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Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: HarperEntertainment
ISBN13: 9780061031014
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Mick Foley is a nice man, a family man who loves amusement parks and eating ice cream in bed. So how to explain those Japanese death matches in rings with explosives, golden thumbtacks and barbed wire instead of rope? The second-degree burn tissue? And the missing ear that was ripped off during a bout-in which he kept fighting? Here is an intimate glimpse into Mick Foley's mind, his history, his work and what some might call his pathology. Now with a bonus chapter summarizing the past 15 months-from his experience as a bestselling author through his parting thoughts before his final match. A tale of blood, sweat, tears and more blood-all in his own words-straight from the twisted genius behind Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind.
Frankly, this literary critic didn't expect Mick Foley's memoir of his life as Mankind (and his other wrestling personas, Cactus Jack and Dude Love) to hit No. 1 on Amazon.com's hardcover nonfiction bestseller list in its first literary bout. The cover is cluttered and confusing, and do we really need 500-plus pages of Foley's boasts? Yes. Foley gives his all for his calling, and he burns to tell his adventures. Take the famous tale of how he lost most of his ear (the bloody result is depicted in the 16-page color-photo section). It was in his 1994 bouts with Vader (Leon White): after getting a broken nose, a dislocated jaw, and 21 stitches in the first match, Foley did his "hangman" routine, wherein he catches his neck between the second and third ropes and spins them into a twist. "The end result is the illusion of a man being hanged by his neck while his body kicks and writhes in an attempt to get out... the man actually is hanging by his neck and the body really does kick and writhe in an attempt to get out." Unfortunately, in the prior match, Too Cold Scorpio had had the officials tighten the ropes, so Foley tore off his ear to avoid death by strangulation, like "a fox that chews off its paw to escape a trap." Foley also wrestles on 10,000-thumbtack mats with barbwire ropes and C-4 explosives, and earns the ultimate compliment: "The fans really like the way you bleed." Many fans also like the way his gory story reads. --Tim Appelo
| Customer Reviews: |
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| The best man you never knew |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Let me say before meeting Mick I had read his books and really not sure which one is which anymore as I tend to read political books, books on economics, finance, investing, history, philosophy, theology, and the most important book of all the bible.
Those who know Mick knows he is a genuine hero and am sure many stars have thier reasons well scratch that do not know the others and conceptions of Andre and Big John Studd as a kid does not translate to an adult in real life for I forgot completely the graciosness of Mr. McMhaon for inviting wounded soldiers/Marines to priemere events as making many available in the pre party and though we all knew how hard Vince works hours before the big pay perview, Mrs. McMahon graced us with her presence as well as other superstars so can I really talk about cocky, ego driven, larger then life superstars being so bad when I never met them and is not easy getting photos, signing autographs, and shaking 15,000 hands. I deeply apologise especially it seemed every year they made an annual trip to Iraq to entertain the troops. Despite recent black marks and one should not stand for all from what I can tell if one did nstand for all it would be Mick.
The amount of time he took for me when other soldiers seemed like the average fan Mick is a true hero and genuine friend and has a huge heart for those of us with broken bodies and not from the latest moves that created the bigest bumps or matches with stretchers, chairs, garbage cans, and steel cages though quite often wrestlers really did get hurt(not to disparage thier craft for it is an entertaining one. Don't get ne wrong-many say it is fake and am sure there is a sense to truth to that but these guys are athletes and takes quite a bit of skill to coreograph a life and death struggle and at times not really all that fake. You often do not get a chance for a second take so I do see this as quite a competition to get us to buy into the reality). Enough philosophy of the body slam.
Anyways, saying this what I read in the book and you experiance a friendship with the man in real life all I can say is what he wrote is who Mick is. Thank you for all you do and have done to bring a little light into the lives of wounded soldiers recovering at Walter Reed and the Marines at Bathesda. He does have a huge heart for those who serve and God bless you Mick. Sometimes you get wrapped up in your own life and come across something to remind you of the joy and friendship needed at a time when seemingly lost in misery. Thanks Mick and God bless you and your family-Dave Emme
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| For Wrestling Fans Only... |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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Ultimately Foley's and WWF's decision to allow Foley to write this book himself helps as well as hurts the final product.
Foley is not a writer (though, admittedly, he's more of a writer than I am). His prose is sometimes sloppy and amateurish and his chronicles can be redundant and lacking flair. In the hands of a more polished writer this book may have had better shape and a more coherent writing style.
Because Foley wrote this himself, his passion for the sport jumps off each page and his personal desires, challenges, successes and failures are much more salient and raw. By the time your done with Have a Nice Day, you'll feel as if you could call him by his first name you wouldn't mind sharing a car ride and hotel room with him (in order to save a buck or two of course).
