Shoes Books

The stories and novellas in The Animal Girl will haunt you long after you have closed its pages. I can't shake the image of Holly Morris in "Real Grief"--part girl, part woman, hysterically laughing at her grandmother's funeral, or the thoughtful chemist in "A Small Matter," impotent in the face of real male aggression. Fulton is equally at home in the adolescent and middle-aged psyche, where he takes his readers with unsentimental and yet heartbreaking precision. These 5 stories will fill you up, and leave you wanting more.

I enjoyed this book so much that I've already read it twice. Granted, I'm a bit inclined to enjoy a book where I can easily picture the characters and their location (I've lived in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan for 12 years now). However, Fulton does an excellent job of drawing the reader into the worlds of his characters.

It's easy to feel the grief, questions, concerns that they all feel. It's easy to want to be mad at them for decisions they're making and actions they take. At the same time, though, there's a connection that arises that draws you in and just won't let go. You realize that these are people we all know, people we've met, and that the lives on the paper are ones that could easily exist in the "real" world.

Fulton does an excellent job of portraying the emotions and feelings of his female characters. He truly understands what draws them to their conclusions and does so in such a way that the reader is left feeling a bit nostalgic that they've finished reading that portion of the book.

One of my favorite parts was trying to figure out exactly where the characters were. For me, this helped a lot in terms of visualizing the scenery. However, I think I would have enjoyed it just as much without knowing this area as well as I do...substituting in the descriptions he provides.

I have already recommended this book to my friends and highly recommend it to all of you! It's offered a peak into the lives of others who could easily be people I meet every day, and did so in a caring and enlightening way.

Thank you, John!

Since "The Babe Signed (Ernie's) Shoe," Mr. Harwell has touched the hearts of Detrot Tigers' fans for many wonderful years! This is a super book by a super baseball announcer by a super man!

This book contains more wonderful stories of baseball from the greatest storyteller the game has ever known. Ernie Harwell is truly a national treasure. This book is a must for any baseball fan!

This is the sort of book that if you found an old copy in an op shop, you'd buy it even though you already have one, then walk around with it in your handbag looking for someone to give it to. Ok, I might be the only one nutty enough to actually do that, but it would make you feel like doing it.

I am a huge fan of Noel Streatfeild's work. Ballet Shoes for Anna is an exciting and different style of writing that I enjoyed. Instead of Streatfeild's usual way of writing from the performer (usually girls), this book is mostly in the point of view of Anna's two brothers, Francesco and Gussie, who are trying to get Anna her needed ballet lessons without their Uncle Cecil, who they moved in with when their parents died, knowing, who believes dancing to be a sin.

This book should be in every school library.

I tutor mathematics on the side, and there is great joy in seeing the facial expressions of students go from absolute misery to joy. I am a very strong believer in math tricks.
First, they are fun and magical. Second, they build confidence and curiosity to learn what is behind the magic. And, third, it has much to do with "thinking outside the box". And, contrary to the old stodgy idiots who cannot think out of the box and want to make sure nobody else does either, I think it is time to give students the opportunity to learn and have fun doing so for a change. (Sorry if I offended anyone. On second thought, no, I'm not sorry. Those people deserve to be offended.)

One thing about this book, though, is that it takes a little to digest what is there. Many of the skills there take much practice. There are a few similar books, but I have also considered writing a book that might take various math tricks and bring them out a little more slowly with a little more attention to each one with practice problems, etc.

Thank you so much, Jerry Lucas, wherever you are, for having the wisdom, courage, and love for others to bless others with this book!!!

This book would be great for gifted junior high and high schoolers, and smart, interested math-savvy adults. It is not for the faint of heart.

The calculations Lucas expects you to perform and remember are not easy. For example, he asks you to calculate the logarithm of, say, 17 (base 10) by applying a Taylor series approximation in your head. I've been able to do it, but not without a fair amount of practice. Mathematically gifted children will love it for stretching their abilities, but this 36-year-old loves it as a way to improve his calculating abilities, impress his nerdy friends, and improve his memory of numbers.

Reading my way through this book was like walking through a hall of mirrors at a fairground. Every turn revealed a new reflection of an aspect of my own childhood. Some were distorted more than others, but the story of the life of Jimmy Rova, told in the first person singular, evoked many poignant memories.

