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Mick Channon Jnr
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How's Your Dad? Hardcover – 15 Sept. 2016

by Mick Channon Jnr (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 340 ratings
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Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2016.

Framed within the tribulations of a turbulent year in a racing yard, How's Your Dad? examines the relationship between a father and son. The father, Michael Channon Snr, an arthritic workaholic and "a grumpy old bastard", played football at the highest level for over twenty years, scoring crucial goals for the likes of Southampton, Norwich City and most famously, England. Almost uniquely, he followed up this sporting career with another, ultimately scaling the heights of the Racing game. With such an illustrious Father, Michael Channon Jnr had plenty to live up to and though he enjoyed the many benefits of such a connection he felt that pressure, as well as the relative anonymity of always being "Mick's son".

Vividly and often humorously told, this story is balanced with deeply atmospheric, sometimes darkly dramatic, flashbacks to a youth often misspent. As a small boy Michael Junior is led out on to the pitch at Wembley on Cup Final Day, as a student he finds himself in intensive care after succumbing to his drunken state and the dangers of sleeping on the roof. His promising career as a TV producer is hampered by an untimely fire in the workplace as well as a loss of direction, a direction that once found leads back to where he began, at his Father's side. Rigidly old fashioned and phenomenally short tempered, Michael Senior fosters a love/hate relationship, but in caring for his father in the aftermath of a horrendous car crash Michael Junior poignantly uncovers the hidden feelings every son has for their Dad.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Racing Post Books
  4. Publication date
    15 Sept. 2016
  5. Dimensions
    31.4 x 3.1 x 16.4 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1910498947
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1910498941
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

Brilliant read. Scarily honest and so funny. Everyone in racing should get a copy. - Matthew Tester, Senior Handicapper BHA

Expletives lace the paragraphs but so do laughs and the occasional wince. - Marcus Townend --Daily Mail

While Mick Channon Jnr may have embraced failure, it would appear that, in penning How's Your Dad? he has stumbled upon something he might be exceptional at: writing. - Marcus Armytage

Mick Jnr is a very good, unconstructed writer. He is a natural storyteller... It is certainly a read for sports fans. - Charlie Brooks --The Telegraph

If you buy only one racing themed book this year, this should be it. --The Racing Forum

About the Author

MICHAEL JOHN CHANNON has achieved many failures in his life. A dismal career as a TV sports reporter followed an even worse attempt at becoming a footballer and along the way he has collected a catalogue of disasters, ranging from setting fire to his place of work to hitting a crossbar from three yards against Bognor Regis. They, coupled with an often taut relationship with his dad in horse racing, have led to his finest book yet. This is his first book.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Racing Post Books (15 Sept. 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1910498947
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1910498941
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 31.4 x 3.1 x 16.4 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 340 ratings

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Mick Channon Jnr

Mick Channon Jnr

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
340 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book a great read with brilliant insight and hugely funny content. They also describe the emotional tone as poignant and sad.

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Reading experienceEntertainmentContentEmotional toneWriting style
31 customers mention ‘Reading experience’31 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great read, and say it's endearingly honest and engaging.

"...Brutally but endearingly honest and truly engaging, and told with a gentle, self-deprecating humour - I've not read anything as funny as the Granada..." Read more

"This is an interesting book and is good in parts. It is a bit disjointed and events seem a bit haphazard...." Read more

"...Thoroughly enjoyable from page 1 to the end.Brutally honest, heartwarming, sad and unbelievably funny this book is just a joy to read...." Read more

"An interesting, funny and generally good read. You genuinely want to know the outcome of the events described. Enjoyed it." Read more

21 customers mention ‘Entertainment’21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and hilarious.

"...honest and truly engaging, and told with a gentle, self-deprecating humour - I've not read anything as funny as the Granada TV chapter for many a day..." Read more

"...However, there is an affection in the narrative and the story is told in an amusing way...." Read more

"...Brutally honest, heartwarming, sad and unbelievably funny this book is just a joy to read...." Read more

"An interesting, funny and generally good read. You genuinely want to know the outcome of the events described. Enjoyed it." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Content’13 positive0 negative

Customers find the content breathtakingly frank, entertaining, and real. They also appreciate the self-depreciation, lack of confidence, and general asking whether he or she is.

"...Brutally but endearingly honest and truly engaging, and told with a gentle, self-deprecating humour - I've not read anything as funny as the Granada..." Read more

"...Thoroughly enjoyable from page 1 to the end.Brutally honest, heartwarming, sad and unbelievably funny this book is just a joy to read...." Read more

"An interesting, funny and generally good read. You genuinely want to know the outcome of the events described. Enjoyed it." Read more

"...Hysterically funny and brutally honest." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Emotional tone’8 positive0 negative

Customers find the emotional tone of the book poignant, funny, and amusing. They also mention that the narrative has affection.

"...However, there is an affection in the narrative and the story is told in an amusing way...." Read more

"...Thoroughly enjoyable from page 1 to the end.Brutally honest, heartwarming, sad and unbelievably funny this book is just a joy to read...." Read more

"I found this both very funny and slightly sad. Well written and very interesting." Read more

"...There are many stories, particularly about Mick Snr., some sad, some poignant and some funny, indeed very funny...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing style’8 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style well written and chatty.

