Comments (56)

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Jul 07, 2023sandbar rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Riveting autobiography of brilliant minds trying SO hard to survive and make it as artists. Actually takes us to the edge of stardom, but never really goes into what really happens when she "makes it". Very well read audiobook. Best…
Dec 02, 2022EljayJohnson rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
I was soooo sure I was going to love it! But, alas, for myself, the wordsmithing was oft possessed of a magniloquent and vainglorious timbre. And I would become frustrated when I wasn't reading about what I really wanted to know (who are…
Apr 11, 2022rclane rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Heartening self portrait of Patti Smith's vulnerability, and many enlightening details about Mapplethorpe and Smith.
Mar 11, 2022camilayeremin rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Patti Smith’s “Just Kids” memoir of her early childhood and career in New York is a beautiful and riveting insight into not only the punk rock culture of that time, but also a personal recounting of her relationship with Robert…
Aug 26, 2021LeslieDRobertson rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Just a lovely, lovely book. I know some people have read this through a haze of nostalgia, imagining themselves in New York in the late '60s and the '70s, hanging with the cool people at Max's and CBGB's and living at the Chelsea, making…
May 07, 2020RandomLibrarian rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I read this when it was first published and it's a wonderful memoir. It tells Patti Smith's story, especially during her childhood and young adulthood: how she met Robert, their relationship, the people they met, while glossing over…
May 06, 2020AndreaG_KCMO rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I love a book that evokes a time and place, and many people rave about this book for that reason among others. I hesitated to pick this up for about a year because I've never easily related to transcendental artistic musings about the…
Dec 20, 2019OPL_AnnaW rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A beautiful tribute to friendship, chasing muses, and irrepressible youth. For fans of Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, art, and 1970's New York.
Dec 15, 2019tk607 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I give this book a five star rating because I am a Patti Smith fan. I was a child of the 60's but did not remember anything of Patti Smith when I picked up her book "Devotion". I then read "M Train" and now "Just Kids". Her words speak…
Apr 05, 2019rlbeekman rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
For a life and relationships of such inherent interest, this memoir is surprisingly flat and boring in the telling.
Mar 15, 2019
Loved this love story of a beautiful friendship. It was fun to grow up with Patti Smith and learn about her deepest influences.
Jan 25, 2019tweedim32 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I thought it was a real love story, though not in a conventional sense. I later bought copies for two friends who love music and the arts. Quick warning it does have some lurid scenes - they didn't bother…
Aug 01, 2018mclarjh rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Good (but not very good) writing; little self awareness; mostly a homage to Robert; for fans.
Jul 03, 2018HARFANGORIA rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This book will genuinely transport you to its time and place. To love the book, you need to give a hoot about life for a tortured genius pair, one proto-punk and one emergent gay icon, in the deliciously seedy NYC of the late '60s thru mid…
Apr 25, 2018booknrrd rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Patti Smith's memoir of her life with Robert Mapplethorpe beginning in 1967 and ending around the time that her debut album came out in 1975. She covers her relationship with Mapplethorpe after that period but the focus is on the years…
Mar 14, 2018DBRL_IdaF rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Fascinating. I'm a long-time fan of Patti Smith's music. I had very little knowledge of Robert Mapplethorpe, except to know his work was controversial. It was interesting reading about the development of their two artistic visions and the…
seeknofurther
Jan 10, 2017
A sublime and moving account of her early days with Robert Mapplethorpe. Beautifully written with many of their experiences in their gradual journey to notoriety and fame.
Jan 03, 2017Pippi_L rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A fascinating story.
Oct 18, 2016nannerl rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Interesting from a rock history perspective, and a peek at the New York scene in the late 70s. However, I found the author to be irritatingly pretentious and desperate to be regarded as intelligentsia, lest we think she's just a punk…
Sep 03, 2016JILLYJELLY rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Great book, very informative and interesting. She had some real balls!!! It's a snapshot of a magical time in history, especially at the Chelsea Hotel in NYC.
Aug 15, 2016AL_SIMONE rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is the story of Smith's relationship to Robert Mapplethorpe (the decidedly controversial and wonderful photographer), and is in many ways less of an autobiography than an homage to her beloved friend and collaborator. It's also a cool…
Dec 09, 2015Zoomerofall rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Even if you don't like Patti Smith's poetry or music, give this book a try. She tells an amazing story really well.
imissmyrexix
Dec 09, 2015
This is the first book I've ever commented on and, unfortunately, I read all the below reviews first. I agree with all the positive comments and doubt I can add anything more insightful and meaningful than what's already been said. I was…
Dec 08, 2015JCLBeckyC rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An evocative story of unconventional and unconditional love between Godmother of Punk Patti Smith and photography icon Robert Mapplethorpe. It's been nearly five years since I first read this memoir, and yet I still savor scenes from it as…
Jun 10, 2015Tyler__J rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Patti Smith's memoir about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe is intensely personal and beautifully written. I came to this book knowing very little about either of these artists but come away feeling like I have a strong sense of…