The Mission

by Jason Myers

Wake up and do something!

Kaden Norris's life is shattered when his older brother -- his best friend and hero -- is killed in Iraq. All Kaden has left of Kenny is a letter, urging him to break away from his sheltered life and to go to San Francisco to visit his cousin, James.

Kaden is blown away, as James introduces him to a life filled with drugs, sex, and apathy. He goes from extreme high to extreme low, having no idea what to expect. And when Kaden uncovers secrets about his family that have been kept from him for years, his entire world comes crashing down. This may not be the trip his brother had envisioned for him, but it's one Kaden will never forget.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Drugs, Teen

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2009

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Jason Myers was born in 1980 and raised on a farm ten miles outside of the small town of Dysart, Iowa. After
he graduated high school, he moved to San Francisco where he studied
film at the Academy of Art University. It was there, after taking a
Screenwriting 3 class that he met and studied under the inspiring instructor
and author James Dalessandro. James helped Myers grasp the value of
having great stories within the story and also the value of pacing. He also
taught him how to structure his stories in a way that made the reader feel
invested. Myers then sat down in early 2003 and began working on what
would become the first draft of Exit Here. He signed with literary agent
Gary Heidt and in 2005, at the age of 24, he signed a major publishing
deal with Simon & Schuster. Exit Here would go on to be released in May
of 2007 and thus far the book has sold over 90, 000 copies worldwide.
In 2010, Myers' second book, The Mission, also on Simon & Schuster,
was released worldwide. The book went into its third printing six months
after its release and has already sold nearly 30,000 copies to date. Myers
recently signed a new two book deal with Simon & Schuster. His next book,
Dead End, a Midwestern Gothic back roads chase thriller will be released on
6.14.2011 and his fourth book is set to be released in the Summer of
2012.

Myers continues to reside in San Francisco and writes full-time.

Reviews

[Em (Verity Reviews) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at page 270 out of 361

This book reminds me of The Catcher in the Rye, but somehow even less profound. After 270 pages, not much had happened besides Kaden wandering around San Francisco being stupid and reckless and thinking it made him "rad." I have honestly never heard the word " rad" used so often and so unironically before reading The Mission.

My biggest problem with this book was that I didn't like any of the characters at all. More than that, I just didn't care about them. James Morgan, who could have been a very complex character, only waltzed into the story occasionally to add a bit of drama before becoming irrelevant again. Caralie, the only character I liked even a little, was oversimplified and sexualized.

Kaden's characterization was lazy and conflicting rather than complex. He's described a being both a timid kid with self-esteem issues and as a confident tough guy unafraid to dress like a rapper in rural Iowa. All of Meyers' descriptions of Kaden are scattered and contradictory. He's described as poor enough to wear a coat he found in a parking lot on one page, and fifty pages later as "well-off." He's afraid to kiss his girlfriend but has no issue hooking up with unknown girls.

And every single woman in the book is described in terms of her body. Even Kaden's mother. It was honestly gross, and combined with a disturbing amount of slut-shaming, is a huge reason I'm not finishing this book.

Maybe the end of this book is great and does something to negate the crappiness of the first 300 pages, but I really don't feel like slogging through another 100 pages of drunk, high assholes arguing with each other and acting like that's the best way to live to find out.

[Olga · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst books I have ever read.

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

For adults, this book should easily be rated a 2 or 3. However, taking into account that the intended audience is younger, I think the book warrants a 4. What an adult would see as cliche, a teenager might be experiencing for the first time. The book uniquely plants itself in present-day America. It draws on pop culture, music, and fashion of the day in a way that is both brave but dangerous; readers of this generation will find a familiar face while those behind us might find it dated.
As a teacher, I love how Myers speaks to my students. They relate to his work, and I appreciate how his references to real authors, music, and movies give them something to explore, something to expand their horizons. A good read overall.

