In “M Train” and “Just Kids,” rocker and writer Patti Smith wrote about her early adulthood spent hanging around New York City, playing in punk bands, falling in love with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and, in general, pretending to be the artist that she would one day become.
In “The Year of the Monkey,” Smith tackles more recent history — her year-long solo excursion through the American West. From the California coast to the Arizona desert, Smith takes readers on a journey through her private thoughts, and reflects on aging, loss and America’s current political landscape. Despite her melancholy ruminations, Smith offers real hope to readers, tinged with her signature brand of wit and wisdom.
Patti Smith is a legendary singer-songwriter, acclaimed writer and a former Brooklyn resident. Her 2010 memoir “Just Kids” won the National Book Award for memoir. “Year of the Monkey” is on sale now from Penguin Random House.
