Murray’s book, Proud Shoes: The Story of An American Family, was published 17 October 1956. In this work Murray describes her ancestors, particularly on her maternal side, through family stories and her own research. In a 1978 preface to a republication of the book, Murray said that Proud Shoes is a “family memoir” that evolved from a story for her nieces and nephews into a declaration of her American heritage shaping her fight for justice and equality. Murray’s ancestors lived in Orange, Durham, and Chatham counties and they had multiple connections to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC).
In November and December of 1956, there are mentions of Proud Shoes in book columns within the Charlotte News, the Durham Morning Herald, the Greensboro Record, and the Raleigh News & Observer. No reviews or reactions could be found in a search of Chapel Hill and Orange County publications from 1956 or early 1957. All positive in nature, the reviews vary between seeing the book as a dramatic narrative versus a non-fiction account with Murray at the center.
Review of Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family written by Richard Walser.
In the Raleigh News & Observer, Richard Walser records his emotional reaction to the arc of Proud Shoes. Walser states: “Never before have I read a book about the colored people of this section which was more forceful and heart-rending.”
Review of Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Memoir published in the Charlotte News.
Going to an extreme, the author of the Charlotte News column “Books Noticed in Passing” reframes the rape of Murray’s great-grandmother: “pride is intermingled with passion in the love of two brothers of a noble family for one woman.”
Review of Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family written by Betty Hodges.
Columnist Betty Hodges talks about Murray as the central character in addition to summarizing the book’s events. Hodges describes Murray as “a woman lawyer” who “had additional obstacles to overcome, for she is a Negro.” The columnist weaves historical fact with her own opinion of how family history shaped Murray emotionally.
Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family written by Walter Spearman.
Spearman (a longtime professor at UNC’s School of Journalism) states “Miss Murray writes vividly and expertly, with a controlled emotion underlying her story."
Advertisement for the Intimate Bookshop in Chapel Hill, NC.
Other clues to local reception of the book include an ad for Chapel Hill’s Intimate Bookshop. The ad lists the book for sale at $3.50 under the headline boldly stating “We are NOT suppressing Proud Shoes.” It’s unclear if another organization was suppressing the book, but this ad ran for a number of issues in the Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s student newspaper.
Newspaper coverage of Murray's visit to Durham in November 1957
A little over a year after the publication of Proud Shoes, Murray came to Durham on a speaking tour that coincided with National Book Week. She spoke to audiences at the Stanford Warren Library and Hillside High School, and several civic groups. Betty Hodges reported on this visit in her column for the November 24, 1957 Durham Morning Herald, saying Murray was “small in stature and in frame” and “would have seemed frail except for an appearance of inner strength which emanated from her.” The Carolina Times, Durham’s prominent African American newspaper, covered Murray’s visit with a photo on the front page of the 30 November 1957 issue.