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birdinflight1's review
4.0
What surprised me about this book was the total lack of drama. The Netflix series is filled with so much drama...drugs, murder, sex, extortion, violence...that I expected more drama in the book. The creators of the series had to have very vivid imaginations to create that show from this book.
What I liked about the book was the reality that when a bunch of women are thrown together for whatever reason, they generally support one another. Whether it’s college dorms or moms’ groups or the workplace or book clubs, women are amazing at offering each other support. I didn’t realize it would be the same in a women’s prison, but I was pleasantly surprised that this was her experience.
I was touched by the way the women took care of each other. From the welcome wagon to the birthday parties to the holiday celebrations, the women created meaningful rituals to help them through a terrible time.
I also appreciates that she recognizes her own privilege—she can afford a lawyer, she has a job and a home and a husband to return to she gets out, she is treated well by most of the staff because she is white and blond, she has a college education and knows how to earn money legally, and she has a tone of support from the outside world. She recognizes that this is not the case for most women in prison.
She also deals with big questions of prison’s purpose, such as how does locking someone up for so long and treating them without dignity help a person reflect and repent and rebuild their life?
What I liked about the book was the reality that when a bunch of women are thrown together for whatever reason, they generally support one another. Whether it’s college dorms or moms’ groups or the workplace or book clubs, women are amazing at offering each other support. I didn’t realize it would be the same in a women’s prison, but I was pleasantly surprised that this was her experience.
I was touched by the way the women took care of each other. From the welcome wagon to the birthday parties to the holiday celebrations, the women created meaningful rituals to help them through a terrible time.
I also appreciates that she recognizes her own privilege—she can afford a lawyer, she has a job and a home and a husband to return to she gets out, she is treated well by most of the staff because she is white and blond, she has a college education and knows how to earn money legally, and she has a tone of support from the outside world. She recognizes that this is not the case for most women in prison.
She also deals with big questions of prison’s purpose, such as how does locking someone up for so long and treating them without dignity help a person reflect and repent and rebuild their life?
gardner98's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
4.0
I enjoyed this book and the inside view it gave of women prisons in the United States. This book is a glaring reminder of how broken the prison system is in the US.
I also enjoyed this book for the women I was able to get to know by reading this book. A major rule in prison is to not ask other inmates what they are in for. As a reader you get to know the women for who they are, not just what they have done. It also is a reminder that we are all so much more than our worse days.
The show on Netflix is much more dramatized. The show maintains characters personalities, but not the storylines.
I also enjoyed this book for the women I was able to get to know by reading this book. A major rule in prison is to not ask other inmates what they are in for. As a reader you get to know the women for who they are, not just what they have done. It also is a reminder that we are all so much more than our worse days.
The show on Netflix is much more dramatized. The show maintains characters personalities, but not the storylines.
lucylivesinbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
gamerkiti's review against another edition
5.0
This is probably the only memoir I have ever read and truly enjoyed. just reading it has changed the way that I view my life. in all honesty (to kind of quote the show) we are no different than anyone in prison, we all do something illegal at least once in our life. the only difference? we didn't get caught. I will definitely be reading this again (probably before the end of the year even) and I have recommended it to anyone and everyone that I know. I am happy to have found this book especially since I have a BS in criminal justice and want to start doing more to help make the prison system better, even if it is just by donating books for the inmates to read. They may have made mistakes, but they are still human.
riviwriter's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised how much I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. It's rather long, and I already watch the show, but the writing was incredibly well done, good imagery, and the narrator did a great job. It is very similar to the Netflix show and still very different. While major issues such as racial bias and the lack of rehabilitation programs were covered, the book felt much more "slice of life" than commentary, and it was done well for that genre. It was a good summer listen, and I would recommend it.
lauraborkpower's review against another edition
5.0
I re-read this book after finishing the first season of the t.v. adaptation. I wanted to refresh my memory of the differences between the two stories (there are so many), and I am happy I did.
