Book info

• Title
• Author Piper Kerman
• Year
• Genres

Thoughts

It was interesting to read this, having watched four series of the television show that it inspired. You can recognise some of the characters and a few of the events depicted within, but for the most part this stands alone as a really good memoir of time inside the prison system.

What I was surprised by, is the levels of different prison and how a person can grow used to each. Piper initially finds it difficult being in her minimum security prison, but by the end has spent some time in a very different facility - if she had been dumped in that final place at the beginning, would it have been a very different story?

It certainly highlights some flaws in the system and raises awareness - the line about money being poured into the prison system rather than in preventative areas such as libraries and community centres was particularly insightful - and I’m glad that the TV show and the book can do something to help in this area.

Rating: Unrated