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Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Just Kids
by
Patti Smith
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Synopses & Reviews
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ISBN13:
9780060936228
ISBN10:
0060936223
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Awards
2010 Powell's Staff Top 5s
4.9
84
What Our Readers Are Saying
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Average customer rating 4.9 (84 comments)
`
Becker
, January 02, 2013
(view all comments by Becker)
I really liked this book.
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trlmom
, January 02, 2013
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Peak into the world of The Chelsea Hotel and the 70's scene in NYC
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Nancy Hieronymus
, January 21, 2012
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I found this book very interesting in content since I lived in NYC and knew people just like the characters in the book. It was very well written and explains the era very well for those who did not live through it. Patti does not hold back on the life style that prevailed in the late 60's. Patti writes about her great friendship with Robert Maplethorpe, the photographer. They shared a warehouse where they painted together. She writes about Maplethorpes discovery that he was gay in a very sensitive manner. He eventually died of aids. She became a singer by accident-she really wanted to be a painter but singing did earn her money. I recently saw some her paintings on TV. This is a very honest book.
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misu
, January 20, 2012
This book made me jealous. I wanted to be there, to be friends with Patti Smith. The book was so heartfelt and open and free.
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49th Parallel
, January 19, 2012
Patti Smith's always been a multi-talented Renaissance Woman, but I found this surprisingly moving account of a very particular time and place (1970s NYC) to be both sharply observed and emotionally honest.
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ugur.yavuz
, January 19, 2012
JUST KIDS WAS THE BEST BOOK I READ IN 2011 CAUSE. Just Kids should interest any reader who wants to know how an artistic career can be launched. This book brings together all the elements that made New York so exciting in the late sixties and seventies. An honest and moving story of youth and friendship. Two kids made a pact to take care of each other.
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anthologygirl
, January 04, 2012
"Why can't I write something beautiful enough to wake the dead?" Patti Smith asks. If it were possible, this book would certainly have done it. Moving, honest, and beautiful beyond words.
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AngelaMcG
, January 02, 2012
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Definitely my favorite book this year. Patti Smith makes a dynamic time, legendary place, and iconic people accessible. Relevant and inspiring, 40 plus years later.
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bbarton
, January 02, 2012
(view all comments by bbarton)
A very sweet tale of love and friendship. Soul mates dedicated to art, to becoming artists together in the gritty and always new world of New York City in the 60's and 70's. Lives and a relationship that tell the story of a time and a place, unique and precious in its account.
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Joseph Smith
, January 01, 2012
one of the most exceptional, insightful & downright delicious novels i have read. patti smith deserves the literary acclaim & attention. she is a fearless writer. her inspiration is a combination of poetry derived from the city of new york as well as lyrics that are shaped of the fabric of the bohemian, punk roots of her generation. i was especially curious of her relationship to renowned photographer robert mapplethorpe. this story is universal & timeless. it just wasn't their competitive struggles as gifted, aspiring Artists. to me, it was the bond as two like-minded souls who were sensitive & empathetic to the world outside. surely, fame almost killed their kinship & death made her stronger. "Just Kids" deserves this prize because it is honest, raw, soulful, & beautiful like a spring flower. it will provoke a deep emotion & the tears will cascade down our faces. great art like this is devoid of human ego or pretense. it hits the high marks & doesn't blink at all.
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MissPDX
, January 01, 2012
Just Beautiful
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Jkuo
, January 01, 2012
Finished this book in one day...The most inspiring thing I've read in a long time. Patti Smith is an talented writer, full of wisdom, and has lead a truly amazing life.
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Larkin
, January 01, 2012
(view all comments by Larkin)
This book reminded me that I could take "celebrity" writing more seriously than I have in the past. Smith's writing glows in the dark. I laughed, I cried. Mostly I felt what she felt and that, for me, is why I love to read well written books.
