Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Joel Avirom (Designer), Jason Snyder (Designer)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not only is gap-toothed Mick Foley a heavy character in the World Wrestling Federation, he is the undisputed literary champion of the wrestling bestseller. It's amazing that there is such a thing as a "wrestling bestseller," and that fact owes largely to the No. 1 bestselling success of Foley's first book, Have a Nice Day! Now he's back with another memoir, Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling, and fans will not be disappointed by the jokes, the jibes at fellow WWF arm-twisters, and the genial charm of the literary behemoth of our time.

Product Description

Chapter OneHe's Back.And you won't believe what he has to say this time.

Some people might think that World Wrestling Federation Superstar Mick Foley said his piece in his 532-page, number one New York Times bestselling literary opus Have a Nice Day! Well, some people would be wrong. Very wrong. Because Mick Foley is back with a vengeance.

Foley Is Good picks up right where the last book left off, as once again readers are given a bird's-eye view of the behind-the-scenes action in the World Wrestling Federation. With the same total honesty and riotous humor displayed in his last book, Mick shines a spotlight into some of the hidden corners of the World Wrestling Federation. From the ongoing controversy surrounding "backyard wrestling" to the real story behind his now-infamous I Quit" match with The Rock, Foley covers all the bases in this hysterically funny roller-coaster ride of a memoir.

Some know him as Cactus Jack, others as Dude Love. We loved him as Mankind, and he was the best Commissioner the World Wrestling Federation ever had. But if you want to know the real Mick Foley, if you want to get inside the head of one of sportsentertainment's biggest Superstars, then there's no substitute for Foley Is Good. Readers and fans everywhere need their recommended daily allowance of pure, unadulterated Mick. And it's all right here for the taking.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 481 pages
• Publisher: ReganBooks; 1st edition (May 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060393009
• ISBN-13: 978-0060393007
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (139 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #67,917 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #48 in	Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mick proves the title is correct, May 10, 2001

By	R. A. Ward "speedbmp" (WV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mick Foley has done it again. Not only did he keep all the things I liked about "Have a Nice Day!" -- especially the lovely flow of his jokes -- but he has produced with "Foley is Good" a better-structured piece that also showcases his interest in things other than wrestling. (But don't worry, there's plenty of wrestling stuff for the fans.)

It's a great book to read aloud because of Mick's timing. You'll laugh through most it, guaranteed. Mick has a brand-new whipping boy -- Test. But don't worry, poor Al Snow gets his share of ribbing, including a photo of him in drag! The Mean Street Posse are once again the mid-card whipees.

Be prepared to get out your Kleenex, because you'll surely cry through the chapter on Owen Hart and another friend of Mick's who died of cancer, Brian Hildebrand. He was a referee that never worked for the WWF, but who was beloved by many.

Mick really shows just how intelligent he is at the end of the book. Within those chapters are his own study of sex and violence in wrestling, then his discussion on the similarities between the McCarthyism era and the PTC's tactics. He conducted interviews with a researcher, probably watched over 30 hours of video tape, attempted to contact the PTC itelf, and ended up with a very convincing argument that wrestling is no worse than soap operas, "Cheers" and Monday Night football.

The recently born Mick Foley Jr. (Mickey) also makes an appearance, and if you're a fan of the rest of the Foley family, the ultra-cute Dewey and Noelle and of course the "hot" Colette are right in there.

Mick also provides several top ten lists, including his favorite theme parks, rides and of course, wrestling matches. I won't say which one is his favorite, but if you are any kind of a Foley fan you know it's *not* the Hell in the Cell from '98 with the Undertaker.

In short...just read it! You'll never regret picking it up. Now all we have to do is convince Mick to start writing history books. He would be brilliant at it, and seems to have the interest.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo Mick!!!! A Brilliant Work. Highest Recommendation, May 14, 2001

By	Mr. JKW "jkw" (Honolulu, Hawai'i) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"Foley is Good," the follow up to Mick Foley's best-selling "Have a Nice Day" is just as equally entertaining and worthwhile to read as the first book. If you've read the first book you no doubt thought Mick said everything he could, right? You could not be anymore wrong however.

