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Book Review of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison

Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison
reviewed on + 39 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6


I was very interested in the real life description of federal prison for women. The author did a good job of portraying sympathetic characters for those she made friends with in the correctional facilities she stayed in. She endured a real punishment, though, don't mistake it. She did not have her freedom, and I feel she felt that keenly. In a way, I believe the author even learned a life lesson, as she met a sampling of real women who were negatively impacted by the drug trade that the author took part of and was finally incarcerated for.

I read quite a few negative reviews of this book before I read it. Mostly reviewers were saying that the author didn't really suffer, as she had an amazing support system of family and friends who visited her, financial support, and a job waiting for her when she got out.

I think she did a fairly superior job of portraying a wide range of feelings and essentially laid bare her nervousness, fear, trepidation, humor, anger, happiness, and loneliness. She did a fine job on this book.