Orange Is The New Black

Title: Orange Is The New Black

Author: Piper Kerman

Genre: Memoir

Time: 7.3 hours

Rating: 8 out of 10

My friends from the States talked about the TV series based on this book last year and said it was a funny show.  Sadly, we don’t get Orange Is The New Black here where I live.  So when I saw this book, I said, this might be a fun read.

It’s not a humorous book.  It’s actually a good reading material for those first-time offenders who might be going prison soon.  It gives you some idea of what it’s like inside a federal prison.  Although I don’t know if it applies to all federal prisons.

By some twist of fate, her prison sentencing got delayed by a failed extradition attempt so she is serving time for a drug-related crime she committed around 10 years prior, one she has long forgotten about.  She has already shunned the life of drugs and was already living a law-abiding life with a fiancé, great job and good friends. 

The books just basically details her one year prison stint, from booking to her first week, to the friends she made, her day to day activities inside, visiting hours, etc., etc.  It ends with her meeting the woman who got her into this whole mess when they both testified against someone who was involved in the drug trade with them.

I like the back stories of the other inmates and I wonder where they are now and how their lives turned out after their release.  Were they able to turn their life around when they left prison?  Or were they one of the unlucky ones that went back in again on another crime committed?  And kudos to the boyfriend/fiancé, Larry, for sticking with Piper and visiting her in prison religiously.  I do wonder, though, what it was like for him.  In the book, it seemed like it was an unwavering devotion to Piper but did he have moments of doubt or frustration?