
My Review: I first heard about OITNB
when everyone and their dog was squawking about the Netflix show. About a year ago, I thought I would give it a
shot (who doesn’t love a good Netflix binge?), but only made it about five
seconds into the show before I decided it wasn’t for me. There’s just something
about a show starting with two naked
women making out in the shower that got me (and the TV) turned off. I wasn’t even aware that OITNB was based off a book until I stumbled onto it at a local
thrift shop and the blurb on the back caught my eye. I cautiously thumbed my way to the first
page. It took place in an airport. *Whew* I figured the book might be better. It usually is, right?!
At first glance, Orange
is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison is decidedly up my alley. I
have always been fascinated by experiences outside my realm of understanding
and this book offered a glimpse of a world that I hope to better comprehend without
actually being compelled there by court order.
I wish I could say that it fulfilled all my expectations, but that wasn’t
quite the case.
The author, Piper Kerman, introduced a so many diverse characters in rapid fire throughout
the book, that I had a difficult time keeping them straight in my head or
feeling their depth. Thought it was
clear that Kerman made meaningful connections with many people in her life and her
fellow inmates, I failed to make even a shadow of the same connection that I
feel would have let me to invest more deeply in the story. Despite this disconnect, I did find many
aspects of Kerman’s story quite interesting. Whether she was discussing the intricacies
of obtaining a prison pedicure, the fine art of smuggling food in one’s pants
or imparting tips on how to make prison “eyeliner” or treat chapped lips while fully
shackled, I was consistently amazed by the ingenuity of the female prison
population in making the best out of a bad situation. After all, the creativity required to make
microwave cheesecake out of pilfered ingredients must not go
unappreciated.
On a more serious note, Kerman’s experiences during
incarceration shed light on the desperately flawed prison system, the
injustices and humiliations frequently suffered by inmates, and the administration’s
apathetic attitude toward providing meaningful rehabilitation services. At times, I could only shake my head as the
absurdity of certain rules kept families apart or deprived women of desperately
needed opportunities. While the author had a
healthy support system in place and a job lined up when she got out, it was
frustrating to see many of her newfound friends leave the confines of the
prison without the necessary skills and opportunities to help them successfully
move forward with their lives.
Did I love the book?
No. To be honest, I’m not even
entirely sure that I liked it. It’s hard
to delve into the unpleasantness of long term confinement and feel jolly, you
know?! It was an interesting read. If nothing else, this memoir serves as a
stark reminder that people in prison… are still people, after all. Most of them have family that love them. All of them have hopes and dreams for the
future. We can sit back, ignore the
problems in the system, and gripe about the results or we can do something to change it and
perhaps inject a little more compassion into the system. Definitely something to think about.
*SIDENOTE* In her book,
Piper frequently makes mention of reading and often took note of the lack of
reading materials available in certain prisons. If you have some uplifting
books you are looking to pass on, why not see if your local jail or prison is
running low? It might not seem like
much, but I know that if I were on the other side of the bars I would
certainly appreciate it.
My rating: 2.75 Stars
For the sensitive reader:
Make no mistake, this book explores a darker world and is peppered with
the kind of language you would expect to find in prison (or a very rated R
movie. Discussion of sexual matters was there,
but usually only in passing and definitely not a focus of the book. The author is (or would seem to be) bisexual
and talks freely (but not graphically) about past relationships with both men
and women.
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