Book Review

Just Kids by Patti Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To get a realistic approach to the bohemian NYC during the late '60s, the '70s, and '80s, "Just Kids" fits perfectly. The rock n roll, punk, and art scene invade the very essence of this book, in which Patti Smith and her love Robert Mapplethorpe had a starring and leading part. Each chapter allows the reader to feel like some member of the gang: which included personalities such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, William Burroughs, Cohen, Dylan, and Warhol, among others. Likewise, the Chelsea Hotel was one of the main scenarios, where some of those artists would frequently gather.

While Patti kept reading Rimbaud as if he were her closest friend, plus listening to Bob Dylan, she kept inspired by her writing until becoming a recognized poet and musician, someone who came out of the streets as the sound of her own bohemian rhapsody.

Faraway from a traditional love, Patti and Robert laid a strong friendship until the end. In her own words: "He was the artist of my life." However, they both decided to choose the dark side of art: "We were as Hansel and Gretel and we were ventured out into the black forest of the world."

What would have been the end for both if they had chosen the light instead? Considering that many of them died from some kind of overdoses (drugs or drinking issues), among suicides. Robert himself suffered and died from AIDS.

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