Mankind: Have a Nice Day - A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
by Mick Foley

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Book Reviews of Mankind: Have a Nice Day - A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks

Book Review: Very Enjoyable for both Wrestling Fans and Non-Fans
Summary: 4 Stars

Mick Foley brings his all to writing, just as he does in-ring. He's amazingly honest about his experiences and the inside politics of the industry, while at the same time never descending into the whininess of, say, Brett Hart (am I the only person who thought WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS was extremely disingenuous?).

While it's clear Foley overall admires his current employer, Vince McMahon, he's not afraid to point out when he thinks McMahon has failed people (i.e., the Brett Hart scandal). More importantly, Foley's honest about his reactions to these occasions--how he originally considered quitting WWF over the Brett Hart incident, and why he ultimately didn't (breach of contract, etc.).

His description of working for WCW is unfavorable, but in the tone of constructive criticism instead of a flame. (Again, contrast that to WRESTLING WITH SHADOWS.) If Foley's assessment is accurate (and I see no reason based on a casual fan's evidence to doubt it), WCW's troubles are far from over, even with Bischoff out.

He's also surprisingly frank about the insecurities that drive him, but that's less of a surprise since it so strongly informs his "Mankind" in-ring persona. He also talks a lot about not only how he's been injured so often, but why he continues to do it despite knowing better and the concern of his family. I especially liked reading about his personal and home life, and wish he'd written more about that. Again, he's very honest--while he obviously adores his wife and children, he also admits he's hardly the perfect father (like when he was in a rotten temper one Christmas, or tried to tell his son Dewey what Halloween costume to wear with disasterous results) and they're hardly the perfect family. That's he's secure enough to admit it, more than anything else, convinced me just how stable and loving his home life is.

The book could have used better editing--the end, in particular, turns into a recitation of recent matches with little analysis. A good editor would have made him add analysis there, since his earlier matches are so well-analyzed. And, well, a few less japes at Al Snow would have been nice--it's obviously a buddy-buddy ribbing thing, but you can see why it quickly wears on their colleagues.

Overall, this is an incredibly honest book about a man who genuinely loves professional wrestling, even though he's not blind to its flaws. For a reader who doesn't "Get It", Mick Foley goes a long way towards making clear why other people do--and why he has risen to the status of cult icon in pro wrestling, even while being rejected by many of the mainstream fans. I doubt anybody else writing in this series (The Rock, Stone Cold) will do nearly as good a job--but if we're lucky, Mick's raised the bar high enough that they'll at least *try*.

Summary of Mankind: Have a Nice Day - A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks

This Book is Not for the Squeamish

No. This is the autobiography of the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley. Some wrestling fans claim that "Foley is God." You're about to find out why.

Mick Foley is a nice man. A family man. He loves his son, Dewey, his daughter, Noelle, and his beautiful wife, Colette. He loves amusement parks, eating ice cream in bed, and watching Nickelodeon.

So, how to explain his participation in Japanese Death Matches, which replace the ring ropes with barbed wire, cover the mats with glittering gold thumbtacks, and feature C4 explosives scattered throughout the ring? How to explain the barbed--wire scars that zigzag across his body, the second-degree burn tissue that is a memento of an exploding C4, and the missing ear that was ripped clean off his head during a bout? And how to explain how, after losing his ear, he then continued his match?

Here is an intimate glimpse into Mick Foley's mind, his history, his passions, and what some might call his pathology. No ghostwriter. Not "as told to." Straight from the twisted genius behind Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and Mankind---deciphered from 760 pages of maniacally handwritten notebook paper--comes a tale of blood, sweat, tears, and still more blood.

You'll chuckle at Mick's early back-yard wrestling antics and homemade wrestling movies. You'll be amazed by the inside scoop on legends in the business like Terry Funk, Harley Race, Abdullah the Butcher, and Ric Flair. You'll squirm as Mick describes his incredible risks in the ring and his grisly, mind--numbing injuries. Finally, you will cheer with true admiration as arguably the hardest-working, most dedicated, and most heroic man in sports-entertainment beats all the odds and takes home the prize he had been told all along he would never, ever get: the World Wrestling Federation Championship belt.

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• Subjects > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Entertainers
• Television Performers
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