Jimmy tells the story of his difficult early life, and the interactions with those around him. When he progresses, against the odds, into grammar school, life gets even tougher for him. The descriptions of the highs and lows in his life cannot fail to stir the readers' emotions. This is a gripping read and it is so obviously wrapped around the personal experiences of the author. Having been previously so deeply moved by "Skallagrigg," I should not have been at all surprised to be just as deeply moved by this book by William Horwood.

I am sure that there are many who, like me, will see reflections of their own lives as they read The Boy With No Shoes. However, there has got to be something here for everyone. I would not hesitate to recommend the read to anyone, and I am confident that my friends will thank me for doing so.

Footnote: If this sweeps you along on an emotional roller-coaster, you should definitely read SKALLAGRIGG by the same author.

This memoir of an abusive childhood is raw, and uplifting. Jimmy has his heroes as well as his demons and manages to find a place of safety in an alien and horrific world.

This book is 'fictionalised biography', loosely based on Horwood's own childhood. In this book, I could recognise some of the imaginative writing evident in Horwood's other works.

I recommend this book highly. Not so much because of the recounting of a childhood filled with deprivation and pain, but because of the triumph of spirit and power of imagination that have enabled hope not to be overwhelmed by despair.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Cute, good read-aloud book with wonderful drawings and nice touches of humor. Lots to see, lots to count.

I love the creativity of this book and its use of numbers. Cute, attention keeping, and very educational all in one.

I thought this was a great read! Here is an article I found about the book from the August Gannetteer:

"Indy staffer bares basketball player's 'sole'"

Probably the only thing you know about Chuck Taylor is that his name appears on a shoe. Abe Aamidor wants you to know why.

The Indianapolis Star reporter has penned "Chuck Taylor, All Star"(Indiana University Press), a biography of the man whose name became synonymous with the Converse basketball shoe that bears his signature.

"I learned that Chuck Taylor was the most famous name in sports no one knew anything about," Aamidor says. "There had been no biographies written about him, and some people thought the name was fake, like Betty Crocker or Juan Valdez. I felt there had to be a story to tell."

Aamidor was granted access to Converse's corporate archives and Taylor's stepson gave him permission to visit the Port Charlotte, Fla., home and estate of Taylor's second wife to collect materials. He discovered correspondence between Taylor and legendary University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith, as well as UCLA's John Wooden. Smith wrote the foreword for Aamidor's book and Wooden "was by far my best living source."

The three-year project also took Aamidor to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio - Taylor was coach of the Wright Field Army Air Force "Air-Tecs" basketball team during World War II - and the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

The book, Aamidor's third, has brought him national attention, with interviews on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" and syndicated radio shows "Sports Byline USA" and "The Bob and Tom Show." Aamidor has also penned two college-level journalism texts, "Real Feature Writing" and "Real Sports Reporting."

by Ryan Corazza
Indiana Daily Student
Published Wednesday, March 22, 2006


His signature resides on the ankle patch of perhaps the most popular shoe in American history. He's a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and mingled with such basketball legends as John Wooden, Red Auerbach and Dean Smith. But up until now, nobody knew the true story of Chuck Taylor.

Enter Abe Aamidor.

The former IU adjunct professor and current feature writer at The Indianapolis Star spent three years digging up the facts and filtering out the myth of Chuck Taylor's life to write the first-ever biography on the Columbus, Ind., native.

"I was excited to learn there was never a book written about him," Aamidor said. "It was kind of like finding a gold coin in the street and nobody's around -- you just pick it up."

Because Taylor played in the pre-modern era of basketball that newspapers did not cover much and Converse misled the public about which pro teams Taylor played for, there was a lot for Aamidor to discover.

"Part of the mission was to debunk the mythology," Aamidor said. "There was a lot of junk in the standard brief stuff on Chuck's life, but there was also a lot that wasn't talked about."

Taylor was born in 1901 and spent most of his early years in Azalia, Ind., and Columbus, Ind.

He never played college basketball, which before World War II was the most watched and publicized level of the game. Instead, Taylor became involved with industrial league hoops, more prominent during the 1920s than professional basketball.

