orange is the new black

I am a huge fan of the Netflix series, but I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining and heartfelt this original text ended up being. I had braced myself for disappointment in the form of less drama and less endearing characters, but the women Piper brings to life in her memoir are strong, smart, and spirited. I also love that woven throughout the stories of love and friendship and overcoming prejudices, she deliberately includes a thread of realism which grounds her anecdotes in statistics and reminds readers that these are more than experiences, they are lived experiences of real people. This is a must-read book for fans of the show because you’ll gain a newfound appreciation for the subculture and inner workings of the prison system (plus Piper is much more interesting and relatable in the book), and I also definitely recommend it to anyone interested in human rights or the penal system. Reading this in Argentina while studying their laws was even cooler!!