[Bethany Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just before he was killed in Iraq, Kaden Norris’s older brother Kenny sent him a letter telling him about how the writings of author Chuck Palahniuk had changed his outlook on life. In the letter, Kenny says that he’s been in contact with their cousin James, an author who lives in San Francisco. Kenny wants to take Kaden on a trip to visit James and see a reading by Palahniuk while he is on leave over the summer. Unfortunately, Kenny is killed before he gets the chance to follow through with his plan, so Kaden decides to go out to San Francisco on his own. Once he arrives, it doesn’t take him long to realize that James is leading a life filled with violence, heavy drug use and promiscuity. It’s a life much different from what Kaden has experienced growing up in Iowa, but it doesn’t take him long to adapt. The week Kaden spends with James will change his view of the world and his family forever.

There are several problems with this novel. First, there is excessive and gratuitous use of profanity throughout the book. Heavy drug use is prevalent throughout the book, and while it isn’t exactly glamorized, it isn’t shown in a negative light either. There are numerous sex scenes, which are described in relatively graphic language. While the book has an interesting premise, the characters are superficial and not likable or easy to relate to. Though Myers attempts to tackle an important issue in writing about the fallout occurring in families of soldiers killed in Iraq, ultimately, The Mission is unsuccessful.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Keaden is going to San Francisco to meet his cousin James, a bestselling author for the first time. It's a trip he is taking to fulfill his dead brother, Kenny's last wishes. He was only hoping to go to the Chuck Palahniuk book reading, spend time with James and see the sights like anyone else. What he experienced is one messed up crazy ride.

The 15 year old boy we see at the start has grown up by the end.

This book contains fights, lots of drug use, partying, cheating, lies and secrets, all around fuckery.

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was the best book I have ever read. It makes you feel like you're not getting out and exploring the world enough. It's like a bible to me, Kaden Norris inspires me to go out and do stuff and be somebody and try to new things. The terminology in this book, the slang is A+++. It's unique. If you see this life style as something that's not able to happen, then you've really got to start living.

[Kelsey Trinkner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've owned this book for roughly two years. I started to read it about year ago and thought it was terrible. I was only a few pages in and decided to call it quits. A month or so ago, I picked this book back up and told myself I had to read it. I love this author and have read all of his other books. I figured it wouldn't be too hard to read this one. That's exactly what I did. This story is about a boy named Kaden who is only 15 years old. Kaden's big brother and best friend has recently passed away while fighting in Iraq. The story begins with Kaden sitting in the airport waiting to board and head off to San Francisco to meet his cousin James. Upon arrival, James forgets to pick Kaden up. This sets the stage for their relationship. Kaden attempts to shrug it off, though he's still angered, but he is thankful James' girlfriend, Caralie, was there to save the day and bring him home. Through the course of the story, Kaden is transformed into a completely different child. He gets into drugs and alcohol. He has his first, of a few, fist fights. He even cheats on his girlfriend back home with multiple girls. In my opinion, this is not Myers' best novel. I loved his other works but forced myself to read this one. It was good, but nothing too special. I would not recommend this book to anyone I know, as it has rather vulgar content.

[Paige Brazee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book; not my favorite yet not my least favorite either. It is about a boy named Kaden who goes to San Fransisco to visit his cousin, who introduces him to a life unlike any other. This book is about all of his adventures while in San Fransisco and about what he learns while he's there, although in somewhat strange ways. He learns about what it means to really be happy and to do what he wants to do with his life before its too late. I recommend this book to teenagers or young adults who are still trying to find themselves and figure out what is going to make them happy. This book has a cliffhanger ending, which is probably what I didn't like about this book.

[🌳Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming from a teenager, I didnt exactly enjoy this novel. However, I did enjoy "Exit Here" which is somewhat of the same premise of this novel. I don't like heavy profanity in my novels, and what I enjoyed when I was younger (Exit Here) seems to completely bore me now in this book. Sex, Drugs and Assholes really are not my favorite thing to read about anymore. The way he wrote it was easily getting to be annoying because the same three concepts showed up. Nothing was new, and the whole novel was simply stated on the back cover. An innocent farm boy will screw around in the big city. Sigh.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, this was alright. Not as good as Dead End by ANY MEANS. I really couldn't stand any of the characters. However, the story and writing were both still good and dark. So, I appreciate it for that.

