Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison

by Piper Kerman

Paperback, 2011

Status

Checked out

Genres

Publication

Spiegel & Grau (2011), 327 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML: With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years ago. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187-424�??one of the millions of women who disappear "down the rabbit hole" of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules, where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Orange Is the New Black offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison, why it is we lock so many away, and what happens to them when they're there.… (more)

Media reviews

Booklist

An absorbing, look at life behind bars.

— 2 more

Publishers Weekly

Kerman's account radiates warmly from her skillful depiction of the personalities she befriended in prison

Slate

But if you pick up Kerman's book looking for a realistic peek inside an American prison, you will be disappointed. Orange Is the New Black belongs in a different category, the middle-class-transgression genre.

User reviews

LibraryThing member tututhefirst

Piper Kerman is not the stereotypical felon. She is college educated, funny, literate, articulate, she had a good job, good family support, a fiancè, and altogether what most people would consider a good life. She also made really poor choices during a period of her life and she paid for those

choices by having to spend 15 months in the women's prison facility in Danbury CT as #11187-424-her new identify.

With self-deprecating honesty, she gives us a memoir of how she got there, what life was like inside, and her relations with her fellow prisoners. It is the day-to-day relations with these sister inmates that captures us. Kerman is quite insightful in her explanations of their plights, in her assessment of the prison system, in her stories of learning to work the system (for instance how to obtain items not available through the prison commissary), and work outside the system (how to get a manicure) and how to work for the system (she worked first as an electrician, then on a construction crew). Throughout it all, she shows how she maintained her equilibrium with the help of, and by helping, her fellow inmates.

Their stories are funny, sad, uplifting and depressing. She has changed names and identifying circumstances, but the cast of fellow prisoners she presents help us understand not only the rules and workings of the prison, but the circumstances that brought many of these women to their current residence. The stories of mothers separated from their children are particularly touching.

It was an eye-opening memoir: one that does not sugar coat, that does not cry "woe is me". The author accepts responsibility for her actions and appears to have learned valuable life lessons. She is now working to provide those same opportunities for others who did not have her resources (either personal, financial or legal). Kerman's work inside, and now outside is actually somewhat inspiring and causes the reader to sit back and think whether or not he or she could have survived the fifteen months the author did.

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LibraryThing member michigantrumpet

The basic outline of “Orange is the New Black” is well known to the many readers of this wildly popular book (or the equally numerous viewers of the ensuing TV series.) Upper-middle class, blonde-haired blue eyed Smith college graduate ends up serving a 13 month Federal sentence due to youthful

misadventure and poor life choices. She survives to write about her experiences in the Danbury CT minimum security Federal prison. prison. There are many other reviews out there as to the various ‘characters’ who people her tale. Indeed, she writes well with humor and intelligence.

As intriguing to me however, is the impact Kerman has made. Since publishing this book, Kerman has spoken and written often on the lunacy of lengthy sentences to non-violent offenders in the ever losing War on Drugs. She is equally vocal about the lack of training and rehabilitation for these women when the inevitably end up back in our midst. How do they find jobs outside the underground economy when they have been provided little to no training? How do they find housing? Proper health care? Renew custody of their children? Such is Kerman’s reach that she has given testimony before the US Congress.

In this I find a parallel with Solomon Northrup, author of “Twelve Years a Slave.” Northrup, an educated, free black man in 1840’s New York is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the deep South. He penned his widely read account upon his rescue. Harriet Beecher Stowe counted his book as an influence. His tale energized the abolitionist movement and he went on a lengthy speaking tour. Both Northup and Kerman were educated and articulate writers with descriptive powers to bring their unfortunate compatriots to life. There have been other accounts from ‘regular’ inmates or slaves. But these can be ignored because they are perceived as being so far from the mainstream. Part of Kerman and Northrup’s power, I believe, lies in their very normality, which allows readers to be more empathetic, picturing themselves walking in the authors’ shoes.