"Foley is Good," is a brilliant piece of work that contains several elements. First and foremost, you'll get to meet "Mick Foley Superdad" and "Mick Foley the Man." He spends a great amount of time talking about his family and his love of amusement parks with GREAT stories and even several of "Mick's Top Ten" lists. It's just a great story about a man, his family and his joys in life. You'll get to see a great side of Mick's personality.

Also, you'll get to see "Mick Foley the Sports-Entertainer." The book continues to chronicle the ending part of his wrestling career picking up directly where "Have a Nice Day" finished. It's a nice review of the 1999-2000 season of WWF wrestling with nice insight into the matches and feuds including how they were booked, etc. Great read for WWF/wrestling fans. Once again, the book also gave some great anecdotes of "the boys" (the other wrestlers) which was just a blast to read.

However, for myself personally, the real gem in this book is seeing "Mick Foley the Intellectual." Mick spends a very significant portion (I'd say a good 40%) of the book addressing controversial issues in the wrestling world: backyard wrestling, violence on television, the parent's responsibility in proper parenting when it comes to filtering and being involved in children's viewing habits, drug use in the wrestling industry, the Owen Hart tragedy, the mainstream media's unfair portrayal of wrestling, The PTC. Mick gives his thoughts on these issues in a BRILLIANT display of sound reasoning, logical arguments and plain old common sense. His take on these issues is a must-read for anyone. Mick goes so far to spend the last 100 pages of the book or so defending the WWF from the critical Indiana University content analysis study of WWF programming over the course of year and from the controversial allegations of the PTC. His 100 page rebuttal to this was just brilliant.

Overall, the book was a pleasure to read. Mick's writing style is very easy, almost like talking to a friend. I read the book in two days on a weekend (all night Saturday, all day Sunday). It still contained the same great humor (sometimes cheesy and a bit sophomoric, which is GREAT to me), great wrestling stories, and also a great story about a family man. Mick's love for his family shines through this book like a sun in Spring. The most interesting part for me though was his take on the issues. This is what really separates this from the first book that makes it a "must-read." Overall, it's a great look at the world through the eyes of a very interesting man. A worthwhile read for anyone.

At the end of this 400+ page journey you'll tend to agree with Mick on two of the underlying themes that Mick weaves throughout the book.

1. The Real World IS Faker Than Wrestling

2. Foley IS Good.

Highest Recommendation Possible

ps: Btw, in case if some readers of the first book were wondering, yes, the Al Snow jokes (along with the Mean Street Posse and Test) are in here too :)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Is More Than Good, May 14, 2001

By	Chad Spivak (North Miami Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

Even Triple H would say that this book can "hang with the Game." Mick Foley has done it once again, with his third successful book.

In "Foley Is Good, And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling," Mick Foley picks up right where he left off in his "towering best seller," "Have a Nice Day." In this book, he does talk about his life personally, but it is in no way an autobiography. It picks up where the other book ended, as Foley has just become the World Wrestling Federation Champion. Here, he chronicles some of his more important matches, as well as summarizes the last few years of his phenominal active wrestling career.

Foley also has a good time merely describing things that either bothers or amuses him, but he does so in such a straightforward, candid way, you can't help but enjoy the book. His top-ten lists are sensational, but the section of the book that I truly enjoyed the most was the very end, where Foley fights back against the PTC and numerous "studies" done against the WWF. Not only does he pick apart the reviews and court cases against professional wrestling, but he adds in his own research, which made for really interesting reading. More importantly, he is classic Mick Foley, and he is truly at his best.

When he wants to be, he is one of the funniest men around, and he peppers his writing, especially the argumentative writing at the end of the book, with this incredible humor. His writing style is unique in that it draws the reader in, and makes you feel as if you are simply having a conversation with him. He clearly has a knack for writing, and it shows.

This book is excellent, and just as good, if not better than his first blockbuster autobiography. I enjoyed it very much, and I urge everyone to read this book.