"...Brutally but endearingly honest and truly engaging, and told with a gentle, self-deprecating humour - I've not read anything as funny as the Granada..." Read more

"I found this both very funny and slightly sad. Well written and very interesting." Read more

"...is minimal but that had no bearing on my appreciation of this well written book...." Read more

"...It is well-written and put together in a way that makes it very easy to read. You will not want to put it down...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

@bdobson67
5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, funny and beautifully written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 March 2023
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Ok, so I'm target audience here, having grown up in. Southampton as a Saints fan...but ignore that - it isn't just for the likes of me. Brutally but endearingly honest and truly engaging, and told with a gentle, self-deprecating humour - I've not read anything as funny as the Granada TV chapter for many a day. You come away with the sense you just want to go for a pint with Michael Jnr, although perhaps not on a rooftop in Bristol.
For a bloke claiming to be a failure most of the time I can assure him that doesn't include his writing; in this he has found his true calling. Read it!
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Brendan Flynn
4.0 out of 5 stars A curate's egg
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2017
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This is an interesting book and is good in parts. It is a bit disjointed and events seem a bit haphazard. However, there is an affection in the narrative and the story is told in an amusing way. For those who can remember what footballing greats Mick and his Southampton teammates were this is a good read that brings things up to the present with Mick's life as a racehorse trainer.
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Rach
5.0 out of 5 stars Channon scores!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 October 2016
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The best way to sum up my enjoyment of this book is to say I didn't want it to end. Thoroughly enjoyable from page 1 to the end.
Brutally honest, heartwarming, sad and unbelievably funny this book is just a joy to read. As a racing nut and football fan it t obviously appealed to me however if you're not really into those things I'd still recommend it as it's so much more than a book about sport, it's about relationships between child and parent.
I can really empathise with Mick Jnr as so much of this book resonates with my life (apart from the fact I'm a girl and my Dad wasn't a world famous sportsman!). I'm very similar in age to Mick Jnr so loved the 80's memories but I did follow my Dad into his line of work and the title of this book is the only question I got asked! I loved the self-depreciation, lack of confidence and general asking whether he or the rest of the world was mad, something I wonder often. The Channon family seem as mad as a box of frogs and their popping up with stories just adds to the tale.
I really hope Mick Jnr writes another book soon as I can't wait to read it.
4 people found this helpful
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MISS J.
5.0 out of 5 stars Just brilliant really
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2016
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Okay, I’m aware that I’m probably the target audience for this book. I’m a Saints fan and regular at the races, particularly Salisbury. I’ve backed Mick Channon’s horses out of loyalty rather than sense on occasion and I remember reading Channon Jnr’s “Windmill Diaries” in the Saints fanzine back in the early 2000s.
But I’d challenge anyone not to enjoy this book – I doubt that you even need to be a sports fan. Everyone has family and friends and that’s really what this book is about.
Without tales of Mick Jnr’s friendships with Marsie, Stokesy and Bally and his affection for wider family members, the workings (or not) of the father-son relationship may get too dark and leave you wondering why Mick Snr doesn’t find gainful employment elsewhere.
His telling of a bone crunching drive to catch a loose horse which left a fragile Mick Snr badly shaken up left me wanting to hug Mick Jnr who was obvious at the end of his tether: 'To be honest, and I hate myself for feeling this way, I couldn't give a shit. I feel for him, and I know he's been through a dreadful ordeal, but he does this all the time: creating conflict, searching for enemies, seeking out subjects to blame...'
But for all the darkness it’s the humour that stands out. Particularly the chapter about Mick Jnr's sweary great Uncle John who got into a bit of road rage which led to a fight on the hard shoulder:
Uncle John: 'Well, I had a bit of trouble on the motorway a while back, trying to overtake a young kid. He didn't like it and started to race us. Anyway, we pulled over, and as I was getting out of the car he hit me. My glasses fell off and everything.' 'So what did you do?' asked Mick (snr). 'Well, I couldn't exactly find my glasses there and then because he was threatening me, so I sort of knew where he was and connected with a couple round his head and got a couple into his ribs. When he was on the ground I managed to get a boot into him as well. Then I found my glasses.'
Thankfully 85-year-old Uncle John's 22-year-old adversary was too embarrassed to press charges from his hospital bed.
If I’d written a book like this about my dad, I doubt he’d be talking to me, so credit to Mick Snr for letting his son do so and supporting the outcome. And many, many thanks. I can’t wait for the sequel.

Reviewed by someone who lives off Bakers Drove in a “not exactly a salubrious area of Southampton”. And whose other half is "a bit Flower Roads".
5 people found this helpful
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IanYarrow
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2023
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An interesting, funny and generally good read. You genuinely want to know the outcome of the events described. Enjoyed it.
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BB Newman
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2016
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I found this both very funny and slightly sad. Well written and very interesting.
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Vivienne Barrett
3.0 out of 5 stars Given away for Christmas present.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 January 2017
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Given away for Christmas present.
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Alison
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn’t put it down!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2022
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I always expected this to be interesting, because I’m a lifelong Saints fan and I love horse racing. For many years I’ve cheered on Mick Channon’s horses, and I’ve seen Michael Channon Junior at the races.
What I didn’t expect was that I would enjoy the book so much, and find it hard to put down. I loved the bits about my old heroes from the ‘76 Southampton FA Cup team, and it was interesting to read about what was effectively a year in the life of a racehorse trainer, with all its ups and downs. I wasn’t aware of the family illnesses and accidents, and they added to the variety of subjects covered.
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Top reviews from other countries

rob
5.0 out of 5 stars funny and
Reviewed in the United States on 16 December 2016
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Enjoyable read- honest, funny and charming
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Drivinghorse
1.0 out of 5 stars Being a big fan of Mick Shannon, I was looking forward to this book, I was sadly very disappointed
Reviewed in France on 23 December 2016
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Disappointing read, badly written. Book lost me early on, flirted about, found it hard to keep up with who was being talked about.
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