A short history of sneakers. A quick and interesting read. I did the annoying thing with this book during silent reading where I made all the other librarians listen to the facts I learned about sneakers.I learned a lot, and I liked how the end of the book focused a bit on the environmental and ethical concerns involving sneakers (not just the labor aspects - but also the branding and advertising of sneakers to teenagers who cannot afford them).This would be a necessary book for all middle schoo...

Nonfiction geared toward grades 6 and up. A history of the development of the sneaker from its beginnings to the current craze for expensive designer versions. Keyser highlights key personalities in the industry including the founders of Adidas, Puma, and Nike and athletes and celebrities responsible for popularizing the shoes. The text flows easily and there are plenty of color photos. Each chapter has the picture of a shoe at the front of the chapter heading but there is no attribution; are th...

"From the story of Michael Jordan's flu shoes to the the sad story of "crackpot" scientist Charles Goodyear who never earned a penny off his formulas for rubber, this is a book that combines history, entrepreneurship, and fashion. Learn who the brothers behind Adidas and Puma brands were, and about Jesse Owen's decision to wear shoes designed by Germans for the 1936 Olympics when Hitler had started to rule. Not to mention Jordan's about-face when he started wearing NIKEs and not his true-blue Ad...

Today's kids may not have heard the story of Michael Jordan playing while he had the Flu, but is a memorable way to start this book! The thought of getting rich off of shoes will intrigue many kids. The authors effectively link present day with prehistory by comparing the first poured-rubber shoes of South American natives to today's Vibram toe shoes. Do you know why they are called Keds and Chuck Taylors? Learning how it all started is fascinating! The Olympics helped many shoe companies become...

Earlier this school year, I began to notice my students' sneakers. Now, the population at my school is rather comfortable and name brands are ubiquitous. But I started to notice the boys sporting these immaculate sneakers and fussing over keeping them immaculate. None of the four boys that I raised ever gave a fig about keeping their sneaks clean. I asked what was up and learned that quite a few are sneakerheads and collecting sneakers has become a thing. I knew when I saw this book in the JLG l...

This is a perfect choice for upper elementary or middle school students seeking a highly engaging piece of nonfiction-- especially the kids who only want to read about sports. This book mixes sports with history with politics with economics with pop culture... all in all, a great read. As a newbie runner, I loved learning about tumultuous and surprising history of my favorite shoes. Highly recommend!

An accessible book about the history and culture behind the most distinctive footwear. He lost one star because my favourite sneaker is not well-profiled. OK, I'm biased. However, I recommend it as an unofficial history

Excellent, interesting read. I quite enjoyed it.

Its about the history of sneakers from where they started, how they are made, and influence to the sneaker community because their lots of people who like some kind of shoe.

The history of sneakers is an interesting one. It is kind of hard to believe that they have only been around a bit over 100 years since they are a constant part of our lives now. Sneaker Century takes the reader through the history of sneakers from the very first ones in the 1800s to modern celebrity-designed ones today. I found the history fascinating. I know almost nothing about sneaker brands other than their names so this was definitely an education for me. I learned that two brothers starte...

This was a quick, easy, and interesting nonfiction book for middle school and high school students and will be fun to book talk. It's a very slim read (64 pages), but there is a decent amount of information on the history of the sneaker for readers who are interested. It also is a good starting point for students doing research. There are loads of pop culture references and interesting facts, i.e. Adidas and Puma were founded by 2 brothers, Beyonce had sneakers made for her out of ostrich, anaco...

I find this book full of accessible cocktail-hour factoids fascinating. The presentation of the history from ancient times through contemporary moving through pop culture, sports, and industry make it a valuable collection of information worth reading for fun or because you're a Sneakerhead. The political climate related to Jesse Owens during the Olympics was just an revealing as the relationship between the two brothers who ultimately parted ways and started two companies (Adidas and Puma) beca...

A nice way to learn the beginnings of how sneakers became the ubiquitous form of footwear.

Not a very good book.

A great introduction into the history of sneakers, both for athletics and fashion. The writing is accessible and easy to understand, and will keep a reader engaged. I found myself looking up more information on interesting facts throughout the book. The resource list at the end is good and provides links with excellent information. Reading this made me want to pull out all of my sneakers and wear them, and add to my collection. If a teen or tween needs a non-fiction book on history, popular cult...

When I was sitting in my book award committee the lady sitting next to me presented this book. She said (paraphrasing) " I didn't think much about this book, and then I started reading it and it was fascinating" I am the advocate for this book in my committee. Thankfully, I also found it fascinating! It hits all the points from A to B. Meaning the cool factor to the global impact (pollution, low wages, child labor, non bio gradable etc).In some books you can gloss over some words or skim pages,

This book features really great, bold images of athletes and different sneaker designs. It's an amazing history behind the rise and fall of sneaker companies and how endorsements and product placement changed the industry. This is a great story about how sneakers have become a huge industry. There is even a mention of how a disastrous loss of containers of sneakers in the ocean actually have helped scientists study ocean currents - referencing another one of my favorite books: Tracking Trash by

I asked our materials department to buy this title for my young adult non fiction collection, thinking I could easily sell it to a reluctant reader - it's short and has good graphics. Of course, I did want to read it to see if it truly was sellable.I really wasn't excited to read it, after all, I own sneakers, but I don't run anywhere, ever. But this book isn't just about a type of shoe, it's about sneakers and people.Through short, simple chapters this book examines the history of footwear, the...

I am always looking for interesting nonfiction for my students, and my own favorite topic to read about is anything having to do with popular culture. What better than a 64 page overview of athletic shoes? This is really the best treatment I have seen, starting with ancient shoes found by archaeologists and going from there! There is just enough detail about topics such as Chuck Taylor being a basketball players and shoe salesman, the genesis of most of the modern shoe companies, and the evoluti...

OMG shoes!Seriously guys, I just read a book about shoes! "le sigh"I, like many others, own many pairs of shoes, specifically sneakers. I need a pair to run, to boat, to dance, for work, date outfits, etc and this book reaffirms everything I believe-- there is nothing wrong with a shoe obsession.This book is a perfect concised look into the history of sneakers, the business and politics, as well as fashion trends... Including a focus on Air Jordan's, Converse and the Adidas vs Nike rivalry. I re...