[Ryan Ostrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kadens life is shattered and changed forever when his older brother, his best friend and hero is killed in action in the war in Iraq. All Kaden has left of his older brother is a letter, urging him to break away from his sheltered life and to go to San Francisco to visit his cousin, James. After his brother and best friend dies, Kaden finds himself alone and realizes that he has nothing to lose by going to a new place like San Francisco and breaking out of his introverted life style like his late brother wanted him to. When he arrives Kaden is blown away and completely throw into a new world as James introduces him to a life filled with drugs, sex, and apathy. He goes from extreme high to extreme low, having no idea what to expect. And when Kaden uncovers secrets about his family that have been kept from him for years, his entire world comes crashing down. This may not be the trip his brother had envisioned for him, but it's one Kaden will never forget. Another book that has absolutely no merit inside of a classroom, the underlying message is something that i think children that are of a younger audience can relate to and this would be a perfect book to read at home or with a parent.

[Baylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

86/100
My general Jason Myers review (his books have similar themes):
Jason Myers makes me believe I’m a sadist. I always know what’s coming but for some reason I can’t stay away from his books.

If you’re new to Myers, let me warn you. Every single one I have read leaves me a little heartbroken. They are stories (realistic fiction- fake but in our reality) about what could easily be real people (sadly, the characters remind me of people I have known/loved) and they are never pretty.

What happens when you keep making the obvious wrong choices but you believe you have justified reasons?
(Hint- Self- destruction, pain, sadness)

Although these are extremely dark, I still just keep coming back. I love the protagonists every time. If you know anyone (or maybe you are them) with a good heart but just always spiraling and walking down the “wrong path”, you’ll have no problem identifying with these books.

This specific book I read on a long plane ride and it didn’t fail to make me cry YET AGAIN (thanks Jason). But no fears, I’m sitting here preparing you to read this and have read many of his since.

[Gillian · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was laughably bad. The writing was even worse than Exit Here., and Jason Myers seems incapable of consistent characterization and writing dialogue that isn't "snapped" by the characters. Myers glorifies cocaine even more than in Exit Here. and relies on references to rap and Chuck Palahniuk to give the protagonist street cred. Despite this kid's portrayal as a shy country bumpkin who had kissed his girlfriend once, he manages to have romantic/sexual encounters with three different women and is extremely forward. He tells his cousin's girlfriend that if she looks bad by San Francisco standards, he's going to fall in love many times over on his trip (paraphrasing). He also obviously lies about his brother's death, but it's treated as a giant revelation at the end that his death was not like he originally says. The only good thing about this book is that it introduced me to the song "Not My Job" by Mac Dre. I would not recommend.

[Mallory Gillespie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am glad that this book is, in my opinion a step up from his debut novel exit here (which isn't saying much) but still disappointing. I'm not sure why this author glorifies losers like Travis Wayne or Jason Morgan but I am so glad that the protagonist was more likable that Travis. Kaden reminded me of someone who I used to know and it is sad that when an angry teenager gets involved in substances and influenced by the wrong people and the impact it will be on the rest of their lives. I don't recommend this novel or anything Jason Myers writes.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fucking loved this book, if you see the Jason your amazing man. Loved ever moment. And these self entitled pricks saying other wise can choke on it.

[emirany · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. Could not get with the writing style to portray a 16 year old boy trying too hard to be a cool Cali kid. Could simply not relate. 2 stars for intriguing cover art.

[Shelby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book many years ago and have no idea why. Another one that could have stayed on the shelf.

