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Just Kids by Patti Smith
Year published: 2010
Book # for author: around the 10th
Genre: memoir
Setting: the 60s in NYC
Just Kids by Patti Smith book synopsis
Patti is the kind of girl who plows through life with a confidence that’s almost dangerous. Like who just shows up to a completely new state alone with no money or backup plan about where to eat and sleep? She almost doesn’t even realize how reckless she is, but more likely, her dedication to art completely blinds her to the risks.
In a way, that’s what she did with this book—jumped in with little explanation. We didn’t get enough background on her childhood, just stories here and there, or a more comprehensive view of her previous inner thoughts. Instead we were thrown into her erratic world of survival in one of the greatest places on earth: the city.
We then followed Patti as she found her way through different jobs and places to live, and most of all through her deep connection to someone equally as lost, Robert. Essentially Just Kids (on Amazon here) was the sometimes tragic but always heartwarming love story between her, Robert and their joint devotion to art and culture.
Just Kids by Patti Smith review
Seeing this book everywhere, I knew I had to give it a try. A memoir set in NYC? It was gonna be hard not to like. And…did it deliver? It was definitely a good book and had a lot to offer. Did I love it? No. But the first half (or was it third?) was great: Patti, homeless in NYC, wandering from job to job, felt very human.
The main theme of the book was her relationship with Robert which, I can’t deny, was beautiful. I couldn’t help but root for them despite, or maybe because of, their unique dynamic. But if you looked deeper, the book was really about its setting, as a lot of the books that take place in the 60s often are. It’s an all encompassing decade that begs to be written about. Especially those also set in NYC, because wow, what a time to be alive (not that I was alive then, but if you were…). See my review for Nothing Special which also takes place in NYC in the 60s here.
Despite the book being about this decade at its core, it still struck me how similar the time felt to the 2020s. I think the 60s was when everything developed a more modern feel and, aside from logistic and environmental factors, it didn’t feel that different from today, which was interesting to experience. Like, they were just as into drugs as we are now 😆.
The writing & plot:
The story got very fragmented as it went along and became less introspective and inviting. There was a lot of zipping through scenes, relationships and life. It felt way too quick for me to develop any emotional attachment to these events. Plus, I didn’t love the constant name dropping (especially since I didn’t recognize a lot of the names. And hey, maybe that’s on me).
Wrap up to my thoughts *including spoilers:*
Given the ending it all made sense: She wrote this book for Robert. You can feel her love for him but also her lack of personal desire to write this book. She did it for him; it wasn’t about her, it was about their relationship. And because she loved him so much it couldn’t really explore anything less than positive about him or their relationship. Though it’s very possible there wasn’t anything less than positive about it, that’s how good a job she did at portraying it. Regardless if there was, there wasn’t any room for it in this memoir.
Basically, Just Kids wasn’t really about Patti, as it could (should?) have been. That kind of memoir is a style for sure; I guess some people are more comfortable writing about themselves from a distance. It’s not my favorite at all though.
My rating: 6.5/10.
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