Kerman also leads one to think carefully about one’s place in a community. She enters prison with a stoic, I-can-do-this-on-my-own attitude. Indeed, she is counseled by several to avoid making friends. She writes well about the rituals, tribes and unwritten rules of prison society, and her challenges in fitting in. Even in this closed society, life is better with the assistance and small kindnesses of others – providing needed ‘extras’ of soap and shampoo upon her arrival, and much needed sympathy and understanding upon a deep personal loss. Kerman’s most difficult time comes with her transfer to Chicago MCC where such community is next non-existent. Kerman reflected that her experience fitting into the elite all-female Smith College actually helped her acclimate to life in a female prison ward. I’m struck as to how applicable such lessons might be in other communities, such as Senior Citizen homes.

Overall an interesting, thought provoking and quick read.

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LibraryThing member eljabo

I loved the stories the author told about prison life and the other prisoners.

I hated all the parts where she talked about herself. How many times should you be referencing your silky blonde hair and shapely body? And that you got special treatment because the prison officials thought you were

classy? Do we need to know that all the other prisoners thought you were hot? Plus, she kept pointing out that she would never be racist, but everyone else in prison was.

I wanted to shake her "slender shoulders" and say "Boo hoo. Prison isn't supposed to be fun. That's why it's called prison. If you don't like it, don't smuggle drugs into the country."

She was also very bitter about the way the staff treated her. I have numerous relatives who work in prisons. They can't really be nice to people. Obviously the "horse cock" incident was over-the-top, but for the most part prison employees are just doing their jobs. They are there to maintain order, not host a party or make prison more pleasant for people who committed crimes.

So there were definitely parts of the book I enjoyed reading, but I don't see myself wanting to hang out with Piper at a party.

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LibraryThing member ChrisWay

I enjoyed it. An easy, interesting read.

LibraryThing member bookworm12

Like everyone else, I first heard about this book after marathon watching the Netflix TV series of the same name. The show is great, but the book is actually an excellent nonfiction memoir in its own right. Piper is relatable enough that it’s easy to picture yourself in her situation.

The book

could easily have been subtitled: First World Problems. The picture of prison that Piper paints is an interesting one, but it’s not very scary. She gets pedicures and has time catch up on reading classics. One of her biggest problems is that she can’t the prison store is out of the radios that you need to listen to the audio on the movies they show. She touches on more serious issues like sexual harassment from guards, lack of preparation for prisoners re-entering the work force, prisoner health problems, minority persecution, etc. but she never really has to deal with any of those things. They feel like distant possibilities, not real issues people are facing. To be fair, Piper acknowledges the fact that she is very lucky to not have to deal with those problems.

That being said, it was a really fun read. I knew the basic premise before I started it because of the TV series. If you are already a fan of the show I would encourage you to check this out. I was actually expecting there to be many more differences, but the show is just a sensationalized version of the book. There are added bits of drama in each episode, but much of the plot is based on her real experiences.

BOTTOM LINE: Read it if you love the show or are a fan of nonfiction. Don’t expect a revealing look at the American prison system.

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LibraryThing member crazybatcow

I read this book before even being aware that it was also a TV show. I have since watched the show on Netflix. The two are completely and absolutely unrelated. The book is a serious look at the expereinces Piper had while in prison, and is billed as a memoire, which it is. The TV show is a

dramatization loosely based on the premise of the memoire - a woman going to prison unexpectedly - but that is where the similarity ends. The TV show is billed as a comedy. A dark comedy, probably, but still a comedy.

It was an interesting look at prison from the point of view of a non-traditional inmate. Did Piper `learn her lesson` ? Maybe, maybe not, but the story had nothing to do with lessons-learned. It was a glimpse into a world that most wealthy educated non-drug addicted women don't experience. I quite enjoyed it, and found that I was surprised at some things (how helpful other inmates were, and how race within prison didn't seem to be a big deal in Piper's experience), and not so surprised at others (funding issues for programs in prison).

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LibraryThing member TooBusyReading

I wanted to read this book, subtitled My Year in a Women's Prison, because I was interested in the subject and don't plan on ever learning about it firsthand. I didn't expect it to be well written and I though it would possibly get boring. After all, how much can you say about day after day of the

same old routine?

