WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

“Reading rocker Smith’s account of her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, it’s hard not to believe in fate. How else to explain the chance encounter that threw them together, allowing both to blossom? Quirky and spellbinding.” -- People

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.

Not as interesting as I thought it would be. A shallow and uncomplicated (if lovely) picture of the kind of perfect boho life everyone wishes they'd lived in the '60s. Didn't quite manage to finish it, but I'm counting it anyway. ( )

Wonderfully written snapshot of a time and place and the struggles and joys of 2 extraordinarily gifted artists. Spiritual journey. ( )

Way stuffier than I expected. You'd think a book by a rock star would be rockin', but this is meditative, academic, kind of dry, and full of references that went totally over my head. I didn't love it, but once I let go of my expectations, I was impressed by Smith's gravitas. You can tell that she isn't fooling around here; she takes her art seriously. I'm still skeptical that this deserved the NBA, though. Maybe the judges were all coming of age in the 60s and 70s too. ( )

Touching and sublime.