Oh I can reply to this one! But in general I tell my friends who ask... minimalist shoes aren't for everyone so if you want to try them out, do... but don't push it because it really can mess you up.
tl;dr of why I love them: I got drunk one Sunday and bought a pair of Vibrams. I no longer run in Vibrams regularly but minimalist shoes overall: Drastically improve and continually reinforce my running form, I don't roll my ankles on trails, and they are basically the only zero drop shoes left on the market (yes, I know there are exceptions... I may get around to trying them someday).
Long version:
Leading up to the training for my first marathon I ran in more traditional shoes. I just sort of... went at it, following(ish) Hal Higdon's beginner marathon plan. All was well until about a month out when suddenly I couldn't even jog a block without intense pain in my knee. Boo. I basically stopped training, still ran the race... painfully (foolish I know) and then was ready to give up running.
One fine Sunday after a few mimosas me and my friend decided to go try these "toe shoes" everyone was on about. Got a pair on impulse. Walked around a bunch. Got impatient and started running in them. Like clockwork my knee started to hurt. Bad. But then I found something... I could eliminate the pain by altering my gait!! And so I did. In no time I was back to running. In fact I think one of my earlier runs in the vibrams, 10th or 11th or so, was a half marathon I'd signed up for before my knee went to shit. I did well, I felt great. I kept training in them. Don't try this at home.... as I have since learned I have freak feet that are basically meant for "barefoot" running.
While they were "trendy" I did find that my favorite shoes to run in were lightly cushioned, zero drop shoes... but it was the zero drop that was critical. Anything above a 3mm drop (most running shoes) and BAM instant knee pain. As the "trend" died down... so did the options. So I stuck with the zero drop, which now pretty much meant minimalist shoes. For the past few years of off and on running I ran my Mizuno Wave Evos into the ground and now run almost exclusively in New Balance Minimus shoes.
Recently I have been getting back into trail running (after blowing out my ankle on an easy training run in more standard running shoes) and I must say... I can't imagine running trails in anything other than minimalist shoes. It's just such a different level of control than anything else. That being said... I'm still building distance so maybe I'll change my tune..