Patti Smith is one of those women I can’t help but admire. She has managed to stay relevant in the rock scene (at 68!), in an age when being female in the public line is more dangerous than ever. When every wrinkle in their faces, every mark in their bodies is heavily scrutinized, she dares to age. Besides her music, she’s also a mother of two. She sings, composes and plays different instruments. She’s even touring in Europe as I write this. She is fucking awesome.

Of course, seeing her name in the spine of a book in my favorite bookstore, meant that I had to buy it. (I’m a recovering compulsive book-buyer.)

I loved it. I have lots of feelings about it. Finishing it was even a little painful, but a good kind of pain. It’s hard to explain, but it’s the feeling I get when I finish something that’s particularly beautiful. Maybe it’s because I’ll never write anything as magnificent and beautiful as this book (or like any of the books that cause me this pain).

I have a thing for bohemians. Maybe it’s because I want to be one, but I’m a good girl forever and ever. But the times aren’t friendly for dear old-style bohemia. So, I love reading and watching their stories. I love that they were so involved with their art and wanted to live completely by it. Their lives were based in art, they lived for it. I can’t help but love people who have a passion this strong.

In this memoir, Patti talks about her old friend, Robert Mapplethorne. He was a photographer (there are several of the pictures he took of Smith for her albums, and some of them made it into the book) and, as Smith narrates him, seemed to have a deeply artistic soul. She tells all these anecdotes that show how he shaped his aesthetic identity. Like when he found things in the street to use in his art, or the way he acted together. It’s beautiful all along. My favorite thing of this book is how Smith’s love for him shows throughout the book. They were together for a while, before he came out as gay (or bisexual, maybe), but their friendship endured after that. They were friends until his death. They both stood by each other in everything they did. A friendship like that doesn’t come to everyone, really. Reading about it is powerful and made me want to go and hug my friends after finishing it.

I’ve seen this book in several lists of books you have to read in your twenties. I happen to agree with it. It’s a wonderful book and it a must-read for everyone. This is more than just a biography of Mapplethorpe, this is a portrait of youth in their times. It shows young people trying to find themselves, trying to make sense of the world they were in. And trying to make art in the process. It’s just amazing to read, so everyone should get it as soon as possible.

Seriously, READ IT.