A memoir about a woman's experience in prison? It's like this book was written just for me. You already know that I love memoirs (here and here), but I also have a strange fascination with prison. Everything about prison is interesting from group segregation and prisoner backgrounds to the institution's day-to-day operations and ingenuity of crafting a toothbrush into a shank. I would be lying if I said I haven't thought about applying for correctional librarianship positions. I frequently revisit the idea, but I know my parents and husband would be in a constant state of worry. Mom, dad, and Nick, I'm saving you from massive daily anxiety - you're welcome.
It was really hard for me to put this book down. I'm surprised I was able to go to work, even. All I wanted to do was read. I have a love/hate relationship with all-consuming books since, you know, I have a life and everything. Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman was worth it. The intriguing story justified the mountain of dirty clothes, unswept floors, and stacks of crusty dishes. In the end, you've got to do what you've got to do.
It was really hard for me to put this book down. I'm surprised I was able to go to work, even. All I wanted to do was read. I have a love/hate relationship with all-consuming books since, you know, I have a life and everything. Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman was worth it. The intriguing story justified the mountain of dirty clothes, unswept floors, and stacks of crusty dishes. In the end, you've got to do what you've got to do.
After graduating from Smith College, Kerman waits tables at a microbrewery. She finds herself yearning for excitement and adventure, but is not sure how to establish a life that is different from what she has always known. She watches as friends get exciting job offers and move across the country. This only deepens her desire to create a new life for herself.
Although she doesn't realize it at first, excitement and adventure find her. Through mutual friends, she meets Nora, a drug smuggling kingpin with international connections and a penchant for taking risks. Nora offers a lifestyle of spontaneity and travel, and Kerman becomes wrapped up in everything that Nora embodies. She has no direct involvement in Nora's underground business until one day Nora, in a pinch, asks Kerman for a favor that changes the course of Kerman's life forever.
Years later, after ending her relationship with Nora and beginning a new life, Kerman is convicted of money laundering and sentenced to serve time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Orange is the New Black details Kerman's time in Danbury, the friendships that she makes, and the tools she uses to cope while serving her sentence. This book is emotional and thought-provoking. Kerman's story got me thinking about the laws we have in place for convicting and incarcerating non-violent drug offenders. It's probably not a topic we all give much thought to, but her ordeal makes me question why, especially in an economy like this, we spend billions of dollars to imprison people like Kerman.
If this hasn't tickled your fancy, Kerman's writing will. Check out an excerpt of Orange is the New Black here, and then go pick up a copy for yourself.
Although she doesn't realize it at first, excitement and adventure find her. Through mutual friends, she meets Nora, a drug smuggling kingpin with international connections and a penchant for taking risks. Nora offers a lifestyle of spontaneity and travel, and Kerman becomes wrapped up in everything that Nora embodies. She has no direct involvement in Nora's underground business until one day Nora, in a pinch, asks Kerman for a favor that changes the course of Kerman's life forever.
Years later, after ending her relationship with Nora and beginning a new life, Kerman is convicted of money laundering and sentenced to serve time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Orange is the New Black details Kerman's time in Danbury, the friendships that she makes, and the tools she uses to cope while serving her sentence. This book is emotional and thought-provoking. Kerman's story got me thinking about the laws we have in place for convicting and incarcerating non-violent drug offenders. It's probably not a topic we all give much thought to, but her ordeal makes me question why, especially in an economy like this, we spend billions of dollars to imprison people like Kerman.
If this hasn't tickled your fancy, Kerman's writing will. Check out an excerpt of Orange is the New Black here, and then go pick up a copy for yourself.
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