Bread of Angels: A Memoir, by Patti Smith review – a wild ride with the poet of punk

<p>Smith’s incantatory voice shines through in this surprisingly revelatory follow up to Just Kids and M Train</p><p>The post-pandemic flood of artist memoirs continues, but Patti Smith stands apart. The poet who wrote punk into existence before pivoting to pop stardom then ghosting fans to raise a&nbsp;family has, in the 21st century, leaned&nbsp;into literature and music with such vitality it has become hard to say which medium suits her better. It hardly matters. At 78 years old, Smith lives and breathes both.</p><p>Her latest memoir follows the tightly focused coming-of-age story Just Kids, published to great acclaim in 2010, and 2015’s more ruminative M Train. Bread of Angels splits the difference to create a more conventional autobiography. It could be described&nbsp;as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/13/just-kids-patti-smith-biography">Just Kids</a>’ prequel and sequel, moving from&nbsp;Smith’s hardscrabble childhood to the near-present, where a striking twist takes the narrative back&nbsp;to her literal conception. It’s one of a number of&nbsp;revelations about an artist whose story would otherwise seem,&nbsp;by now, well-chiseled into the tablets of rock&nbsp;history.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/10/bread-of-angels-a-memoir-by-patti-smith-review-a-wild-ride-with-the-poet-of-punk">Continue reading...</a>