REVIEW: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison by Piper Kerman

4 out of 5 stars

Sometimes laugh out loud funny, sometimes sad, but always heartfelt, this is the story of Piper Kerman who spent a year in prison for a crime she committed 10 years prior. During the 10 years she had moved on with her life: gotten engaged, becoming a successful business woman, nice place in Manhattan, and has left the past as a distant memory. With a knock on the door all of that changed. This story details the highs and lows of prison life, as well as one woman’s surprising self discovery locked inside of prison.

More real than the prison reality tv shows, you get to the meat of what it is to be in prison.  I loved every minute of this book.  As someone who does not want to ever, EVER go there; I still found it fascinating to see what it was like.  What really surprised me was not the negative side of prison, but the inspiration found within the walls.  The women who want to change, the moments of humanity in a place that calls for anything but, and the unbreakable spirit of these women.  It made me rethink how I feel towards people and second chances in a huge way.

Bottom Line: Go out and get it today.  It was one of my top 10 favorite reads in 2010.