From the Bookshelf of Mostly Sapphic…

Orange Is the New Black

Piper Kerman

Start date: August 1, 2013

Finish date: August 31, 2013

Discussion: Book of the Month

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 56 topics — 2,668 comments total

Book of the Month

* Book of the Month Announcement
By Cheri , HMIC · 5 posts · 215 views

last updated Jan 06, 2017 04:41AM

* BotM Suggestions
By Cheri , HMIC · 66 posts · 153 views

last updated Nov 20, 2018 10:39AM

showing 2 of 2 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 19, 2013 Cheri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, lgbtq, biography-memoir

I liked the book quite a bit. If you're looking for the sort of drama that happens on the show, you're not going to get it. But if you're interested in knowing what life is like, day to day, at a women's minimum security prison, this is your book.

The characters are interesting - many are recognizable for you fans of the Netflix show - but have very little depth. Piper doesn't have much depth, either, but I found the stories and inmates interesting and enjoyable, to be sure. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Aug 16, 2013 treehugger rated it really liked it

Shelves: memoir, women, lesbian-or-lgbt-lit-or-author, new-england, popular_lit, non-fiction, lib-kindle, read_2014

I have to say that this book exceeded my expectations on so many levels. I have to admit to being SHAMELESSLY addicted to the Netflix series - like, weekend binges happen when each season is released. They just do, don't hate. I expected this book to be a dim shadow of the themes seen in the shoe, and Piper to be an unlikable upper-middle class, Ivy league educated, lesbian dabbling daddy's girl who had nothing but complaints about doing her "time".

What I got, however, was a group of characters I have to say that this book exceeded my expectations on so many levels. I have to admit to being SHAMELESSLY addicted to the Netflix series - like, weekend binges happen when each season is released. They just do, don't hate. I expected this book to be a dim shadow of the themes seen in the shoe, and Piper to be an unlikable upper-middle class, Ivy league educated, lesbian dabbling daddy's girl who had nothing but complaints about doing her "time".

What I got, however, was a group of characters that closely resembled those that I know and love from the show, and thoughtful discussions about racial injustice, the "special" treatment that Piper experienced in prison because of her appearance (pretty, skinny white girl with money in her early 30s), her race, her "roots" in a prestigious Boston suburb, and her expensive private attorneys. It seems that the ACTUAL Piper managed prison with more grace and finesse than her fictional Netflix counterpart, at least at first, and the stories of the connections and relationships she fostered while doing her time felt real, honest, and deep.

I was surprised by how many of the characters and situations from the show were at least loosely based on those in the memoir; I guess it just goes to show that truth really is stranger than fiction.

Piper was exactly the same age as I was when she began her relationship with her first female lover, and I can't help but consider what exactly I would have done if, instead of a control freak of a forest fire fighter, environmentalist and marketing guru, I had instead been drawn to someone like Piper's "Alex/Nora". I don't know how I would have reacted in my early 20s to such a situation, or if I would have been strong enough to resist the temptations that were Piper's undoing. It was also eerie that Piper was exactly my current age when she did her time...I'm glad to not have to dwell so deeply on the mistakes of my 20s in such a powerless, public, and humiliating forum as prison.

While Piper humanizes those women in prison, especially those charged with non-violent offenses, her experience is a chilling account of the absolute lack of control afforded to those (>2 million) imprisoned in the U.S., and made me grateful for my freedoms.

I should also add that the descriptions of the seasons in Connecticut while she was in Danbury really did bring me right back to my childhood, and sometimes it is nuts how much I miss the seasons in New England. Finally, I'm damn impressed that she went ahead and ran a half marathon on her own on a 1/4 mile track on the day that the New York marathon was scheduled - no fancy shoes, no expensive clothes, no endurance nutrition, and no cheering crowds; just her, a track surrounded by razor-wire fence, and her determination.

...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2014 Darlene rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, kindle-books-i-own, text-to-speech-enabled, strong-fem, library, womyn, mental-health, not-loanable, memoir, feminism

I have to admit that I picked up the hardback copy from the library after watching the series on Netflix. The tree version hurt my eyes to read so I went ahead and bought my own Kindle version. I'm glad I did. This book was worth every penny! I could listen to text-to-speech while I read. It might have been even better to have the audio-version with human voice but this was just fine.

The beginning was very satisfying as it mirrored the Netflix version. The book proceeded from there a little less ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 26, 2014 Elaine Burnes rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir

Yes, there was a book before the show. I didn't think I'd ever get to see it so thought I'd read it, expecting it would be better anyway. Now, I'm not so sure. I'm looking forward to seeing the show (now on DVD) because it gives the women backgrounds. For those who haven't heard, it's a true story about Piper's year in a women's prison for running drug money ten years earlier when she was a recent Smith grad who didn't yet know what to do with her life and fell for a charismatic lesbian. Who kne ...more

Like · see review

Jul 28, 2013 Alena rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

I guess it's obvious why I chose to read this right now ;)

Fast read, touching. Of course not as high in drama as the series based on it. She's always aware of how privileged she is, even in prison, so I didn't perceive this book to be a lot of privileged whining. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 05, 2014 Amy Jesionowski rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, favorites, audible-whispersync, 2014

Like many, I read this after I watched the first season of OITNB and in preparation of season two. It was quite different, but not hard to piece together and draw on the different anecdotes relayed by the real Piper Kerman that related loosely to the show.

Granted, the book did receive some scathing reviews (and, in my opinion, rightly so from the viewpoints of the other reviewers). I gave the rating I did because, like many things in life, there are always more than two sides to any story. Ms. ...more

Like · see review