I was wrong on both counts. Piper Kerman starts off by explaining what she did to end up in prison: transporting drug money. Instead of whining about how it wasn't really her fault and how she was duped, she admitted that it was both a stupid and a criminal act that she committed. (I hate whining unless, of course, I am the one doing it, and then it is always entirely justified.) Several years after the act, she was charged and pleaded guilty with a plea agreement. Another several years went by before she actually was sent to prison, time that she spent in limbo waiting for her prison time so that she could finish it and truly begin life again.

Piper was sent to a facility in Danbury, Connecticut, an easier place to serve time than the hard core prisons. Nevertheless, there were entirely new rules to learn and a complete new culture. She describes some of her fellow inmates with both insight and compassion, and surprised herself by how much she grew to like some of the women. She also recognized that as a blond-haired, blue-eyed white girl with supportive and relatively wealthy family and friends, and had a lot of advantages that others didn't. Many of her fellow inmates came from areas where the economy was almost entirely dependent on criminal activity and had inadequate legal support.

Along these lines, she also discussed without being too preachy the shortcomings of the penal system. These women who had for the most part been convicted of nonviolent crimes were given almost nothing in the way of rehabilitation, education, or help to learn to re-enter society. Warehousing these women is both expensive and ineffectual, and there has to be a better way. As an example, one re-entry program about housing did not help the women learn how to find housing once they were released but did discuss the pros and cons of aluminum siding.

This book is not a humorous book in the traditional sense but it is written with humor and compassion. Considering that the setting is a prison, there is surprisingly little profanity other than occasional use of the f-word, although there are certainly some colorful people whose practices and beliefs are a bubble off normal. I appreciated the style of writing. In describing a time when some of the normal amenities were unavailable, Ms. Kerman writes “two hundred women, no phones, no washing machines, no hair dryers – it was like Lord of the Flies on estrogen. I sure as hell wasn't going to be Piggy.” The book was entertaining and entertaining and, in my opinion, a very good read.

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LibraryThing member blackrabbit89

In case you haven’t heard yet, everyone’s talking about the new Netflix show, Orange Is the New Black. My girlfriend and I watched all thirteen hour-long episodes in two sittings. Basically, it’s about a white, middle-class woman who finds herself doing thirteen months in a prison in Danbury,

Connecticut for carrying a case of drug money across the Atlantic Ocean–ten years prior.

There has been a lot of dialogue and discussion taking place re: Orange Is the New Black all over the internet. I think any show that inspires constructive dialogue is valuable, even though the show may in some ways be problematic. (For example, the narratives of women of color are secondary to the show’s white, middle-class protagonist, and racial stereotypes run rampant.)

I’m not here to talk about the show in particular, but my thoughts and opinions of the show will inevitably be interspersed throughout my review of Piper Kerman’s memoir. Although I’ve read quite a few opinion pieces on the show, I haven’t yet read any reviews of the book, so I’m coming at this with my own thoughts. (I am myself a middle-class white woman.)

The only thing I’d heard, before reading the book myself, was that Kerman comes off in her memoir as even more obnoxiously privileged, entitled, and ignorant than she does in the show. I actually found the opposite to be true; at least in the memoir, I had access to Kerman’s thoughts and feelings of remorse. (While watching the show, I often find myself wondering, what is she thinking?) Of course, it bears mentioning here that the show and the memoir do have significant narrative differences.

In her memoir, Kerman does seem to be aware of her privilege (although often she calls it “luck,” which I found a bit annoying). She mentions, several times, that she could not have survived prison without the support she receives from her well-to-do family and her many friends on the outside. Not only does she have plenty of incoming money–so she can afford not only good legal aid but also whatever commissary items she might desire in prison–she also has a marketing job (created just for her!), a fiance, and an apartment waiting for her on the other side. She recognizes that many of her fellow prisoners–who are poorer than she or who are women of color–often have very long sentences that seem disproportionate to their crimes.

I was impressed by Kerman’s (perhaps after-the-fact?) optimism, though, and by her ability to form meaningful relationships with many of the other women at Danbury. She respects and admires many of the women with whom she does time–and she comes off in her memoir as very genuine, if a bit patronizing. She humbles herself and owns up to her poor choices, and she even largely reconciles with her ex-girlfriend Nora, who first introduced her to the drug cartel.

