out of 4 stars. Man Mission earned 3 stars because it was well structured, entertaining, and original. It did not earn 4 stars because it was difficult to stay engaged in the book during the reading. The book was well edited and had an understandable, elevated vocabulary. The perfect reader for Man Mission is someone who wants to be inspired to take their own adventure; someone who loves to travel but has gone through the life experiences that Uliel describes.