Who Would Like This Book:
This memoir is a love letter to art, friendship, and the bohemian spirit of 1970s New York. Patti Smith’s poetic but accessible writing style draws readers right into her world as she and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe hustle and dream together. If you're interested in music, the visual arts, or just love coming-of-age stories set against vibrant cultural backdrops (hello, Chelsea Hotel and CBGB’s!), you'll find this book captivating. Creative souls, artists, and anyone who romanticizes the raw, gritty side of artistic pursuit will adore it.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Not everyone vibes with Smith’s style. Some found the writing too earnest, too poetic, or just a bit self-conscious - especially when it veers into lots of name-dropping or recounts of outfits and apartments. If you’re looking for a tell-all packed with juicy details, or need your memoirs to get straight to the point (or deeper into the personalities involved), you might find sections a touch meandering or surface-level. Readers unfamiliar with or uninterested in the 60s/70s New York art scene, or who want a more conventional life story, may bounce off this one.
About:
Improbable as it may seem, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and rock icon Patti Smith were the closest of friends from the time they arrived in Manhattan in the late 1960s. This memoir is about their friendship, their artistic coming of age, and a very particular time and place, Manhattan in the late 60s and early 70s. Patti Smith's writing has a very poetic quality to it, unsurprisingly, being an incredible lyricist and poet. The book delves into the NYC art scene of the late 60's and early 70s, providing a glimpse into the artistic and cultural time of that era.
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Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include discussions of poverty, drug use, and the AIDS crisis, which can be sensitive subjects for some readers.
From The Publisher:
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
It was the summer Coltrane died, the summer of love and riots, and the summer when a chance encounter in Brooklyn led two young people on a path of art, devotion, and initiation.
Patti Smith would evolve as a poet and performer, and Robert Mapplethorpe would direct his highly provocative style toward photography. Bound in innocence and enthusiasm, they traversed the city from Coney Island to Forty-Second Street, and eventually to the celebrated round table of Max's Kansas City, where the Andy Warhol contingent held court. In 1969, the pair set up camp at the Hotel Chelsea and soon entered a community of the famous and infamous, the influential artists of the day and the colorful fringe. It was a time of heightened awareness, when the worlds of poetry, rock and roll, art, and sexual politics were colliding and exploding. In this milieu, two kids made a pact to take care of each other. Scrappy, romantic, committed to create, and fueled by their mutual dreams and drives, they would prod and provide for one another during the hungry years.
Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy. It serves as a salute to New York City during the late sixties and seventies and to its rich and poor, its hustlers and hellions. A true fable, it is a portrait of two young artists' ascent, a prelude to fame.
Ratings (75)
Incredible (21) | |
Loved It (33) | |
Liked It (14) | |
It Was OK (5) | |
Did Not Like (1) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (221):
Read It (79) | |
Currently Reading (1) | |
Want To Read (93) | |
Did Not Finish (4) | |
Not Interested (44) |
3 comment(s)
It might be embarrassing for me to admit that I did not know about Patti Smith before I've seen her book. But I was still drawn to it and I'm so glad I've read it. I loved her ways of writing and making me care about her and everyone else in the book without me knowing anything before. I was so invested and emersed in her story and I cannot wait until I read more by her. Might need to look up her more after this
Can't find a similar book so picked this
Just Kids by Patti Smith is a memoir that chronicles her deep and enduring friendship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1960s and 70s New York City, the book captures their journey from struggling artists to influential figures in the art world. Smith’s narrative begins with their serendipitous meeting and follows their intertwined lives, highlighting their mutual support, artistic growth, and the challenges they faced. The memoir is both a love story and an elegy, celebrating their bond and the creative spirit that defined their era
This story was so human. I felt like I was living right along with Patti. Beautiful.
What can you read after
Just Kids?
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