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AAK
, January 01, 2012
Patti Smith is a beautiful, evocative writer. I honestly didn't realized how gifted she is. Highly recommended.
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shadley25
, January 01, 2012
Well-written and lively account of the N.Y. art scene, as well as a gorgeous story of friendship and love.
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emlewis
, January 01, 2012
(view all comments by emlewis)
I kept reading "Just Kids" slower as I went along, because I never wanted this book to end. It's a memoir of Patti Smith's life, from childhood to adulthood... but also a remembrance and contextualization of her friendship with another young creative person who she loved deeply, Robert Mapplethorpe. And it's a portrait of a very particular moment in the history of New York City's artist class -- bringing to life the poverty, creativity, friendship, desperation, beauty and love that she found there. Wonderful, wonderful book. Goes to number two in my favorite memoirs ever -- beneath Michael Herr's "Dispatches," and above Julia Child's "My Life in France."
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Autumnseer
, January 01, 2012
(view all comments by Autumnseer)
I was, admittedly, never a big fan of punk rocker Patti Smith, but with all the buzz about her book I decided to read it. I cannot tell you the feeling I got and the respect I gained in reading this book. She so perfectly captured the era and world that she lived in and I understood the complicated, deep relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Through it all she remained true to herself, being the true artist that she is. For the record I did purchase her CD, Gone Again, and it is now a favorite of mine. Highly recommended.
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Andrea Shoup
, January 01, 2012
My 2012 Puddly Award pick!
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Wendy in Port Townsend
, October 12, 2011
(view all comments by Wendy in Port Townsend)
Although I wasn't a fan of Patti Smith or punk rock, and didn't even know she knew Robert Mapplethorpe, when I saw she won the National Book Award for this book, I was intrigued. I loved so many things about this book... her language, her long friendship with Mapplethorpe during all the changes in their lives and in this country, the growth of their creativity, the stories about other artists in NYC during the 70s. I enjoyed learning about the life of Mapplethorpe, with all the highs and lows, and seeing examples of his photography. I appreciated her references to French poets, and just checked out a library book of French poetry to finally read some Rimbaud and Verlaine, then noticed that Patti Smith had written the introduction to the new edition. I think Just Kids is a remarkable and fascinating story.
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melissamorefield
, September 03, 2011
This book burns a line into your skin. It's the scar you see every day, the one you got when you were 13 and thought you could skateboard. The one, that no matter how much it might echo all the truth of your failure, you never miss the beat to stop and say, "Yeah, that was cool." I had never read Patti Smith until Just Kids, but she is a phenomenal writer. Her prose is magnetic, making the already-compelling journey of her youth toward a realization of the dreams she'd always had (and the ones she hadn't foreseen), that much stronger. The backbone of her story is composed of a friendship, its roots deeper than words could ever truly portray. Anyone who has even a touch of an artistic soul would do well to read this book.
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Tiger Wiese Jones
, September 01, 2011
Patti Smith's prose is savory, it brings you in like a second skin and then lingers like a lover after sex. She shares her guileless, but brave venture into the cultural world of New York City during the late sixties, early seventies, and more than intimate glimpses into her decades-long relationship with the legendary photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe. They initially slept on the streets, shared sandwhiches and pulled their meager resources before eventually moving into the artist-filled Chelsea Hotel where they were each others most ardent supporter. It's a love story beyond tradition, a timeless and tender relationship that nurtured two, inspiring, cultural icons of our time.
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Autumnseer
, September 01, 2011
(view all comments by Autumnseer)
Even if you were not a big fan of Patti Smith, this book was written so well that you felt like you were with her, in NYC, during that amazing time period of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. It's also a fascinating look at her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. I could not put it down.
