Orange is the New Black

★★★ (3/5)

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman is another stray from my typical reads (I generally stick to fiction); the book is a memoir about Piper's time spent in federal prison which was eventually turned into a popular show on Netflix. I'll admit - I was interested in the book because of how much I loved the first few seasons of the show. I was especially drawn in by the dynamics and back stories between the prisoners, which I thought were extremely insightful. I'll be honest, though, this book was a little tough for me to stick with (hence another hiatus between posts), but I think that may be because of my general aversion to reading non-fiction and/or my expectations of similarity to the show, and not because it's a bad memoir in any way. 

The book starts by explaining Piper's situation and how she got involved in the crime she was imprisoned for. Piper came from a mid-high class family and was well educated (making her an unusual prison candidate). After graduating from Smith College, she began dating a woman, Nora, who was trafficking drugs/money internationally, and would often join her on her trips and treating them like vacations/adventures. At one point she did intentionally smuggle money for Nora through France, which is what she eventually was charged for. 

10+ years go by before she is actually imprisoned, and at that point her life is significantly different. She is in her early thirties, living with her fiance Larry, and both have steady, white collar jobs in New York. At that point, she is convicted and the memoir delves into her experiences and relationships in prison. 

As I mentioned before, I really was interested in this book because of the show. I loved the idea of learning the inner workings of the prison, seeing Piper's "fish out of water" experience, and most of all the relationships and dynamics of the women within the prison. It was fascinating to watch the interactions of people that would normally have so little in common being brought together in a prison situation. To me, the character development and storylines in the book do not play out the same way they did in the early seasons of the show - it should be noted that someone coming in looking for that in the book will not find it (truthfully, I found it hard to keep track of the different people she met). Piper's memoir is exactly that: a recounting of her own experiences and feelings in prison. If the reader is understanding of that fact and compelled by it, then this is a great read. It's just important to know what you're getting into with this book.

Overall, this is a solid 3/5 star book for me. It's certainly entertaining, but I'm excited to move on to my next book.  

^my mood after finishing the book