Book Review: Just Kids by Patti Smith

Patti Smith's debut work of prose, Just Kids, is a reminiscent account of art, youthful affairs, and the New York of the late 60's and early 70's. An evocative memoir dedicated to her friend and artist Robert Mapplethorpe, Just Kids also take readers on a literary journey, meeting the likes of Joan of Arc, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Jean Genet, Susan Sontag, Louisa May Alcott and Allen Ginsberg as they go along. The book records the punk-rock artists' devotion towards history, literature and the arts, and a love for all things goth and bohemian that she shared with Mapplethorpe. From being two naive youngsters in the bustling city of New York, to discovering themselves and fine-tuning their artistic niches in a tiny room within the infamous Chelsea hotel, their relation cannot merely be restrained to that of friends or lovers. In fact, it becomes clear to the reader how they were each other's critic, muse and inspiration in one way or other.
The reason this book will take a special spot in my heart forever is that of the honesty and soulfulness with which Smith has portrayed her early days as a struggling artist. Her zeal and relentless efforts toward making her mark as an artist is nothing but inspiring to all those who are on artistic pursuits themselves.
Just Kids is an ode to creativity and friendship between two kindred spirits who loved chocolate milk, totems and all things art.