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September Song
, September 01, 2011
(view all comments by September Song)
Sometimes it's about being in the right place at the right time and Patti Smith certainly was. Now, all these years later, we get to hear the stories too, and great ones they are. 'Just Kids' is chock-full of wonderful anecdotes about the greats and the unknowns who shaped the New York music and art scene in the 60s, and 70's and who's influences on outsider culture in those days reverberate today in the mainstream. Unflinchingly honest, and recalled with crystal clarity, Smith's remarkable memoir of this pivotal period in American art is a well-deserved award winner. Once again, as we move further into the 21st Century, our minds and hearts are stirred by Patti Smith.
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Susmita Dubey
, August 16, 2011
(view all comments by Susmita Dubey)
This is a beautiful story of a long and interesting relationship between Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe. Patti Smith writes like a poet and manages to be kind to everyone she mentions in her book. The depiction of the creative set in 1970s New York is captivating.
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simmonsr
, May 22, 2011
(view all comments by simmonsr)
This is a sweet account of two lives coming together in the turbulent 60's. An inside look at the mingling of two artists lives and how their "art" was realized through mutual affection. Drugs, sex, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsburgh and the Andy Worhol crowd are all featured background to this wonderful tale. Elegantly written, the tale is mostly about love.
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lucetteveen
, January 30, 2011
Just read it.
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JV2
, January 28, 2011
This atypical love story, part chance and apparently part fate, is full of wonder and names you know and places you'll only wish you could have been, too. I read this on a cross country flight and had tears pouring down my face. Touching, beautiful, a story about growing, friendship, love, art - I have recommended this to everyone I know.
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deborahcwhite_1999
, January 24, 2011
Lyrical, authentic, unflinching yet sweet. Patti Smith writes uncluttered prose with a poet's touch. "Just Kids" is about the famed relationship between photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and his muse, Patti Smith, who later became a rocker. The story frequently surprised and touched me. Her observations caused me to observe in a new way.
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helen000
, January 23, 2011
Just Kids by Patti Smith is one of the most moving books I’ve ever read.
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Renee Weitzner
, January 21, 2011
(view all comments by Renee Weitzner)
This elegeaic ode to Robert Mapplethorpe won my heart at the get-go. I have always admired Patti Smith and her body of work. This memoir so accurately captures New York at the time of their meeting, the New York of clubs and poetry and the Beats in their later years...it was a joy to see, really see, the progression that the two young artists make in terms of their mutual and individual growth. Thank you, Patti, for this delightful prose poem, an ode to your friend, Robert, and the life you shared, if only for a while.....
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Parnassus on Wheels
, January 21, 2011
(view all comments by Parnassus on Wheels)
A gentle, loving memoir from a sensitive and poetic woman who seems, even before fame hit, to have met many famous and talented people. She lived a life of love, friendship and art in those early years, and was spiritually and emotionally generous. Well crafted, and she was a bookseller, to boot! Would love to read another installment of her life!
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marilyn j. hollman
, January 21, 2011
As one who lived in other corners of those times and experienced second-hand through my students and my reading the emergence of intense pop music culture, I appreciated entering that world in this book. It was Robert Mapplethorpe that brought me to it most strongly; his show at the old Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago didn't really shock me - it enthralled and amazed me, for example, the erotic flower portraits which transformed the flower portraits of Georgia O'Keefe which I already knew well. I knew Patti Smith's name and fame, and I recall the portraits of her in the show. When I read in "Just Friends" about Robert poring over some fairly early Polaroids, saying, "It's all about the light," I remembered the photos in that show, especially the more explicitly sexual ones where light on flesh echoed older paintings as well as Renoir's "Boating Party" and that of Edward Weston's photos which I saw in Santa Fe. Another thing I loved about Patti's telling was her insistent description of what she wore and of what Robert wore. I love fashion and clothes, and that element of pop culture I did follow. Her ballet slippers, the pegged pants, Robert's necklaces, her use of vintage, both deliberate and economically necessary, pleasured me - she liked clothes as much as I do! And, her continued connections to her family and their continued love and support pleased me, also. Then, there is Robert's passion for cleaning and painting their various living spaces! The great, sensitive artist with scrub buckets and paint brush. I would not have wanted to do that in order to have space; both Patti and Robert gave up certain middle class necessities, like easy showering, to make room for their work. Romantic, yes. Squalor, no. I barely know her music - just ordered "Horses" - but reviews have referred to the mystical nature of her music and poetry. There is a good deal of that quality in her prose. She describes coming on this "curly-haired boy" sleeping. Is it Psyche looking at Cupid in the myth? and she returns to this image at his death, but it does not feel forced or corny. She - all of us - turned a corner, climbed a stair and came upon him, spent time and had to let him go. He returns to us - as does their extraordinary friendship and intimacy - in her "Just Friends."