Kerman wants desperately to maintain her dignity and humanity while in prison, but I noticed that at times she treats her fellow prisoners with less than the dignity they deserve, occasionally labeling them “freaks” or “crazy,” especially the women at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago. I think that Kerman’s intention may be to put us in her prison mindset, but it also gave me the feeling that at some level, Kerman does think she is “above” the MCC, that she doesn’t belong there, and that she is better than the women there, especially the mentally ill women.

Orange Is the New Black has opened my eyes to the futility of imprisonment in many–not all–cases, especially low-level drug offenses. People find themselves in prison, and there they are taught, as Kerman says, to survive prison–not to survive and function in the outside world. And so they often end up back in prison, or they find themselves without housing or jobs once they are released. And of course, the “justice” system is much, much harder on people of color and poor people.

Kerman’s memoir is an interesting read, and one that has made me do a lot of thinking. It was, in many ways, very moving and funny. I recommend both the book and the television show, and I look forward to the continued dialogue.

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LibraryThing member porch_reader

This book took me by surprise. I knew that it was about a woman who was incarcerated in a minimum security correctional facility for a 10-year-old drug offense. I expected the book to be much grittier, with stories about injustices and assaults from the other prisoners and the guards. But Piper

Kerman quickly learns to play by the rules and make the system work for her. This is not to say that prison isn't difficult. She is separated from her fiancée and forced to spend holidays behind bars. Freedoms are few, and conditions are difficult. But Piper makes friends in prison. She treats others with respect, even though they come from all walks of life. She recognizes that she is one of the lucky ones - she has a family, a job, and a home to return to after a relatively short sentence. But she provides voice not only to her own story, but to the stories of others who are not so lucky. She raises questions about the growing prison population in the United States, about the use of mandatory minimum sentencing, and about the lack of support given to those returning to society. All in all, I found this to be an insightful memoir.

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LibraryThing member BALE

I finished this book a week ago with mixed emotions. It was not impressive. More so, it seemed to scream, “I am wonderful, look at all of my good deeds”. It is hard to read a book with such a focus. Yet, I did feel Ms. Kerman had a powerful story that needed to be shared, and for good reason. I

also thought it was ridiculous that she was arrested and imprisoned as a result of her immaturity and poor decision-making skills during her collegiate years. When you think about our overcrowded prison system, the lack of real help for prisoners, that there are real criminals running free, and there are hard-core criminals released too early, one must seriously wonder why we would think of putting a person with her proven good character behind bars, and at such a cost to our counties, cities and states. Whatever happened to community service? Wouldn’t everyone have been better served if Piper had worked with drug-addicted individuals, helping them during their recovery, as an alternative? The fact that she spent six to seven years waiting in panic for her prison term to begin was unconscionable.

Despite the facts of this story, the writing itself lacked depth and creativity. This is a memoir – should not it have the same standards as any literary work of art, or is it not required to be anything other than a solid piece of writing without grammatical errors? I expect more from any author and expected more from Ms. Kerman. The emotions I felt were not associated with how she relayed her story. I was horrified and saddened over the facts of the case, not in the telling of her tale. The manner in which she voiced her experiences appeared self-fulfilling, at the expense of a well-devised novel with a social moral. I do not feel it is right to judge a novel alone by the power of the story to move the reader. It requires something more – aesthetic balance.

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LibraryThing member dysmonia

We don't have control over who brings us into this world, where we live, or who raises us. It is what we do with our respective situations that shows who we are. In that sense, the fact author Piper Kerman seems to never have had anything bad happen to her before prison (but of course memoirs are

about a specific time and/or aspect of a person's life, not a complete picture) shouldn't be troubling. She is allowed to come from wherever it is she originates and not be judged for it.

That said, I was shocked by this book.

According to Kerman, when she surrendered to prison, she had had a decent upbringing with an ivy league education, she was a white collar professional, and she was engaged to be married (to a man). Her crime? A ten-year-old drug offense which consisted of her smuggling something through customs for her lover at the time. (A bit of interesting irony in the book is that Kerman lived as a lesbian for years, but when she was locked up she stayed straight and celibate, because of the aforementioned fiancee. She had used those life skillz she learned from her privileged upbringing, and used them well, making mostly good choices. It was one of the poorer decisions that led to Customs officials knocking on her door a decade after the fact.

