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Falling: Hard Lessons and the Redemption of the Woman Next Door
What if through a single foolish act you lost everything in life that gave you home, comfort, and security? But before you can rebuild a new life, you'll first need to survive six years in prison. Falling is an insider's view of a full custody women's prison. It is not a tell-all memoir. It is a tool for prison reform. The purpose of the book is to humanize the inmates, their families, and the staff, illuminating the way forward in prison reform in the United States of America.
The New York Times bestselling Orange Is the New Black shined a light on life in a minimum-security women's prison. But Falling is not Orange Is the New Black; it goes way beyond it. Falling is a story of redemption and forgiveness, friendship, and healing. This memoir will appeal to anyone who has ever survived hardship and anyone who has had to work hard at forgiving themselves.
Karen Campbell drove intoxicated and caused a fatal accident that killed her husband and an innocent woman on her way home from work. To this day she does not remember the accident. Falling begins the day she walks into jail, the first step of her prison sentence. Her greatest fear was the woman inmates. Who were they? What did they do to get locked up in a full custody prison? How did they decide who would be in your cell? Would she survive prison?
The story begins with the walk into an overflowing jail cell, the first step of the six-year prison sentence. From the first days, Karen reflects backward to her husband who died in the accident, and her children whose lives were ripped apart. She reflects back on the sentencing and believes in the law, and that it was fair.
We follow her forward through strip searches, slamming doors, and granite-hard surroundings as she moves from jail to prison and meets the women she feared. The inmates surprise her with kindness and generous advice. The reader is led into the cramped cells, parched yards, and turbulent dayrooms where she meets the inmates of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. After gaining trust and with their permission, she records the stories of the women inmates. We meet The Alpha, who takes Karen under her wing, Mittens, the fighter, a survivor of an abusive childhood, Sinful, the lifer, who only sees the night sky during a fire drill, and Blondie, a fellow mother of teenage children. We meet the staff of the Department of Corrections who day after day, year after year, stand and on hard floors balancing burn-out in a "never weak" work environment.
Falling follows Karen's sentence as she moves from the Medium facility to the outdoors and single fence lines of the Minimum facility. More characters are introduced in stories of fights and sex, prison food, pen-pals. She sits side by side with women of all ages, races, and religions as Barak Obama is elected President of the United States. We see Karen's desire for personal growth and accountability as she begins to explore religious and educational programs. But as she dares to open the black door of emotional recovery, she still fears for her survival in prison if she is perceived as weak.
Meanwhile, Karen's family relationships are strained with exhaustion and grief. Karen paroles to the stark realities of an ex-felon. She throws herself forward re-establishing herself, not wanting to burden her family. She does not make new friendships and isolates with shame. Finally, in 2020, nine years after parole, she is still rewriting the last chapter, searching for a better ending. On the final pages, an emerging thought comes close, it is dark and terrifying. "I'm damaged. In a break-through moment, Karen Campbell sees she lacked confidence and self-worth. Her family had loved her all this time. The crushing weight of prison was gone. "I am not perfect but I am included and I am worthy." Karen didn't survive to suffer, she survived to do something good.
The New York Times bestselling Orange Is the New Black shined a light on life in a minimum-security women's prison. But Falling is not Orange Is the New Black; it goes way beyond it. Falling is a story of redemption and forgiveness, friendship, and healing. This memoir will appeal to anyone who has ever survived hardship and anyone who has had to work hard at forgiving themselves.
Karen Campbell drove intoxicated and caused a fatal accident that killed her husband and an innocent woman on her way home from work. To this day she does not remember the accident. Falling begins the day she walks into jail, the first step of her prison sentence. Her greatest fear was the woman inmates. Who were they? What did they do to get locked up in a full custody prison? How did they decide who would be in your cell? Would she survive prison?