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Literacyforall
, January 20, 2011
Just Kids was by far my favorite book of 2010. I purchased it on my first trip to NYC, hoping to have a momento that captured the spirit of the city. The book definitely provides that and more. Patti Smith writes beautifully. She tells her story honestly and with profound thoughtfulness. Her writing is elegant and personal. Her stories are so descriptive and entertaining that you feel that you are back in NYC in the 70's experiencing it all for the first time. She shares intimate details of her life with Robert and others with openess and gentleness. Anyone connected to this book should feel honored. I have recommended this book over and over again to friends who have still not stopped talking about it. Thank you Patti Smith for sharing your story and opening up such a cool part of our American history and experience!
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SMAJackson
, January 13, 2011
(view all comments by SMAJackson)
Disclaimer: I have been a fan of this amazing woman since I heard the first strains of Land way back in 1975. She has been a teacher, a guide, a friend, and a continuous source of joy and entertainment throughout my adult life. And she does not not fail to deliver here. I can think of no other artist as genuine as Patti Smith, and her tales of her younger years and her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe and other artists of the time, are told with a sense of honesty that you will rarely find in an autobiography.
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Keri Ault
, January 08, 2011
Loved this book! Such a nice mix of romanticism, idealism, and creativity...with a little hard edge and grit thrown in to avoid cliche. A beautiful alternative love story that bypasses our traditional ideas about what a relationship should look like.
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abeck01
, January 07, 2011
(view all comments by abeck01)
What a warm and affectionate book that completely captures a moment in time that represented a significant turning point in contemporary culture. Smith's observations are honest, painful, and forthright. She's not wrapped up in self-deception, but is willing to admit to many faults and shortcomings, yet by doing so, she is revealed to be a woman full of strength and fortitude. This book is a fascinating tale of the value and benefits not only of collaboration, but how a genuinely loving relationship can propel two artists on a journey that will have a lasting impact on our times. Smith also paints an accurate portrait of Mapplethorpe, warts and all, allowing the reader to understand the naivete, anger and extravagance that characterized so much of his work. Plus this is one absorbing read. I was so happy when it was awarded the National Book Award for Non-Fiction.
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Netkat
, January 07, 2011
(view all comments by Netkat)
I bought this book as a hard cover when it first came out. It's one of those books I had to have but didn't want to read because once I did, it would be over. I finally started it last week and am almost done. It's pure Patti with an honest insightful funny voice. Really interesting story and tales of artists coming into their own. She writes beautifully. The book flows like a slow moving river with plenty of eddies and tributaries, all related. Highly recommend it to anyone interested in the life of an artist, NYC in the late 60s - 70s or who just wants a beautiful read.
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spike1jg
, January 05, 2011
(view all comments by spike1jg)
An incredibly good read. Honest, brave and exciting. One I couldn't put down.
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Dennis Moore
, January 05, 2011
an important work, if for no other reason: a great first person account for those too young, or otherwise with a "lacuna," natural, 'erased,' or otherwise, of the times/era.
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Barbara Gerner de Garci
, January 05, 2011
(view all comments by Barbara Gerner de Garci)
This book is very evocative of an era, showing sides of the 60's rarely seen. We knew so little about sexuality in the 60's, and many artists lived hand to mouth. Smith's story is real, and raw, and beautiful.