Taylor was also a great basketball coach -- a part of his life that is often overlooked, Aamidor said. He coached the Wright Field (Ohio) Army Air Force "Air-Tecs" of the U.S. Army's Special Service Division. The team toured the country playing college and other military teams and is regarded by some as the best service basketball team in history, winning more than 90 percent of its contests during the 1944-45 season.

"All the good players from colleges that were already playing pro ball were drafted (for military service)," Aamidor said. "In those days, you didn't get a deferment from the draft because you were a great ball player."

Instead of being well-known for his coaching abilities, Taylor became most famous for his relationship with Converse and its "All-Star" shoe. Although stories range on just how Chuck became involved with the company, he most likely became a salesman for Converse in 1921 and after proving to be a valuable asset to the company, his name was added to the All-Star patch in 1932.

One way Taylor marketed the shoe was through the "Fundamentals of Basketball" clinics he put on throughout the country. These clinics were put on at high schools and small colleges and on average drew about 300 to 400 guests.

"Before World War II, football and baseball were the big sports," Aamidor said. "So, in the clinics, he explained the game to a lot of people who weren't familiar with it."

Taylor promoted the shoe in a variety of other ways, ranging from traveling with the Converse All-Stars basketball squad to personally contacting and visiting owners of small-town sporting goods stores.

"In a way, his dealings were a bit shady, but he was ultimately honest and likeable," Aamidor said. "Nowadays, every photograph is airbrushed and any statement made is through a spokesman and interviews have to be granted. While Chuck's ways weren't perfect, they were much more honest."

Ryan Corazza
Published Wednesday, March 22, 2006

This was a wonderful book. Lovely and full of style and grace. The shoes were dazzling and wonderful. Some that i wouldn't mind being displayed in my house.

Shoes are more than scraps of fabric and leather to keep your feet off the ground. Contrary to what all the "Practical Pattys" in the world will tell you, shoes set the mood for an outfit, reveal the wearer's spirit and personality. And shoes can even be ART, as shown in this book. My personal favorite is the "glass slipper" made of broken pop bottles welded together. Not something you want to dance until midnight in!

Dawley packs this book with pertinent facts. This is a real page turner. There is not alot of published information about this particular area of the Industrial Revolution. So, the extensive research presented is greatly appreciated.

Dawley packs this book with pertinent facts. This is a real page turner. There is not alot of published information about this particular area of the Industrial Revolution. So, the extensive research presented is greatly appreciated.

I've read a woman can never have too many pairs of shoes. And in this respect, I am all woman. I probably have far too many pair, none too much alike, and who cares?

For my business, which involves Scottish wedding themes, I'm always on the lookout for ways how to further develop Scottish-ness and have fun using Scottish roots to celebrate a wedding.

So I bought A Closet Full of Shoes to see what ideas the authors had and how they might evolve with tartan, Celtic knots, and other Gaelic motifs.

Personally, I don't wear anything with a heel over 1 inch, so I glad to see so many ideas for lower heels and flats. The stiletto heel ideas shown are great, glittery and glitzy...if only I could.

From cover to cover I thoroughly enjoyed the read, the photos, and the creative ideas. It was nice to get directions about "how" to fasten the decorations on the shoes...and stockings!

Eleven creative women contributed photos and directions. There are 49 ideas for ladies, 6 for little girls, 5 work of art displays, and many more photo ideas showing slippers, sandals, flip-flops, sneakers, boots, every day shoes, dressy night-out shoes and wedding shoes.

Embellishment ideas include silk flowers, feathers, glitter and sequins ~ ribbons, trims, fabrics, and lace ~ applique, stencils, beads and buttons ~ computerized photo transfers and painted designs ~ jewelry, including brooches, charms, trinkets, and clip-on earrings. And combinations of these media.

Quotes from Imelda Marcos, Sex and the City, Bette Midler, Oprah Winfrey, Marilyn Monroe, Teddy Roosevelt, Allan Sherman, and Cinderella add a whimsical humor.

My favorite quote was anonymous, "When life gives you rain, splash in the puddles," with a pair of girls rain boots. How long since you've run and splashed in the puddles? Too long, I'll bet.

I loved this book from the moment I first opened it. I'm a wearable art artist and the more sources I have the better. This book gives me a new source of options. All my shoes will be having overhauls on them very soon!