#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES 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 before. 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 … Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people 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. 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, Kerman’s story 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.
Praise for Orange Is the New Black
“Fascinating . . . The true subject of this unforgettable book is female bonding and the ties that even bars can’t unbind.”—People (four stars)
“I loved this book. It’s a story rich with humor, pathos, and redemption. What I did not expect from this memoir was the affection, compassion, and even reverence that Piper Kerman demonstrates for all the women she encountered while she was locked away in jail. I will never forget it.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“This book is impossible to put down because [Kerman] could be you. Or your best friend. Or your daughter.”—Los Angeles Times
“Moving . . . transcends the memoir genre’s usual self-centeredness to explore how human beings can always surprise you.”—USA Today
“It’s a compelling awakening, and a harrowing one—both for the reader and for Kerman.”—Newsweek
more
A compelling account about one woman’s story from inside the US prison system. We witness her initial failings that landed her in jail, her struggle to survive on the inside, the changes in her perspective, her yearning for freedom – and the heart-crushing reality that the system is broken, ineffective, and in need of a complete overhaul.
This is as close as I ever want to be to incarceration. I am forever changed.
Thank you, Piper.
This is the true story of the author, Piper. When she was in her early 20’s, she decided she needed to live a little before she settled down as a full fledged adult. Unfortunately, she got into a bad crowd, fell for a bad girl, and ended up doing a little drug money smuggling. One deal almost went bad, and she decided it was time to get out.
Fast forward 10 years – she has a good job, a loving boyfriend and family and a full life. All of the sudden, her past catches up to her. Someone from the drug ring has mentioned her name and the next thing she knows she is sentenced to 15 months in the Danbury, CT jail. She can hardly believe that she is going to do a year in jail for something she thought was behind her.
She is thrown into prison with women from all walks of life who actually surprise her by being mostly generous and forth coming about what prison life is like. Piper gets used to the routines and even makes friends. She does 13 months of her 15 month sentence before she is let off for good behavior and rejoins society.
I really enjoyed this book. Mat and I are long time fans of the TV show, so I was anxious to read the actual story. IT was about 1% like the TV show (not shocking), but that was actually a relief. The TV show is really…..R rated. And there was a lot of fighting and gangs, etc. According to the real Piper, none of that really happened. Most of the women were nice to her, and she never had any trouble. She did what she needed to do, and she left.
What I enjoyed about the book the most was the way Piper talked about the conditions the prisoners were left to live in. Yes – I get it. They are criminals doing time. It shouldn’t be cushy. But it should be humane. She talked a lot about how most of the women wanted to get GEDs or college credits, but this particular prison didn’t have a good program. They sent in unqualified people to teach the programs and the women didn’t really have the ability to get any kind of degree. When it was time for them to be released, they weren’t given any kind of guidance about applying for a job as a convicted felon, or getting an apartment, etc. They were basically told to search the internet for their answers.
I think this is a big place our country is failing. As many as 80% of criminals return to prison because they were not given a chance while in prison to get better or obtain skills to survive in the real world. Most of them don’t have families or support systems, and so the cycle of bad behavior continues and lands them back in prison. Education and job skills need to be given to these folks while they are behind bars so that they have what they need when they are released.
I did not know what to expect, with the “hip” title…it was intriguing and unpredictable. A bit hard to fall into at first, until I sank into remembering that age.
Try it…
Good girl goes bad goes good, but is eventually caught and ten years after the fact goes to prison. She had been a drug mule who was doing it more for love than money.
Author writes well and tells a good story of women in prison–the written and unwritten rules, the conditions, and the difference it makes by having a private attorney instead of a court appointed one.
I have not seen the “Orange is the New Black” Netflix series (yet) but am told it is not like the book. This is a memoir.
Young Piper is such an intelligent person, however, her curiosity takes her in the wrong direction. The consequence that she needs to face comes out of the blue when she is about to move her life forward with her beloved boyfriend. Piper’s prison life begins after the guilty verdict. Although she is suggested not to be friends with anyone in prison, her likable personality and unlike prisoner demeanor attract fellow women prisoners. In this book, Piper uses her keen observation and shares stories about her interactions with people inside of the fence. Unlike other women, Piper is fully aware of how privileged she is to have families and friends outside of the prison who care, frequently visiting, sending books, planning for her job after the sentence. Spending time everyday with women, who don’t have privilege like she has, taught Piper a lot of life lessons. Life is not fair, but Piper is the one who decides to be accountable for her actions and how she lives her life no matter where she is.
a great read about a shitty place and situation.
This is a very revealing memoir of the prison system. Piper Kerman is from a well to do family, and having just graduated from Smith, decides to spice up her life a bit. She gets involved with an older woman, Nora, a lesbian – and they begin a relationship that involves Piper in carrying drug money. Years later, the Feds come for Piper and she is sentenced to prison.
What follows is the story of Piper’s year in prison. It was totally not what I expected. I have never seen the TV show of the same name, so I was expecting a horrible tale. However, what came forth was the caring and the camaraderie of the women in the prison. It also shone a spotlight on the overwhelming population of the prison system – incarcerating people for minor, non-violent offenses. I thought one of the best parts of the memoir was the observation that we should be putting money into schools vs. prison. The love of her husband, Larry, as well as the support of her family and her friends, was astonishing. We should all be so lucky to have people care so deeply about us in our time of need.
Well done, and quite a different perspective than what I expected.
#OrangeIsTheNewBlack #PiperKerman
I finally got around to reading this long-ago purchased book which has been moldering away on my Kindle forever. I enjoyed this a lot, it’s an interesting experiential memoir, although it is surprisingly sparse in the type of higher level observations and reflections that could have lent more emotional punch. My guess is the book might disappoint some who have watched the Netflix adaptation, as it’s rather tepid in comparison, but the inside look at the experience of women who are incarcerated is both compelling and educational. It was also interesting to recognize bits of characters from the show in the memoir and gain a bit of insight into how the creative decisions were made and spread across the seasons.
I wrote a book called Monkey House about my 7 years with Bernie Madoff in prison. When I was released I had to spend 6 months in a halfway house. I never watched tv in prison. My roommate was reading my manuscript and said “Man you got to watch this show!” He would go to the library and get tapes of the show. I realized without knowing it that Monkey House was that show on steroids. Its a good book and I highly recommend it–I should know–I was there. Monkey House is now in the process of being turned into a series.
Written well for me. Easy to follow and enjoy
No wonder they turned it into a TV series. No wonder it was a hit. No wonder the actors got lots of Emmy Awards.
A frank and honest look at the women’s penal system from the perspective of a 30-something who landed there as if from an alien planet. Ms. Kerman takes the reader along on her 15 month journey into the Camp for minimum security prisoners, as she learns how to find peace in chaos, through friendship, kindness, and introspection. I enjoyed every page of this book.
Much better than the TV series.
Not as good as I thot it would be!
I couldn’t put this down. Insightful read.
I really liked this book, never saw the show so wanted to read the book.
This book was okay but I did not enjoy it that much. It took me a while to finish it. Did not hold my interest much.
You ever thought the book would be better than the movie? This isn’t that case.
Loved it kept my interest
This book is quite different than the series. However,it does give additional perspective.