Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks [Mass Market Paperback]

Mick Foley (Author), Mankind (Author), WWF (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 3, 2000

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"CAPTIVATING . . . MUCH MORE THAN A STORY ABOUT A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER . . . HONEST, OFTEN HILARIOUS AND SOMETIMES MOVING." -- -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

"ENGAGING . . . GRABS THE READER BY THE THROAT." -- -- Syracuse Post-Standard

"Engaging . . . Grabs the reader by the throat." -- -- Syracuse Post-Standard

"FOLEY'S HARDCORE ACCOUNT . . . ISN'T FOR THE FAINT OF HEART." -- -- Entertainment Weekly

"Foley's hardcore account . . . Isn't for the faint of heart." -- -- Entertainment Weekly

"Foley's humor alone makes 'Have A Nice Day!' a must read." -- -- Daytona Beach News

"Foley's humor alone makes 'Have A Nice Day!' a must read."(-- -- Unknown

"Mick Foley is a funny, intelligent, interesting man with a fascinating story to tell." -- -- LA Times

"Mick Foley is a funny, intelligent, interesting man with a fascinating story totell." -- -- LA Times

"THE BEST INSIDER LOOK AT PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING EVER WRITTEN." -- -- Trenton NJ Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: HarperEntertainment (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061031011
• ISBN-13: 978-0061031014
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (698 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Wrestling

More About the Author

Mick Foley grew up on Long Island, New York. He is the author of the genre-defining #1 New York Times bestsellers: Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling and Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. Foley has wrestled professionally for over fifteen years and was the three-time World Wrestling Entertainment Champion. He currently wrestles on TNA. Foley lives with his wife and four children on Long Island.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks December 2, 1999

By Shane P Carr

Format:Hardcover

Pro Wrestler Mick Foley has giving us a very heartfelt, entertaining story. One that told of a young teen who followed his dream to become thw WWF World Heavy Weight Champion. Please readers...do not let Mick Foley's on screen persona dissuade you from reading this insightful autobiography but a new and strong author. You will be entertained by his heartfelt rise to the top. Marvel at his entertaining literary writing. Some may percieve wrestlers as musclebound, unintelligent jocks but in reality Mr. Foley is an intelligent and likable person. He offers a look behind the scenes of professional wrestling from his bloody hardcore matches in Japan to the battle in which he lost his ear and on to the now famous WWF 'Hell in the Cell' match and the championship belt. You will here about encounters with famous wrestlers such as Ric Flair, Vader, and the Undertaker. You will read about Mick's admiration for the Legendary Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka. Yet that is not all. Readers also get to know Mick Foley the family man and the boy who followed his dream at all costs. Anyone interested in Autobiographies in general should read this book. I found it not only interesting to fans of Pro-wrestling but of interest to anyone who likes an inspiring autobiography.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Foley is amazing December 8, 1999

By V. Cardenas

Format:Hardcover

I've been watching wrestling for seventeen years. People who don't watch wrestling have always had this skewed view of the wrestlers, and their fans. For those people, I think this book would be wonderful. This book shows that wrestlers aren't the steroid-popping, braindead, non-athletes that the world has come to see them as. Mick Foley is an intelligent, funny, charming family man who happens to love the world of professional wrestling. Because of that love, he has given wrestling fans some of the most memorable, and sometimes frightening, matches. And, of course, for the wrestling fan, it offers an inside view of the wrestling world, and some wonderful stories that you might not expect from some of the most loved, and hated personalities.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mick Spoke For Us All December 8, 1999

By Edward Giovannetti

Format:Hardcover

This book is truly a literary work of art. For those of us in this business, it describes exactly how complicated, and mostly misunderstood our closed industry is. For those outside our industry, this book reveals how much love, sacrifice, and dedication is required to succeed in a world where frustration and failure sit on an extremely thin line with fame and fortune. This book is a must read for both believers and doubters regarding the unique world of professional wrestling.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Life Experiences from an Amazing Man. Must Read. November 24, 2000

By Mr. JKW

Format:Hardcover

I read this book about a year ago and I am still impressed with Foley's life story to this day. The book had everything in it I could ask for: action, adventure, romance and of course, humor.

It's a must-read for any fan of professional wrestling. Mick takes you on a complete tour of the industry from his time in the U.S. independents, to his time in WCW, ECW, Japan and of course, the WWF. He talks about many of the great wrestlers he's had an opportunity to work with over the past decade. He's encountered just about EVERYONE. Being a life long fan of wrestling it was a great read for me to hear about his encounters with many of my favorites that he worked with.

Some highlights for me from the book in particular was: his student film he made in school of his backyard wrestling league, his skipping out of class to attend a WWF show, when he recounts a trip he took to Africa in the beginning of his career, his adventures in Japan and of course his story of how he lost a part of his ear in Europe.

Even if you are not a wrestling fan, you will marvel and the many exploits that Mick Foley has encountered throughout his life. It's a great story about how a young man has had a chance to live out his dream and how one man "beat the odds to become one of the best at what he does." It was an awesome read. Great story about a great guy. It is unbelievable some of the things he's seen and done.

Highest recommendation.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This was undoubtedly the best book I have ever read. November 20, 1999

By Scott Gilles ([e-mail])

Format:Hardcover

I never thought that a book about the life of one man could be a book I couldn't put down. From the first story through the last, Mick Foley proved to be a great writer, writing about a great life. I laughed at the countless jokes, I cried at times like when the girl he loved didn't know his name, I cringed at the tales from the ring, I was inspired by the courage and intestinal fortitude he showed to have. I recommend this book to anyone in the world.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully violent sensory overload... November 25, 1999

By J. Soria

Format:Hardcover

When I first got this book, I figured I'd be reading a lot of interestingly funny anecdotes about one of the most intriguing and popular wrestlers of this decade. What I got was something slightly different... yes, it's a book of anecdotes... but most of them aren't quite that funny - they're very serious and engaging --- while at the same time, a little bit of humor will creep in every so often. As many of you who follow Mick Foley's career know, he has been through a lot of damage and abuse, mostly physically. You cringe when you read his account of that brutal match he had with Terry Funk in Japan; you grimace when he took a really hard powerbomb from Vader in 1993. But somehow, Mick finds a way to make you smile!

Occasionally, the WWF influence can be felt while reading up on the book, but overall, this is all Mick's words. You'll notice that many of his thoughts about wrestling might even share some of yours, and not just the belief that "yes, pro-wrestling is real, it's just the matches that are a work"...

This is a great read for anyone who's into wrestling - or for anyone who's very curious as to how one man lives out his dream to be a wrestler. I highly recommend this book. "Have a nice day!"