“How Are Sneakers Made?” by Henry Horenstein (1993, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers), is a picture book that takes readers through the creation of sneakers- specifically the Converse All Star– at a former Converse factory in Lumberton, North Carolina!

I remember around the turn of the century when I heard that Converse would no longer be producing their All Star shoes in the USA. The company had been rescued from a brush with bankruptcy and would soon be purchased by Nike. I picked up a couple pairs of the all black high tops and kept them in my bullpen.

I thought All Stars were good for BMX freestyle bicycling. Their lack of girth around the foot and archless flat rubber soles made dancing on the pedals, tires and stunt-pegs more natural, as opposed to bulkier basketball-type sneaks.

When I became more of a mountain-biker in the 00s,  All Stars remained on the roster. Whenever I tried to walk far wearing them, the tongues would always slide to the outer side of my foot- even when wearing proper socks. I started to get into footwear with more developed leather uppers and advanced footbeds.

My last pair of Made-in-the-USA All Stars “died” a couple years ago. I cut them apart in reverse to see how they were constructed (before Michael from Allston Massachusetts gifted Popdiatry with this excellent book).

If I desire the All Star body again, I would probably go with some Etiko clones. Etiko, not to be confused with Ekito, is a post-millennial shoe and clothing company that pays  special attention to fairtrade issues, and goes for eco-friendly manufacturing practices. Since I walk a lot these days, the flat arch design of this type of shoe is not optimal; but for certain activities like bike riding, weight training, or just lamping, the classic no-frill design of a “Chuck” may be just what the podiatrist ordered.