#15 in Biography & memoir
Just Kids
- 321
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 0 weeks on the list
- National Book Award for Nonfiction
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Our view
“Just Kids” is a memoir about art and devotion that can leave a reader wanting to make something too. Patti Smith recounts her bond with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe as a reflection on love, friendship and art, and in her telling creativity seems within anyone’s reach. The tone is tender and hopeful. Readers drawn to artists’ lives and to friendships that last will get the most from it.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Just Kids is a memoir by Patti Smith, published on January 19, 2010, documenting her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.4 across 377 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 72% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Biography & memoir average of 8.1. That is how 8.4 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.3 | 29 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 8.4 | 348 | 92% |
Frequently asked
How long is Just Kids?
It has 321 pages — longer than 58% of the ranked books in Biography & memoir.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Biography & memoir — with scores between 8.4 and 8.5, closest to this book.
