Mankind: Have a Nice Day - A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (Hardcover)

by Mick Foley (Author) "March 17, 1994, Munich, Germany "I can't believe I lost my fucking ear; bang bang!..." (more)
Key Phrases: death match tournament, scaffold match, second turnbuckle, Cactus Jack, World Wrestling Federation, Dude Love (more...)

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

Review
"Captivating . . . Much more than a story about aprofessional wrestler . . . Honest, often hilarious andsometimes moving." -- -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

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

"Funny, touching and occasionally wince-inducing..." -- Jane Magazine

"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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (October 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060392991
• ISBN-13: 978-0060392994
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (687 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #271,851 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 50 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 (Atco, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

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.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	V. Cardenas (California) - See all my reviews

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Edward Giovannetti (Donald, Oregon. USA) - See all my reviews

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.