What you should be reading for personal growth
I only heard of Patti Smith in the summer of 2023. I came across her name as I looked on Instagram at new books to read and was intrigued by the book's title and the cover photo. That book would influence and change my life forever in ways I can't even thank her. That book title, Just Kids, reminds me of me, just a kid trying to figure out life like her, going through it, struggling, and still having dreams and aspirations while dealing with your battles. But while going through all this, she never gave up on her passions for writing, music, philanthropy, and social justice. Her drive and ambition never left her just because she sometimes couldn't afford a place to sleep, even a newspaper to read. She remained grounded and found love in her passion, work ethic, and motivation to be who she is today, and it's motivating and empowering to hear and read. It's essential to listen to these fantastic stories, whether they have great or terrible endings because they help us become better people and workers. You can't only hear good stories because that's unrealistic to me. That will create a narrative that you're always going to win or you're always going to be quickly successful, and that's just something that never felt authentic to me. I don't want anything in life that is easy.
It's not just her struggling and trying to find herself. It's also her great friend Robert Mapplethorpe, who comes from a troubling background and is just a young boy trying to make it out on his own, leave his family behind, create a story for himself, and be happy with his choices and be this amazing artist that he eventually became to be. Robert's story is so telling and intriguing to read. Patti Smith talks about him in the most respectful, loving, generous way possible. Even when he wasn't the best version of himself or was always the best person he could be for her, she still finds that inner love and compassion for him. She's understanding and empathetic to him, and it's beautiful to read about because it helps influence the readers to be more compassionate, calm, and still kind even when they don't feel like being that way to a person. It is one of the most outstanding books I've ever read, and every person should read this not only once but multiple times. If you are looking for personal growth, Learning from anything, or accepting the good and the bad, you should read this repeatedly. This book and Patti Smith do an exceptional job with the storytelling of keeping your dreams alive and not giving up on what you want in life with anything, and it has pushed me to continue to do what I do and to give me a reason to do that. I have come a really long way in trying to find myself. I want other people to feel the same way, love or accept themselves, find a reason to love one another, accept one another, and be there for each other until the very end as friends or lovers. That book has made that clearer than ever for me.
https://bookshop.org/a/102643/9780060936228