[Katie Wareck · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the book The Mission , Jason Myers tells the story about a fifteen year old boy whose life is torn apart when his brother is killed in Iraq. All Kaden has left from his brother is a letter requesting him to head to San Francisco and visit his cousin James. The week he spends with James and his friends changes Kaden forever. Kaden is blown away as he is introduced to a life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. He finds out family secrets, and gradually goes from being extremely happy to extremely depressed. Kaden goes through tons of different experiences and is an entire different person by the end of the week. After an intense talk with James, Kaden returns to his hometown determined to live life by his own rules.
Throughout the story, the message I learned was: live your life the way you want, no matter who might judge you for it. “If you don't believe in the things you're doing, the answer isn't fooling yourself into thinking you believe it. If you don't believe in what you're doing, then you just shouldn't be doing it.” The Mission was a great read, from beginning to end. I like the way that Jason Myers describes the characters in detail. It does have a lot of drug and sexual content. Throughout the book, you can see the main character Kaden develops, and it's interesting to see how his view on life changes.
Jason Myers' style of writing is very real, and he does not try to sugar coat the real world. He writes about real people in real situations and makes you think about how you are living your life and how you treat others. The Mission teaches you not to be so quick to judge others. The plot is totally unpredictable. The book is a real page turner because the characters brings the story to life.

[Sabrina Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mission Book Report

In the book “The Mission”, Jason Myers tells the story about Fifteen year old Kaden Norris’s life is suddenly shattered when his brother is killed in Iraq. All Kaden has left of his brother is a letter requesting him to head to San Francisco and visit his cousin James. The week he spends with James and his friends will forever change Kaden. Kaden is blown away as he is introduced to a life of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. He finds out family secrets, and goes from happy to extreme low. Kaden goes through tons of different experiences and he's an entire different person by the end of the week. After an intense talk with James, Kaden returns to his hometown determined to live life by his own rules. Throughout the story, the message I learned was live your life the way you want, no matter who might judge you for it.
“If you don't believe in the things you're doing, the answer isn't fooling yourself into thinking you believe it. If you don't believe in what you're doing, then you just shouldn't be doing it.” A quote from The Mission, relates back to the message of the story. If you don’t enjoy doing something you want to do, don’t let people judge you and do whatever makes you happy.
So, when I picked out this book I wasn't really sure what to expect from it, but it was a good read and I thought it was very interesting and wanted to read his other books. I like the way that Jason Myers describes his characters, especially his details with clothing, and I also really liked all the music and San Francisco culture in the book. It does have a lot of drug content and sexual content, but I don't mind that personally. Throughout the book, you can see the main character Kaden develop a lot, and it's interesting to see how he changes.

[Andrew Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaden is a 15 year old boy who just received a letter from his older brother Kenny. Kenny is a solider in the war of Iraq. When Kaden reads the letter it tells him about Kenny’s life and how hard it is right now. Then at the end of the letter it tells Kaden that Kenny will not be coming home and he was killed in action. The letter concludes with a small paragraph that Kenny wrote before his death. In this paragraph it tells Kaden to go and live his life and then it tells him to go see his cousin James in San Francisco and live with him for a week. Kaden feels lost after reading this and he wonders what he will do without his big brother who was his role model. But Kaden does what Kenny tells him to do; Go to San Francisco and see his cousin James. When Kaden gets to San Francisco he is picked up by James’ girlfriend Caralie. She takes Kaden to the “whip pad” which is what they call the apartment that James stays in. James will introduce Kaden to the life of partying, drugs, and sex to him while he is in San Francisco and also Kaden finds secrets about his family that will change his life forever.

[Marisa Navarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mission by Jason Myers was personally one of the best books I have read yet. Throughout the book it tells an experience that a teenage boy goes through while he gets introduced to the city life and the fame. He experiences for himself what it's like to be bad and what it's like to feel grown. He does this by experiencing drugs, alcohol, partying, girls, and sex. He travels to San Francisco to live with his "cousin" who is a famous writer and is well known for his book. He goes to SF in honor of his brother getting killed in the army because his brother always talked about going down to visit. While he is there visiting, he finds out a lot of background history on his family and finally finds out the truth about his dad. In the end, he finds out that his cousin is actually really his dad. Heartbroken and upset, he returns home and makes a big scene when he arrives. I thought it was a great book with a big plot twist.