Foley aside, the real value in this book is the insider's take on the world of Wrestling. As we watch Foley go from enthusiast and back yard wrestler to World Wrestling Federation headliner we encounter countless old-school wrestlers, big and no-name wrestlers, those on their way up, and those on the way down, hangers-on, and behind the scenes movers and shakers as wrestling evolves from a Saturday morning novelty to an international entertainment phenomena. And that alone is worth the 500 pages Foley lays down.
Have a Nice Day will help you understand that professional wrestling is equal parts acting for effect and real blood and guts. It will also give you reasons to love or hate the wrestlers behind the characters you see on TV or stage.
If you can ignore the writing issues and have any connection to wrestling in the 80's and 90's then this is a 5-star read. However, if quality writing is important or you don't have a wrestling connection, then 3-stars is as good as it gets.
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| Mankind |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Both of my sons and my husband enjoyed this book. A lot of fun to read.
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| Laugh, cry, get blown away with this spellbindingly heartfelt autobiography, with no ghostwriters attached! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Amazing that in a few weeks, Mick Foley poured his life and soul into 760 pages of notebook paper that would make it, lightly cut and without any major edits, onto book, and earn it's New York Times #1 Bestseller's List. If only it weren't for that Oprah! (readers of the book will understand)
Starting from childhood, he makes it quick, but sweet as he tells humorous stories about his friends, and the origin of the name "Cactus Jack", and his time in college, including the inspiration for Dude Love and the start of his wrestling career.
Foley's writing is so personal and engrossing that he easily captures our attention with riveting stories ranging from lying to his parents and almost getting caught skipping a bus to college in order to catch a wrestling show (the famous Madison Square Garden match between Jimmy Snuka and Don Muraco), to gaining the respect and friendship of ex-wrestler and trainer Dominic DeNucci and being taken under his wing, knowing Foley couldn't afford classes, by reducing his fee, and then not charging altogether.
Foley's tales of his independent circuit runs are definitely a grungy, and in some cases heartwrenchingly painful experiences, which his natural humor and goodnatured attitude help liven up and spare us the angst he must have felt, but without completely sugarcoating it.
All along the way, Foley maintains a very brilliantly hidden line between kayfabe and shoot, though focusing more on the shoot aspect (for nonwrestling fans, kayfabe means the "fake" world of wrestling, including storylines and gimmicks, shoot is reality) and readily admits his talent isn't in technical or even very good wrestling, but rather in taking bumps and making the other guy and himself look good.
From hellish stories of being stalked by crazed female fans thinking his real name is "Cactus Jack Manson" to wrestling in Nigeria and almost getting robbed by the corrupt government police, to losing out on a 3,000$ paycheck in Africa after the president of the country he wrestled in (who organized the event) was assassinated and the regime overthrown within weeks of his departure, Foley's wit and charm keep the story of his life so lively, you'd think it has to be fiction.
Moving on to his time in WCW, he recounts the horrors of the backstage mechanics, from Ric Flair's awful booking and the backstage team's failure to recognize great potential talent, and hiring college TV production students to man their editing, to Foley's disillusionment as the feud between he and Vader was played down, a massive bump taken by Foley which the commentators could have brilliantly sold was sardonically mocked with a derogatory statement like "that's got to be excedrin headache #9!!", and Cactus Jack being attempted to be turned into a childishly ridiculous heel that would have ruined Foley's career.
Then came Foley's run on the independent circuit, and shows for ECW, including full transcripts of some of his best, and in my opinion some of the best ever, promos, trying to be anti-hardcore and promoting WCW and trying to get Tommy Dreamer to go to WCW and be the pretty boy wrestler again.
From the independent circuit, to stardom in the WWF, Foley is never sparse on details about stories while on the road, his many friends along the way from Mr. Haiti in Africa, to Steve Austin and Steve (William) Regal, The Undertaker, Sting, Owen Hart, Vader, and of course Terry Funk. Virtually every stop from his career, including the Japanese tours, the King of the Deathmatch, etc, and the evolution from "Mason the Mutilator" to "Mankind the Mutilator" to "Mankind" and the use of all three of his gimmicks in the WWF to eventual WWF Championship gold.
Throughout it all, Foley never loses his charm or wit, or the incessant Al Snow bashing, with plenty of pictures scattered around the text and plenty of personal stories (like the time he shared a house with a junkie, a guy who was having sex with his girlfriend's 16 year old daughter, and the 16 year old trying to flirt with Mick) and stories with friends (like "Vader" Leon White's spendthrifting with hotels, or Owen Hart's penchanse for practical jokes) that his story never gets old or repetitive and when the story finally ends, you feel like you've known Mick his entire life.
This is THE shining example of a great book about a pro wrestler's life, and I hope his other two books are just as great.
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| The First and the Best... |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Mick Foley's "Have a Nice Day" is his first and his best. It is a whimsical journey in the life of one of the greatest hardcore wrestlers ever. Foley has always had the gift of gab, and it translates very well to the written page. Hysterical, insightful, and heartwarming.
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