Ratings9
Average rating3.8
A compelling, often hilarious, and unfailingly compassionate portrait of life inside a women's prisonWhen Piper Kerman was sent to prison for a ten-year-old crime, she barely resembled the reckless young woman she'd been when, shortly after graduating Smith College, she'd committed the misdeeds that would eventually catch up with her.Happily ensconced in a New York City apartment, with a promising career and an attentive boyfriend, she was suddenly forced to reckon with the consequences of her very brief, very careless dalliance in the world of drug trafficking. Kerman spent thirteen months in prison, eleven of them at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, where she met a surprising and varied community of women living under exceptional circumstances. In Orange Is the New Black, Kerman tells the story of those long months locked up in a place with its own codes of behavior and arbitrary hierarchies, where a practical joke is as common as an unprovoked fight, and where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. Revealing, moving, and enraging, Orange Is the New Black offers a unique perspective on the criminal justice system, the reasons we send so many people to prison, and what happens to them when they're there.From the Hardcover edition.
Reviews with the most likes.
Yes, you're white, with blue eyes and blonde hair. Thanks for never giving me a chance to forget that. Despite that, it was interesting to see what writing for the show was actually based on her story, especially because her character is one of the worst (except for Larry, who is TRULY the worst)
I admit, I only discovered this book because of the show. If you're buying it expecting a similar experience you will be disappointed. For me though, while the book is different, it's equally enjoyable, just in a different way. It's an interesting look into the prison system with humor and grace. Yes, you will recognize some of the characters (although some have different names than the show) and incidents but it is obviously not a chapter/episode match up. I found it enjoyable.