[Randi · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I didn't like The Mission at all. I think it was because The Mission and Exit Here (the first book by Jason Myers) were so different, and I loved Exit Here so much that the second one disappointed me.
But when I look back on it, it really wasn’t that bad of a book. The two were complete opposites, but it doesn’t make this one so bad. I found it frustrating because the main character’s losing control of his life, and it’s all his fault, so that’s tough to watch without wanting to smack him a little.
Like all books by Jason Myers, there are some punch-you-in-the-stomach-then-gut-you moments, and Kaden’s life isn’t without dark secrets which really adds in some twists to the plot. It’s interesting and keeps a hold of you through the whole book.

[Zoe Deangelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raw and edgy, this book was amazing and the fact that I've been to all the places in the book makes this book pop out more for me. It was great it was deep, by reading it you were picking through the mind of a young kid who just lost his brother and him going through his death, I can completely relate to this book, minus all the cocaine. This kid was a powerful character, Jason Myers made you believe him in this story and feel, like how he feels throughout the book. What completely bought me is him still flying hout to California to see Chuck Palahniuk for the memory of his brother amazing ready good story.

[Raven Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me really have a whole new perspective on the different life styles and choices made by people in this world, and I think it did the same for Kaden. Even though Janes screwed up his life, literally, it made him understand a new side of life that he probably wouldn't have understood. I think this trip was good for him even if there were things he didn't want to know and I still feel like James is an asshole for the things he's done. This book is probably better for teens than adults because it helps understand hardships and stupid choices. A lot of profanity and sexual relate things but overall a decent book and it definitely is like Exit Here, also by Myers.

[Jennifer Bagazin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title and cover was very misleading. I actually thought this book would be about adventure or a journey and meeting new people or traveling and finding yourself and all that crap. I was dismayed really because it was pretty different from what I expected. Almost all of the conversations were about drugs or weed or sex. And the language/slang used was too American/ghetto for me. The storyline is okay, and I can relate to some stuff like the shedding of innocence or something. It just wasn't I expected, but I read till the end though. I felt that the ending was pretty hanging, but I guess thats how the author wanted it to be.

[Endlessly_Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wake Up And Do Something!

The Mission by Jason Myers I thought was a good contemporary novel. The Mission is about Kaden Norris, a 15 year old farm boy who lives a sheltered life. When his brother dies in Iraq, Kaden's mother decides to send him with his cousin James, an author, in San Francisco. There, Kaden is introduced to the adult life. He meets people, people who will change his life forever. And as family secrets are uncovered he finds that there was no one really there except for his deceased brother. The Mission, I read on a trip to Austin, Texas and thought it was good quick vacation read!

[Mr.G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie loaned me this one and I found it pretty mind-blowing. A kid from Iowa travels to San Francisco to spend a week with his famous author cousin. A week of shocking debauchery ensues while the Iowa kid manages to learn some life-lessons. The profanity and debauchery definitely make this a book I wouldn't recommend to everyone, but I thought it was pretty good. The kid from Iowa is heavily inspired by the novel Fight Club and goes to a reading by the author in the book's final chapters. Fight Club is a good book.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wake up and do something! Jason Myers does it again, Kaden recieves a letter that will change his life forever. When he discovers that his brother has been killed fighting for his country in Iraq, Kaden opens a letter from his brother that will send him on the trip of a life time. With following in his brothers shadows, Kaden finally finds himself in the most unlikely circumstances. Just like his brother wrote him, Kaden was going to leave his sheltered home town a young boy and return an experienced man.

[Claire Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from start to finish. Jason Myers' style of writing is very raw and not at all sugar coated. He writes about real people in real situations and really makes you think about what you're doing with your life, and teaches you not to be so quick to judge others and the situations they find themselves in. The plot is totally unpredictable, I was always excited to be able to read more and more of this book. The characters are fantastically real which brings the story to life. Superb read

[Katlinyaknow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only does this book delve into parts of the main charecters self that is untouched and raw and emotional, but it forces you to see that reality is not black and white and there isn't a happy ending to all stories. It forced me into a world of truth and figuring out who I was and how not everything is as it seems. This is was by far, a book I wil never forget and everyone should have a chance to read.