There are not a lot of winks in Just Kids, no nods or quips, it is not self-deprecating or apologetic at all. Patti Smith writes one of the most outlandish coming-of-age stories I could imagine, from teaching college to the streets of New York to the Hotel Chelsea in about two years, then rising in the worlds of art, poetry and music. She has cool artistic friends who actually go on to change the world. Janis Joplin, Bob Neuwirth, Sam Shepard, these are the people she encounters at parties, concerts, or while sketching in the lobby of the Chelsea--real encounters, not the "Hey it's you!" "Yeah, I know" variety--but she plays it all straight, with heartfelt appreciation for the part each played in her life.

There is name-dropping, but how could there not be? She doesn't have to mention her brief conversation with Jimi Hendrix, but that is as much part of the scenery as anything else, as much as St. Marks or the Gotham Book Mart, every city has a cast of characters but hers have names we recognize. The story of her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe, the two of them finding a place in the world and finding a voice and doing all this at such an exciting moment cannot be told without acknowledging that the people whose work they and everyone else bought and adored and discussed were just downstairs at El Quixote.

Smith captures beautifully that moment in life when friendships mean so much because the world has suddenly gotten so big and they don't know what to make of it. They are sure they can make an impression on it even as they struggle to make rent. I like also that she hasn't tried to place herself in that world but tried to show us how she saw the world then. They're around her, the Manson killings, Woodstock, but she's not reporting she's telling her story. 

I didn't have to tell you how good this book was. A National Book Award winner and strong recommendations from your cooler friends were probably enough, but if you--like me--for some reason have not picked it up, this is your chance.

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel,
you were talking so brave and so sweet,
giving me head on the unmade bed,
while the limousines wait in the street.
Those were the reasons and that was New York,
we were running for the money and the flesh.

I think the first time I heard of Chelsea Hotel and remember it was when I heard Leonard Cohen's Chelsea Hotel #2 for the first time. At least it is the song I always think of when I hear about the hotel. 

This is a photographic collage where the art, the guests and residents and of course the hotel itself are shown. It's a wonderful book for anyone that has ever heard of Chelsea Hotel and wants to step into its world without having to travel there. And, since it's now is under restoration is it even harder to visit the hotel I suppose.

The drawback with this book is that it really should not be an eBook to read. Sometimes when I read books I just feel that it should be a hardback instead, especially when it comes to a book with photographs. I would also have loved to read more about the people that had lived there, their experiences of living years, sometimes decades in Chelsea Hotel. Update: I was just informed by the publisher that this book will be available in a physical format when it is released. And, I thought should mention it in the review. It's a lovely book and it will be even lovelier to read in a physical format. 

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel
you were famous, your heart was a legend.
You told me again you preferred handsome men
but for me you would make an exception.

I received this copy from the publisher through Edelweiss in return for an honest review! Thank you!