This is still, as I first remarked last year, a great book. I love Kerman's quiet voice, her stoicism, and her style that puts the women in the spotlight and downplays the guard harassment and mistreatment. By doing this, Kerman makes the surreality of the modern American prison system an unsettling backdrop for the entire book. It never overshadows the main focus, but it never goes away.
I believe that more than anything, Kerman wrote this just to tell her story, but she has done much more with this book. Highly recommended.
**ORIGINAL REVIEW: 4 STARS, READ SEPTEMBER 14, 2013**
This is a great book. I was expecting to like it--the feedback from friends who'd read it and who had seen the show on Netflix was terrific--but I wasn't expecting to like it this much.
Kerman's story is one of simple living. I was expecting something bigger and more dramatic, so it took me a few hours to settle into the quotidian (and not quite chronological) style of storytelling. But once I realized what kind of a story Kerman was telling--a pared down, one-day-at-a-time living--I was in, solidly.
Kerman's voice is perfect, and it is believable how she could have been so liked among the other inmates. She is one of them, but she never forgets her advantages on the outside; she never panders to them--her friends--and she is never, ever a victim in her own eyes. The characters who make up the world are individuals, never stereotypes, and they all seem redeemable. The ending of the story--or, rather, where Kerman was at the ending--surprised me, and at first I was disappointed. But the ending is really perfect, for her own personal story and for this book.
Cassandra Campbell narrates this audiobook and she does a great job. There are a lot of characters--some with accents--but she never tries to "do" the characters; she is always Piper recounting what the characters said, and it works.
This is still, as I first remarked last year, a great book. I love Kerman's quiet voice, her stoicism, and her style that puts the women in the spotlight and downplays the guard harassment and mistreatment. By doing this, Kerman makes the surreality of the modern American prison system an unsettling backdrop for the entire book. It never overshadows the main focus, but it never goes away.
I believe that more than anything, Kerman wrote this just to tell her story, but she has done much more with this book. Highly recommended.
**ORIGINAL REVIEW: 4 STARS, READ SEPTEMBER 14, 2013**
This is a great book. I was expecting to like it--the feedback from friends who'd read it and who had seen the show on Netflix was terrific--but I wasn't expecting to like it this much.
Kerman's story is one of simple living. I was expecting something bigger and more dramatic, so it took me a few hours to settle into the quotidian (and not quite chronological) style of storytelling. But once I realized what kind of a story Kerman was telling--a pared down, one-day-at-a-time living--I was in, solidly.
Kerman's voice is perfect, and it is believable how she could have been so liked among the other inmates. She is one of them, but she never forgets her advantages on the outside; she never panders to them--her friends--and she is never, ever a victim in her own eyes. The characters who make up the world are individuals, never stereotypes, and they all seem redeemable. The ending of the story--or, rather, where Kerman was at the ending--surprised me, and at first I was disappointed. But the ending is really perfect, for her own personal story and for this book.
Cassandra Campbell narrates this audiobook and she does a great job. There are a lot of characters--some with accents--but she never tries to "do" the characters; she is always Piper recounting what the characters said, and it works.
jenmangler's review
3.0
I'm so glad I'm in a book club, because I never would have read this book if it hadn't been on our list and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't really given much thought to how incarceration affects people. I got so frustrated reading this book because it seems like all the prison/justice system does is make things harder for people to make positive changes in their lives. So yeah, we can punish. But does that make things better? What crimes are we punishing severely, and why? This book gave me a lot to think about.
brittanykroeckel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
I personally think I lucked out in never having watched the TV series because I feel that people are comparing the two too much and they give a bad review. I went into this with fresh eyes and I will say this was insightful and brought forth some reflection upon myself. Kerman writes in a digestible manner and does not overcomplicate things, which I appreciate. I docked it .25 of a star because I felt like almost everything was so surface level that I believe more details should have been implemented for more of an immersion. Most of it was spent on the friendships she developed (which is a great topic to touch on), that I was wanting more of the experience of prison rules, routines, and culture. Regardless, still a good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
jmrprice's review
3.0
I see where main series characters came from - Kerman's deft style kept my interest and made me see the human beings instead of the criminals.