"No one expected me. Everything awaited me."
Just Kids is a memoir that recounts Patti Smith's relationship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the late 1960's and 1970's, as they struggled to make a name for themselves in the New York City art scene.
Robert and Patti met in New York. The two supported each other through their early struggles as artists, and this book chronicles their experiences and adventures as they navigate the countercultural scene of the era.
Throughout the book, Smith paints a vivid portrait of the New York City art scene in the 70s, with its Bohemian lifestyle and creative ferment. She also offers glimpses into her own artistic process and development, as well as the struggles she faced as a woman and an artist during that period.
I was enthralled by the beginning of this book, but halfway through, the story fell a little flat. I thought Smith could have expounded more on certain things she brought up- sometimes she will just drop a line of interesting information then move on to the next thing without any further development.
Smith's prose is lyrical, and her love for Mapplethorpe was evident on almost every page. There were some nice quotes and I loved the inclusion of the various pictures of her and Robert.
"Where does it all lead? What will become of us? These were our young questions, and young answers were revealed. It leads to each other. We become ourselves."
“The artist seeks contact with his intuitive sense of the gods, but in order to create his work, he cannot stay in this seductive and incorporeal realm. He must return to the material world in order to do his work. It's the artist's responsibility to balance mystical communication and the labor of creation.”
Overall this book is a great tribute to a bygone period and a testament to the enduring power of art and friendship. I always love reading about this era.
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