Foley is Good: ...and the Real World is Faker Than Wrestling

I will admit to being a Foley fan since the very first time I actually sat and watched a wrestling show. There is something about Mick Foley that I just can not explain. When his first book, "Have A Nice Day", was published we bought it immediately and both my husband and I read it, fighting for control over it, as we both didn't want to put it down. I really enjoyed getting the inside view of wrestling and of the life of my favorite wrestler Mick. But "Foley is Good" just blew me away. These two books are the only Autobiographies I have ever finished. Foley is funny, witty, heart touching, poinent, dramatic, and thought provoking. His books are easy to read and even a non-wrestling fan would find them enjoyable just for the humor in them. But "Foley is Good" is more then just humor. He opens himself up to us all. We see his hopes, his dreams, his heartache for Owen Hart's tragic death, his feelings for his family, and his very strong views on the PTC among others. He talks of censurship, parenting, the hardship of attempting to live ones dream. He expresses regret and remorse of actions that he has taken that have upset his family. He was allowed and willing to express his opinion of things he think was/is done wrong in WWF today. You can see the love he has for his family. How much they mean to him. You can see his sense of honor. And his intelligence. Yes this book is funny. I rarely laugh out loud when reading, but he had me laughing hard. I also rarely cry when reading, but the chapter on Owen did me in there. Yet what sticks in my mind the most was the feeling you get for Foley's love for life. He lives it to its fullest (and in some cases hardest). We could all learn from Foley about how to love, laugh, take responsiblity as parents, and cry. The title says it all. Foley is Good.

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.

"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

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.

Mick Foley's first book, Have a Nice Day, completely took the literary world by surprise. With its humorous anecdotes, touching stories, and frank honesty about his career and the world of professional wrestling, the book quickly became the standard to which all other wrestling books are compared. Well, guess what? With this new book, Mick Foley has just raised the bar again. If the first book was the opening match, the second is the main event.Foley's first book provided readers with background information into the career and lifestyle of a professional wrestler. Foley is Good picks up immediately from the end of the first book, describing events that have occurred up to the present day. Foley's storytelling remains superb and wrestling fans will continue to be entertained with stories about WWF stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Owen Hart.What really makes this book stand out, however, is the unique insight Mick brings about professional wrestling and its place in modern culture. He openly addresses the concerns people have brought regarding the dangers of professional wrestling. (His Ten Commandments of backyard wrestling should be a must-read for all budding professional wrestlers.) Most intriguing of all are his comments about the PTC and the WWF, which is the most well-articulated and thoroughly researched defense of professional wrestling I have ever seen. He pulls no punches and will undoubtedly be criticized for some of his comments. Yet it is this last section that gives us the most insight into the mind and heart of Mick Foley, the man.Readers already impressed with Foley's first book, Have a Nice Day, would do well to get their hands on this new book as soon as possible. Highest recommendation