The story begins with the walk into an overflowing jail cell, the first step of the six-year prison sentence. From the first days, Karen reflects backward to her husband who died in the accident, and her children whose lives were ripped apart. She reflects back on the sentencing and believes in the law, and that it was fair.
We follow her forward through strip searches, slamming doors, and granite-hard surroundings as she moves from jail to prison and meets the women she feared. The inmates surprise her with kindness and generous advice. The reader is led into the cramped cells, parched yards, and turbulent dayrooms where she meets the inmates of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. After gaining trust and with their permission, she records the stories of the women inmates. We meet The Alpha, who takes Karen under her wing, Mittens, the fighter, a survivor of an abusive childhood, Sinful, the lifer, who only sees the night sky during a fire drill, and Blondie, a fellow mother of teenage children. We meet the staff of the Department of Corrections who day after day, year after year, stand and on hard floors balancing burn-out in a "never weak" work environment.
Falling follows Karen's sentence as she moves from the Medium facility to the outdoors and single fence lines of the Minimum facility. More characters are introduced in stories of fights and sex, prison food, pen-pals. She sits side by side with women of all ages, races, and religions as Barak Obama is elected President of the United States. We see Karen's desire for personal growth and accountability as she begins to explore religious and educational programs. But as she dares to open the black door of emotional recovery, she still fears for her survival in prison if she is perceived as weak.
Meanwhile, Karen's family relationships are strained with exhaustion and grief. Karen paroles to the stark realities of an ex-felon. She throws herself forward re-establishing herself, not wanting to burden her family. She does not make new friendships and isolates with shame. Finally, in 2020, nine years after parole, she is still rewriting the last chapter, searching for a better ending. On the final pages, an emerging thought comes close, it is dark and terrifying. "I'm damaged. In a break-through moment, Karen Campbell sees she lacked confidence and self-worth. Her family had loved her all this time. The crushing weight of prison was gone. "I am not perfect but I am included and I am worthy." Karen didn't survive to suffer, she survived to do something good.
476 pages, Paperback
Published February 12, 2021
13 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 11, 2021
I enjoyed the book, it gave insight into a world I hope I never encounter. Karen gave us a glimpse of humanity behind the sorrow and regret. There is much reform needed in our prison system.
June 2, 2021
Falling is an intense read
I felt what she was saying. As a person that voted for that law I learned what the true result are. The truth of what she wrote helped me understand my son better. He works for DOC and it is not always easy for him. He can't share his work with us. This was a view into not only Karen's reality but my son work reality. Thank you Karen
I felt what she was saying. As a person that voted for that law I learned what the true result are. The truth of what she wrote helped me understand my son better. He works for DOC and it is not always easy for him. He can't share his work with us. This was a view into not only Karen's reality but my son work reality. Thank you Karen
March 14, 2022
I had never heard of this book until one of the women in my Book Club recommended it to all of us. We decided it wasn't one we would discuss, but did agree that it was one we all should read at some point. I was lucky enough to get a copy pretty quickly from my local library. I am indeed glad that I read it, it is a sad and eye-opening book about prison life in Coffee Creek Correctional Facility here in Oregon.
Karen Andrea Campbell spent the day skiing on Mount Hood with friends. Her husband Tom, was tired and told her he would meet her at a bar in town when she was finished. Karen made it to their meeting place, enjoyed a glass of wine, and then they decided to head home. Once they get to their car, she watches her husband lose his balance walking around the car and realizes that he is drunk. He starts the drive down the mountain, but at some point on their drive home, they must have switched drivers. Days later, she wakes up in a hospital, and finds out that her husband died as well as another woman in another car that she hit while she was driving. This is the story of her 6 years spent at Coffee Creek, and how she was able to survive the time there while also trying to retain a relationship with her 2 daughters, the rest of her family and friends.
It's definitely not an easy read but I would still recommend it.