Like most people who didn't choose Orange is the New Black because they watch the television show, I picked it up out of prurience. I am mentally ill, and because of this and my own poor choices, I have spent time locked up in both loony bins and jails, but never prison. And EVERYBODY knows the system is broken. I was ready to be intrigued, mortified, sympathetic, empathetic, and relate. I did not.

As an example, one incident Kerman cites as particularly egregious and therefore representative of her prison experience -- the gyno exam she could have refused -- is something that happened in my daily life. I'm aware this isn't a race to see who develops PTSD first. I'm just trying to make a point.

The author's material privilege has such an effect on her perspective. One might not think it would: prison is supposed to be spartan, but Kerman's baseline for human comfort is high. And that is the true problem: her baseline for existence is higher than mine.

No one is ready to have her rights taken away for the first time. That kind of dehumanization carries a universal feeling. As for the rest of it? I hope the TV series is better.

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LibraryThing member ursula

I have not seen the series that is loosely based on this story. I understand it's much more amusing than this book, however, and that's a good thing. Otherwise, it seems to me that it would be a very boring show. The book in brief: Piper Kerman smuggles some money for her drug-dealing girlfriend,

and 10 years later ends up a federal prison with a 15-month sentence for it. I thought it would be a fish-out-of-water story since Kerman is a white woman from a well-to-do background, and I guess it was in a way, but it was mostly more like a fish-philosophizes-about-the-meaning-of-water story.

I never warmed up to Kerman. She veered between matter-of-fact accounts of her experiences, vignettes that didn't seem to have much of a point (they often seemed shoehorned in to add some spice to the narrative, and too many times ended just as they got interesting), and statistics about prisons and the justice system. She had an understanding family, great friends, a fiance who didn't leave her, the money to pay for a decent defense attorney, an education, a job to go to when she got out - in short, everything most of the women she was in prison with didn't have. Aware of her advantages, she talks about how much harder things would have been for her if she had been from a different background. However, I didn't get the impression from the book that the experience really transformed her. Kerman clearly matured between the time of her offense and the writing of the book. However, most of it seemed to happen before her arrest, sentencing and imprisonment, so it didn't leave a lot of big revelations to happen during her incarceration. What she did learn is that prison is hard although it could be worse, that you can make friends with and care about people much different than you, and that even as a money launderer, you contribute to the ongoing problems of addicts and drug offenders filling the legal system. I could guess those things without doing time (or reading this memoir).

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LibraryThing member bragan

In 1993, Piper Kerman was 24 years old, well-educated, privileged, rebellious, and bored. Also very, very stupid. She got involved with someone glamorous and exciting, and when it turned out that the glamor and excitement were fueled by a job smuggling drugs, she didn't particularly care.

Eventually she was asked to help out by escorting a suitcase full of drug money on an international flight and, like an idiot, she agreed. Five years later, when she'd long since turned her back on that life, she was finally arrested for the crime. Due to some weird circumstances involving extradition issues with the drug kingpin she was indirectly working for, she didn't serve her prison time for it until eleven years after the fact, when she did thirteen months in a minimum-security women's prison in Connecticut. This memoir is about her experiences "on the inside.

Kerman offers us a very different perspective on prison life than the depictions you usually see on the news, or in television and movies. It's not a violent story, or a sensational one. She's not trying to impress us with how tough she is or make us feel sorry for her. Mostly, it's about the ordinary experiences of life in prison, about staying sane as you do your time, and, most especially, about the surprisingly close and supportive relationships that develop between prisoners. It's also a quiet condemnation of aspects of the US criminal justice system. Kerman never gets up on a soapbox and rants, but she does make it clear how ill-served many of these women are by the system, which does little except teach people how to live as prisoners. Overall, it's an interesting and rather eye-opening read.

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LibraryThing member theWallflower

It's comedic and entertaining. A must for any fan of the show. It's not as dramatic, but the plausibility makes up for it. It's fun to see where characters like Crazy Eyes and Red came from. Not to mention it one hundred percent works as what it was intended to be -- a look into women's federal

prison.

I can see why others might not like it. In another world, I might have lambasted this book a la "Wild". But I feel the difference is this woman owns up to her mistakes. Cheryl Strayed ran away from them. True, Kerman does benefit from white privilege while in the system, but she also benefits from keeping her head down and doing her own time. There are no grand gestures. It's a series of anecdotes about time in prison, and surprisingly, there are a lot of them. I'm not sure why there are chapters because there doesn't seem to be much categorization.

It's far from flawless. There are a lot of characters and Kerman doesn't describe them distinctively enough to picture them. If you haven't seen the show, you could easily get lost. But I had no problem with her attitude or writing style, as some have. This is non-fiction -- don't go in expecting a soap opera. But it has the same comedy-drama tone as the show, which is what I think you should come for.

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LibraryThing member bffs

An earlier review said , "This isn't an exciting prison memoir. There are no knifings, no lesbian rapes, no gangs, no killings. The most traumatic thing that happens to Piper is her boss making a comment about horse genitalia. I also grew a bit weary of everyone's race being identified. I get that

prisoners divide themselves into racial groups, but I didn't find it necessary to identify everyone's nationality on every page. At times, I felt the author was stereotyping."

Kerman's lack of over-dramatizing her prison experience is exactly what makes this such a great book. As a former BOP Psychologist, I was curious and cautious about how Kerman would describe her experience. While I often cringed at what appeared to be her automatic dislike of all staff, I am fully aware that most inmates suffer the brunt of staff's daily frustrations and are occassionally subjected to some terrible situations caused at the hands of sadistic individuals who never should have been hired in the first place. However, Kerman presented a very real view of prison-mainly boring on most days, with a bit of random excitment thrown in, all while dealing with a constant internal struggle over a loss of freedoms. The most amazing and raw thing about the book is Kerman's focus on her relationships and how important they are to healing any type of wound. I admire Kerman for her ability to learn and grow from her experience and her attempt at portraying prisons differently than Oz or most other dramatic media. She proved there is a way to highlight a need for change without calling pity upon herself and other inmates-a much more mature way of presenting the issue.

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LibraryThing member lesliecp

What happens when you have to pay the consequences for a crime years later? In her youth, Piper Kerman allowed herself to become a minor part of a drug smuggling ring led by her former lover. Years later, she is established in New York City with a fiance and a career when her past comes calling.

Piper waits years as her case winds around the court system, but ultimately has to spend a year in a women's white collar prison. Piper writes about how she survived that year and allowed the experience to change her forever.

I loved this book! Piper decribes what it was like to enter a foreign environment and learn how to survive. In addition, she shines a light on the absurdities and heartbreak of the prison system. No one who reads this story can fail to realize the urgent need for prison reform.
This book stayed in my head for weeks after I read it. Highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member bobbieharv

An outstanding book. I think any book by a Smith graduate about the year she spent in prison would be fascinating, but Kerman's writing, her sense of pace and timing and attention to detail are all remarkable. I zoomed through it, and was sorry to see it end (though not to see her finally get

out!). The only reason I'm not rating it a 5 is that I would have liked a short afterward or epilogue, about how she adjusted to the "real world," her fiancee, etc.
I'm so pleased I received this book as an Early Reviewer.

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LibraryThing member itsJUSTme

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison, by Piper Kerman

This book tells it all, starting with the crime she committed, the sentencing, and the prison stay until her release. Piper is a very strong and brave woman, not only for what she went through but for writing it all down for

everyone to read.
This book was interesting right from the beginning. She uses great detail to describe everything. In 2004 Piper is sentenced to 15 months in a Minimum Security Woman’s Prison Camp in CT for money laundering. To say she got in with a bad crowd is an understatement! She was involved with a group of international drug traffickers. She doesn’t fight the system, she knows she has committed a crime and confesses to pay the consequences.

By page 50 I already had tears in my eyes. She was so scared and I was so scared for her. It was very heartwarming to hear her tell of the other inmates giving her things such as toothpaste, soap, etc. that they had to purchase themselves.
You very quickly get to know all the other prison “Dorm mates”. Piper does an excellent job of character development. I really felt like I knew every single person in this book.

