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 … 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.
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I still think about this book, even though I read it a few years back when it first came out. Loved it
Worth reading, historically interesting.
It’s a beautifully written poetic book. As an audio-book every minute of it was a joy to listen to especially because of the narration of the author herself. An absolute treasure even if you are not really familiar with the era and social contexts of these two decades of NY as an artistically thriving but otherwise financially and criminally …
I enjoyed her journey immensely.
Excellent biography/autobiography
Although not a fan of Patti’s music, her writing is captivating, painting her story with beautifully constructed prose. Since reading this book, I’ve be compelled to read more by her and have not been disappointed.
I sat down at the corner of the bookshop and began to read the first, second, third pages and immediately knew that I had to read the book but, not tomorrow, not in a week and certainly not sometime in the future, but entirely now. And so, right there in the bookshop, I plunged into the world of Patty and Robert.
The book is an autobiography of …
There´s a reason why it won the National Book Award…
I always liked Patti Smith. I lived in NYC in the early 80’s and though her scene was on the wane by then it still felt close enough. I admire her holding true to herself and her dream of becoming an acknowledged artist. She was very fortunate that her stars aligned in the form of punk rock that suited her style of poetry. What I knew of …
Possibly the best first-hand narration of the lives led by young artists willing to sacrifice just about everything — from indoor plumbing to heat to food — in service of the immense need to follow their creative muse.
This is such an outstanding book of friendship and love beyond traditional views. It takes place in the 70s so there is a lot of sex and drugs, but the real attention grabber of this book was how much these two people really meant to each other. I absolutely recommend this to everyone. I’m still not over it.
Just Kids is a beautifully written and moving story of Patti Smith’s move to NYC in the seventies, where she lived hand-to-mouth as a struggling artist. It’s also a story of her friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. A fascinating book.
I have the double whammy of both previously working as a photographer, and I always have enjoyed poetry. Now, often including it in my own work. So it was a given I would wish to read this book.
As always with Patti, it is beautifully written. She has such a perfect way with words that you find yourself enjoying every sentence, often wishing to …