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March 9, 2015
Chatty and endearing, this episodic memoir flows rather organically in the capable voice of New York journalist Morrisroe (Wide Awake; Mapplethorpe: A Biography). A dedicated shoe hound since age 10, when her mother blurted out intriguingly that she actually had 12 toes when she was born (a confession the author was never able to substantiate), Morrisroe recreates many of her shoe lust milestones growing up in the 1960s in Andover, Mass., shopping for white Mary Janes, wedgies, Beatle boots, and ghillies. Begging her practical-minded mother for the latest shoe craze for Catholic school entailed visiting Reinhold’s Shoe Store on Main Street, where the obliging salesman, “out of boredom or bad taste,” would bring Morrisroe something he claimed was the “latest thing for the boudoir.” As she grew into her elegant but problematic 9 ½ narrow feet, specific shoes initiated her into first love, such as the ruby ballerina slippers that allowed her to get into sexy character for her community theater group’s performance in high school, and the granny boots that she wore constantly during the Tufts-in-London college program where she fell for a Roger Daltrey lookalike. Straightforward and funny, Morrisroe proves to be a great companion as she navigates shoe stores, high heels, and foot fetishes.

February 15, 2015
Chronicling five decades of life by recounting the shoes worn during important societal and personal milestones is a quirky, possibly gimmicky, foundation for a narrative, but Morrisroe (Wide Awake: What I Learned About Sleep from Doctors, Drug Companies, Dream Experts, and a Reindeer Herder in the Arctic Circle, 2010, etc.) hits the mark.Traversing America's cultural landscape through shoe culture, the author explores how, for good or ill, the wedgie, glitter platforms, granny boots, and the recent cult of the high heel and bondage stilettos have affected her and our culture. Morrisroe discusses her childhood passion for Beatle Boots and how, after seeing Diane Keaton in Annie Hall, she coveted a pair of oxfords. As an adult in New York, in her hunt for the perfect narrow shoe, the author fell for an expensive "pair of loafers in the softest napa leather." She also recalls the beginnings of "shoe porn," fostered by Sex and the City. During a failed attempt at easing her foot pain, Morrisroe purchased a strange pair of shoes with curved "rocker" soles called MBTs (Masai Barefoot Technology). Throughout, the author weaves in entertaining footwear and foot care snippets. She notes that high heels were invented in the 16th century, and aristocratic women wore tall platforms called chopines. Marie Antoinette "wore two inch plum-black mules to her beheading." Today, writes Morrisroe, women want pretty feet no matter the cost, so obliging podiatrists tout a procedure called a "Foot Facelift or Cinderella Surgery." The author also laces in family portraits of a loving grandfather who administered foot massages; her mother, who could never find shoes that fit; and her husband's bewildering attachment to an oversized collection of classic Puma sneakers. A funny, warm and insightful trek through one woman's life and American popular culture-a successful blend of form and function.