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Patti Smith’s memoir rewrites her DNA—dad wasn’t dad, and sis isn’t full sis

Patti Smith releases Bread of Angels, a memoir years in the making, tracing her upbringing and a seismic shift in identity. A phone call in 2002 reveals that her father may not be who she thought, but her mother’s silence leaves questions suspended.

A DNA test in 2012 confirms Grant Smith isn’t her biological father, and she and her sister are half-siblings. Guided by her daughter, she locates a photo of her actual father, Sidney, acknowledging him posthumously in print with facts, not sentiment.

Patti Smith rewinds to 1976 and a chance meeting that rewrote her story

Patti Smith’s Bread of Angels hits shelves with its gaze fixed not on a single era but on the messy, formative early years. Less a sequel to Just Kids than a recalibration, it unfolds as a series of reflections stitched with art, memory, and a certain fatalistic charm.

Already topping Amazon’s rock biographies section, the memoir lingers on a pivotal 1976 encounter with Fred “Sonic” Smith, her future husband, during the Horses tour—a moment trivial in appearance, catastrophic in consequence.

Offered in various formats, including a signed edition, it’s available via Amazon and Barnes & Noble.