Just Kids (2010) by Patti Smith has gotten raves reviews and won the National Book Award for Non Fiction for that year. In addition I am a big fan of her music and the New York scene that spawned her. So those aspects of the book were the most intriguing for me. It was fascinating to read about their life in the Chelsea Hotel and her brief romance with Sam Sheppard and nights spent at Max's Kansas City as well as performing at CBGB's. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of Robert Mapplethorpe's work and the book focuses mostly on their relationship and left me wanting to hear more about her initial collaborations with Lenny Kaye and subsequent recording career. That being said, Smith has an engaging poetic narrative style. It is her love letter to a dear friend. It's an amazing story about a couple of kids who went to the big city without anything and who went on to become cultural giants through determination and belief that that is what they were fated to be.
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