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Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'
Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman
2 reviews
saracatalyst's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
Reading this in 2022 was about what I expected it to be, in some ways. A lot of this book did not age well in ways that have been widely discussed, especially since the show came out. The discussion of Vanessa, who became Laverne Cox’s character, particularly bothered me. Not just because of the transphobia but the voyeuristic surface level of her part in the book. Also, Kerman felt the need to comment on an estimated weight of the fat people she encountered to seemingly no end except to say they’re fat. Also sometimes how unattractive she deemed some people, again, to no effect or real point.
So, I don’t super recommend this. There are a lot of better memoirs and a lot of better books to read to learn about prisons. But I am still a sucker for a memoir, and I recently rewatched the show. It was interesting to see the pieces of this source material and how they showed up in the TV series. The storyline was very different in the show but so many of the details were there, and you could often see the primary inspiration for one of the characters.
I almost DNF’d this half way through. Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t. I was surprised at the amount and depth of reflection that Kerman did, and I did feel somewhat gripped by her story of her transport to Chicago.
So, I don’t super recommend this. There are a lot of better memoirs and a lot of better books to read to learn about prisons. But I am still a sucker for a memoir, and I recently rewatched the show. It was interesting to see the pieces of this source material and how they showed up in the TV series. The storyline was very different in the show but so many of the details were there, and you could often see the primary inspiration for one of the characters.
I almost DNF’d this half way through. Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t. I was surprised at the amount and depth of reflection that Kerman did, and I did feel somewhat gripped by her story of her transport to Chicago.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Addiction, Sexual assault, Racism, Fatphobia, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Deadnaming, Body shaming, Transphobia, Pregnancy, and Police brutality
crystalmethany's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Biphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Mental illness
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