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David Quinn
, January 04, 2011
(view all comments by David Quinn)
With characteristic grace, Patti Smith cuts to the emotional core of a raw crucible of creativity, New York in the 70s, that's too often made mythic, losing its vitality and humanity. The first read thru, I devoured her simple prose, her voice as as elegant as thinking on paper. I then turned back to savor moments that crystalized the experience -- racing to Times Square to see John Lennon and Yoko Ono's War is Over billboard, arrival in Paris, saying goodbye to Robert. My non-fiction read of the year.
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AKreader
, January 03, 2011
(view all comments by AKreader)
Not just another celebrity memoir, the writing is thoughtful and powerful; no wonder it received the National Book Award.
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gshidler
, January 03, 2011
Fascinating account of the author's early life in New York city and the whole art/music scene from "back in the day". Thought provoking look at what goes into making art; to creating an artist, a poet, a musician. Intimate look at pop culture and it's influence on us all ...
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Kristine Mijares
, January 03, 2011
Didn't want this book to end.
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sirrocks
, January 03, 2011
I had no idea what an amazing writer Patti Smith is.........and how she arrived on the music scene! It was a total benefit to me as a reader and to the Portland fans to be able to see and hear Patti read excerpts from her book about her life with Mapplethorpe. Due to this enhancing experience I was able to hear her voice as I read and it totally personalized an already personal and vulnerable chunk of a legends life. On top of it all the book is so descriptive and interesting that you won't want to put it down...........I can only hope Patti is enriched by the response to her book and shares additional parts of her life in future books. Just Kids is truly beautiful, sexy, rich, poor, glam and not so glam, and pure............
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Heather Stout
, January 03, 2011
A beautiful tale of youth finding its voice and taking that risk to pursue a calling. And she provides a glimpse into the relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, which fueled both of them to pursue their passion as artists. She also gives us a chance to be a fly on the wall in that NYC scene, involving such characters as Lou Reed, Andy Warhol, Allen Ginsberg, etc. Smith's poetic tale of the times during which she found her voice. She is definitely deserving of the title "Punk Poetress."
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Lpooh
, January 02, 2011
(view all comments by Lpooh)
A lovely and true book about friendship and its very real bearing on the growth/emergence of an artist. LOVE this book through and through.
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zretro
, January 02, 2011
Excellent book--unpretentious and well-written
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Karen B
, January 02, 2011
(view all comments by Karen B)
I have to admit that I'm a big Patti Smith fan, so definitely biased. But this simple, direct, and touching story of the strange and beautiful relationship between Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe during their "once upon a time" haunted me for days. I highly recommend it for any artists-in-waiting.
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Philip Good
, January 02, 2011
A great read and an amazing story.
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jktnrt
, January 01, 2011
A wonderful view of the times of Patti and Robert and her quest to create art.
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cbuck
, January 01, 2011
brought tears
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WordGrl1012
, January 01, 2011
Compelling read by the poet/musician Patti Smith, recounting her intimate friendship with the late artist/photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Ms. Smith, a recent recipient of the National Book Award for this memoir, vividly recreates a time during the late 1960s - early 1970s and her arrival to New York City, intent on pursuing a career as an artist. Her meeting and lifelong friendship with Mapplethorpe is lovingly described in vignettes of their time together. It was an era pregnant with hope and possibilities, when up-and-coming, yet to be discovered creative people could coexist with established musicians and artists of the day, before the cult of celebrity thwarted that opportunity. Highly recommended.
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Laura Scott
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by Laura Scott)
How New York nurtures great artists and great friendships.
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Brooks Fuentes
, January 01, 2011
Patti writes earnestly about the burgeoning art and music scene in New York during the late 60's and 70's. There are many beautiful passages which resonated with me. Her poetry infuses her prose. This book is really outstanding.