Before I even started this book, I had made up my mind to dislike this tough, bad girl who “did the crime and had to do the time”, but I very quickly found out this was not the case! Piper is a very likable person, a person like you and I who just got into some bad stuff for a while. I really genuinely liked her and felt for her.

I absolutely loved this book! This was a memoir to its perfection. I am only sorry that I can only give it 5 stars, it deserves many more!

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LibraryThing member Soniamarie

This has been a funny, witty, but often dull read. It is not a bad book, but I woudn't recommend it to all my friends. I think it could have been cut back some actually.

Piper Kerman is sent to a minimum security prison for a crime she committed ten years ago. She leaves behind her fiance, her

parents, all her friends and self surrenders herself for the next 15 months. At first there is a lot of confusion and bawling, but I will say that Piper comes across as most humble. She admits she did wrong and makes no excuses for herself. I liked that. Confusion and tears become prison saviness as Piper learns the ropes and makes buddies with her bunkies. Here is where the humor comes in. From stealing chicken from the cafeteria to make microwave enchaladas later to creating dildos out of maxi pads, the laughs are pretty abundant. I also enjoyed learning about prison "families" and hierarchy.

Why the three star rating? Despite the great writing style of Ms. Kerman and the humorous happenings, it was extrememly dull at times. This isn't an exciting prison memoir. There are no knifings, no lesbian rapes, no gangs, no killings. The most traumatic thing that happens to Piper is her boss making a comment about horse genitalia. I also grew a bit weary of everyone's race being identified. I get that prisoners divide themselves into racial groups, but I didn't find it necessary to identify everyone's nationality on every page. At times, I felt the author was stereotyping.

Not bad, but not mind blowing.

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LibraryThing member tela1226

Piper Kerman's cynical wit and no nonsense writing style make this book a gem. "Orange Is the New Black" chronicles Kerman's 13 month sentence, largely spent in a cushy federal prison "camp".

When a ten year old mistake (aka crime) lands a skinny, blond city girl behind bars she weathers it with

grace and humility. The book focuses on the absurdity of the situations encountered in prison, while wisely avoiding hot button issues like prison reform. Against all odds, Kerman learns her lesson, learns about other people, and successfully makes lemonade from lemons. A wonderfully entertaining read.

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LibraryThing member leaseylease

Good book, but not great. Found the chapters a little disjointed, lacking a common thread between the stories.

LibraryThing member motivatedmomma

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman was an interesting read. Although not your "typical" convict , Kerman, a Smith graduate, lands in a Danbury federal prison on a money laundering charge when her wild post college life catches up with her. The author gives an honest depiction of daily life in

a women's prison. I won't ruin the details which were surprising to me, but Kerman made me care about the women trapped in the prison system and hoping for its overhaul.

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LibraryThing member joannemepham29

This book was so inspiring to read, and thank you Piper for writing about your experience. I felt your honesty, and your journey.

LibraryThing member kqueue

I expected an amusing "How I Spent a Year in Jail" story with our heroine coming out unscathed yet wiser. To my surprise, "Orange Is The New Black" is a sympathetic, balanced look at our prison system and the women who find themselves behind bars. Yes, there are some amusing moments but there are

many more poignant, heartfelt ones and found myself alternately laughing and crying along with the author. Piper Kerman committed a crime in her early twenties and it catches up to her six years later. By the time her trial is complete, her crime is ten years old and she has to serve time in a minimum security prison. She isn't what you would normally think of when someone says the word 'inmate'. Piper is blonde, pretty, educated and intelligent, yet she shows us that she isn't any different from the other women incarcerated along with her - all are someone's daughter, mother, sister or sweetheart. All are facing a system that appears to have no interest in rehabilitation or preparing them for life outside the walls. I'm not sure I could have faced a year in prison with the same strength and humor that Piper did, but her story makes for fascinating reading. I loved this book.

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LibraryThing member TheLoisLevel

Better than I thought it was going to be: Kerman humanizes the situation without seeming preachy or titillating.

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