Just Kids

A Prelude to Fame, Just Kids recounts the friendship of two young artists—Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe—whose passion fueled their lifelong pursuit of art. In 1967, a chance meeting led to a romance and a lifelong bond that would carry each to international success never dreamed of.Set against the vivid backdrop of Brooklyn, the Chelsea Hotel, Max’s Kansas City, Scribner’s Bookstore, Coney Island, and Warhol’s Factory, the story unfolds during a heightened political and cultural moment, when the art and music worlds were exploding and colliding. Among their circle were literary lights, musicians, and artists such as Harry Smith, Bobby Neuwirth, Allen Ginsberg, Sandy Daley, Sam Shepherd, and William Burroughs.In the midst of it all, two kids made a pact to always care for one another. Scrappy, romantic, and committed to making art, they sustained each other through the hungry years—the days of couscous and lettuce soup. Just Kids begins as a love story and ends as an elegy: a beautifully written, unforgettable portrait of two young artists and of New York itself—its rich and poor, hustlers and hellions, those who made it and those whose memory lingers.