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Jan Baxter
, January 01, 2011
Beautifully written. An honest look at life. All too rare.
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kbrun
, January 01, 2011
Interesting memoir of the struggle to become and be artists at a certain period of time and evokes a good rendering of the times.
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earthlydesire
, January 01, 2011
Patti Smith's memoir, JUST KIDS, is more than a retelling of her life and her experiences. It's evocative and lyrical and poetic in its prose. This book tells the story of Patti's relationship with her friend, artist Robert Mapplethorpe, but it is much more than that as well. It's about art and being an artist. It's about finding your way in a complicated world. It's about the truth of love and the pain of love. It's simply the best book I've read in a long, long time and I urge everyone who thinks to pick it up and experience it for themselves. It will make you think very differently when you hear Because the Night. You will find it hard to shake it from your own memory.
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auroradance
, January 01, 2011
Great book about the development of two artists in an exciting time in NYC. Reads poetically.
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Charles Rhoades
, January 01, 2011
An honest, touching memoir.
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dwartist
, January 01, 2011
Patti Smith writes an honest, introspective and poetic memoir of her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. At times, her writing is tender and moving, especially when she is writing about Robert, but you always feel that her accounting is honest and her memory is vivid.
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Dennis Taylor
, January 01, 2011
Patti Smith pays tribute to her friend,Robert Mapplethrope,tells a lot about herself, her art and takes us aging boomers on an wonderfully written excursion down memory lane.
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Christina Buck
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by Christina Buck)
Patti Smith is a wonderful writer. This story is so beautiful, of being in the right place at the right time with the right person and all of the magic that happens when that occurs. I love love love this book! It is so wonderful that Patti not only can remember and recite her story in such vivid detail, but also that she does so with such honesty and straightforwardness (as only a New Yorker is able to do). While reading this book I felt like I was there and I felt how special that time was - such a perfect storm of circumstance and timing. So many creative and talented people coming into contact with one another in a city like no other on earth. As I read, I wished I had been able to live in the Chelsea Hotel at that time and be a part of all that happened there. It's a fairy tale to me, one I could, and probably will, read over and over again.
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irusstwo
, January 01, 2011
Loved it. Took me back to a great time in my life. Some of the folks were totally lost, but a lot had to do with our immaturity and trying to find some meaning in life.
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turntothesky
, January 01, 2011
Just Kids is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. With this tremendous story of love and inspiration, Patti Smith has paid the finest tribute possible to her friend and soulmate Robert Mapplethorpe. I simply loved this book--it's made me run out and buy Patti Smith records and more copies of this book to give to friends. It's just that good.
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gothamcitygirl
, January 01, 2011
Beautifully written. An exciting and evocative read.
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Ali
, January 01, 2011
A beautifully written account of a complicated relationship between two immensely gifted artisits set in the tummultuous 1960s, NYC. A great read and touching experience.
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mara owens
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by mara owens)
patti smiths narrative of her life with robert mapplethorpe is, without doubt, the most remarkable history of new york i have read since ashburys gangs of new york. her ability to illustrate, with words, the era through which so very many notable characters in rock and art history walked, is exceptional and unflinching. i found myself in tears during the moments of intimate description of places and personal experiences. i, too, grew up in new york city during that same era, albeit as a child, and recall so many of the same things, through such different eyes. the automat, pearl paint, the museums, the park, and even the village, all places which hold such dear, sweet memories, given new views through her eyes. having lost my own father to aids, i completely understand the sense of loss and sorrow, even down to arias sung as she embraced the passing of her very best friend. if i were able, i would hug ms. smith, and tell her how much love and care i feel for her, both as her young adult self and for the beautiful, strong woman i admire wholeheartedly. if you have ever, wanted to, or currently live in new york city, and are interested in the denizens who have brought truly seminal art to her streets and, ultimately, the world, this is a book you MUST read. i thank ms. smith, deeply, for this book which is, absolutely, my favorite of 2010.
