I only gave it 3.5. In the end it was something I was able to finish but not necessarily something I found that interesting. I think this book would be better for someone who is a fan of Patti Smith or Robert Maplethorpe and/or a fan of the art, writing, music that came out of the creatives who lived in the Chelsea Hotel in the 70s.

I was drawn to it because someone else had recommended it and I have heard about Patti Smith and have seen Maplethorpes work but I didn’t really know too much about them. I don’t think I learned from this book why they were important. I did learn about Maplethorpe’s struggle with internalized homophobia and about how it didn’t take much to get by in the 70s in NYC.