Alright let me try to put this into perspective for a well meaning chap like yourself. I too read Born to Run and got super pumped about the whole barefoot running thing. And while I never actually made the switch I was pretty pumped about my newly found god given ultra distance running genes that I apparently had had for my entire life. Here is the best comparison I can give you
Having the mechanics and body type to be able to successfully run a ton of miles barefoot is similar to having 20/20 vision. You should be able to see really well but there are tons of people who can't and they need glasses. Shoes, like glasses, can correct some of the problems that many of us have who were not graced with perfect genes or biomechanics or what ever.
Basically you can give the whole barefoot thing a shot however, you NEED to take it REALLYYYY SLOW. I know I'm sure everyone has told you this but you need to take baby steps... like a baby out on a leisurely stroll steps. Maybe you switch to a racing flat for a while and then to a more minimalist shoe and then to a even more minimalist shoe and then give barefoot running a shot. There is a lot of room for error so just be careful. You have a lot of years under your legs to make any kind of quick switch.
This is just my .02 so take it for what its worth.
Cheers,
Jabbles