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Andreana
, January 01, 2011
I enjoyed Smith's voice and how she told the story of her relationship with Mapplethorpe while interweaving the 1960s and 70s NYC as the backdrop.
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Carl Soares
, January 01, 2011
Patti Smith has done it again! This multi-talented woman has displayed her eclectic interests in Punk Rock, poetry. music and now in writing, once again Her unconditional love for Robert Mapplethortpe is a friendship like no other. There was never any doubt that they would be successful some day. From the pain of poverty, through the celebration for finding a place to live, into their separations, Patti and Robert were always a team. This book proves that with genuine respect, anything is possible. Patti is the ultimate friend and continues to be. Just Kids is a testament to that friendship.
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maire.t.robinson
, January 01, 2011
In 1967, Patti Smith left Philadelphia for New York, determined to dedicate her life to art. Shortly after her arrival she met kindred spirit, Robert Mapplethorpe. This memoir charts Smith's journey from poet to rock-star by way of the legendary Hotel Chelsea and characters such as Janis Joplin, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs; while at its heart is a tender portrait of her relationship with Mapplethorpe and their symbiotic evolution as artists.
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Lucinda
, January 01, 2011
Prose-wise, this book was one of the simplest and yet at the same time richest works of nonfiction I have ever read. It was humorous, insightful and touching, a look at two of the most creative people of my lifetime. It has remained with me.
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anacoluthon
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by anacoluthon)
This is a gorgeously written book, essential reading for fans of Patti Smith, but also of interest to a wider audience. Smith evokes the art & music scenes in New York in the late 60s and 70s with loving attention to detail, and her account of her lifelong relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe will break your heart.
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amesjdal
, January 01, 2011
Eloquent and elegant words from an artist I've admired since the 70's. Thought provoking about New York City, art, judgement, friendship. Loved it.
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Ron Johnson
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by Ron Johnson)
An interesting view into a very influential artist. Highly recommended!
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scooterhp
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by scooterhp)
This was an amazing view into Patti Smith's beginning and learning more about Mapplethorpe, as well...this book had me totally immersed from beginning to end. A must read for any music fan.
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LYNAM666
, January 01, 2011
This is a great book. I enjoyed her previous books. Each new one is innovative, moving and entertaining.
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richey
, January 01, 2011
A unique testimony.
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Elaine Amella
, January 01, 2011
Besides being a gripping story of the years from 1968-74, this book is extraordinarily well written. For people who lived through that time, it's as though Smith's life is tableau for so many critical social and musical events, as well as an amazing coming of age narrative. I really could not put it down.
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Margaret Sullivan
, January 01, 2011
This was a great book! I would highly recommend it.
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JustKid
, January 01, 2011
Engaging and exciting. Is amazing to learn about the real people behind the myth.
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LovelyVelocity
, January 01, 2011
This is one of the most exquisite memoirs I've ever read, a window into the brilliant mind of Patti Smith. I am recommending it to everyone. And she definitely deserved the National Book Award!
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Eric Gorfain
, January 01, 2011
A great portrait of how two artists came into their own.
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Elliott Blackwell
, January 01, 2011
(view all comments by Elliott Blackwell)
One of the most beautifully written books I've read. Smith's poetic voice lovingly recreates her life with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. This does not read like the traditional rock autobiographies out there. Instead, she focuses on this relationship that formed her so deeply as a person and an artist. It, like Bob Dylan's Chronicles, is a book that can be read by even those who are not fans of their music.
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Product Details
ISBN:
9780060936228
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
11/02/2010
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
Pages:
320
Height:
.90IN
Width:
5.30IN
Thickness:
1.00
Number of Units:
1
Illustration:
Yes
Copyright Year:
2010
UPC Code:
4294967295
Author:
Patti Smith
Subject:
Biography-Composers and Musicians
Subject:
Personal Memoirs
$13.95
List Price:
$16.99
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