Karen Andrea Campbell spent the day skiing on Mount Hood with friends. Her husband Tom, was tired and told her he would meet her at a bar in town when she was finished. Karen made it to their meeting place, enjoyed a glass of wine, and then they decided to head home. Once they get to their car, she watches her husband lose his balance walking around the car and realizes that he is drunk. He starts the drive down the mountain, but at some point on their drive home, they must have switched drivers. Days later, she wakes up in a hospital, and finds out that her husband died as well as another woman in another car that she hit while she was driving. This is the story of her 6 years spent at Coffee Creek, and how she was able to survive the time there while also trying to retain a relationship with her 2 daughters, the rest of her family and friends.
It's definitely not an easy read but I would still recommend it.
September 25, 2021
Falling: Hard Lessons and the Redemption of the Woman Next Door is an eye opening book. I first sought this book out because of a connection to coffee creek quilters and I wanted to learn more. But I was captivated by Karen Andrea Campbell's journey through her journey through a prison sentence for DUI. It also is a book that shares how prison life and release processes are not roads that always gives those convicted a chance to make it on the outside.
February 25, 2021
But for the grace of God!
A suburban mom's harrowing journey navigating over 6 years in a woman's prison. Heartfelt, humorous and terrifying, I challenge anyone to read this book and not be inspired by the courage it must of taken to write it.
A suburban mom's harrowing journey navigating over 6 years in a woman's prison. Heartfelt, humorous and terrifying, I challenge anyone to read this book and not be inspired by the courage it must of taken to write it.
June 14, 2024
Very well written and a great memoir but not exactly my genre. I read this book with my grandma and we enjoyed it quite a bit as we are also Oregonians. It opened my eyes to how American prison is really like.
March 7, 2022
Hard to put down
Such well written descriptions of prison and the women inside. You made it real Thank you Karen for sharing your story.
Such well written descriptions of prison and the women inside. You made it real Thank you Karen for sharing your story.
October 26, 2022
Amazing memoir and I’m better for having read this..
February 29, 2024
A stark look at how much change needs to happen in our criminal justice system if we truly want/expect AIC to be able to return to society. If we all knew their stories it might change our hearts.
June 12, 2024
Best book in the whole world
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2024
The author grew up in my hometown. Learned a lot about women incarcerated in our state.
December 29, 2020
A book well worth reading: A well-written, compassionate, gritty account of life behind bars in a women’s correctional facility
I enjoyed this book very much. Karen Campbell reveals life in a women’s prison with candor, empathy and accountability. If you liked “Orange is the New Black,” you might enjoy this as well.
This is a well-written book, which grabs and holds your interest from the very beginning. I liked how she juxtaposed her outside life with her inside, which gave the book balance and a measure of humanity which is often omitted from other similar accounts. It’s a tear-jerker in places, as well.
As a retired police officer, I was initially put off a bit by some of the names she gave her guardians, and also by her reference to them as “cops,” which is a misnomer. They are corrections officers, as a rule, although various institutions may have their own assigned titles. Cops, though, refer to those who work within police depts, not within correctional institutions.
Notwithstanding the above, I very much appreciated the humanity and balance she gave to all the “characters” in this book, both inmates and corrections. Very well done...
I enjoyed this book very much. Karen Campbell reveals life in a women’s prison with candor, empathy and accountability. If you liked “Orange is the New Black,” you might enjoy this as well.
This is a well-written book, which grabs and holds your interest from the very beginning. I liked how she juxtaposed her outside life with her inside, which gave the book balance and a measure of humanity which is often omitted from other similar accounts. It’s a tear-jerker in places, as well.
As a retired police officer, I was initially put off a bit by some of the names she gave her guardians, and also by her reference to them as “cops,” which is a misnomer. They are corrections officers, as a rule, although various institutions may have their own assigned titles. Cops, though, refer to those who work within police depts, not within correctional institutions.
Notwithstanding the above, I very much appreciated the humanity and balance she gave to all the “characters” in this book, both inmates and corrections. Very well done...
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews