One bad decision away from Prison

Can you imagine doing something incredibly senseless, getting away with it, then having that senseless incident reappear ten years later? Piper Kerman can attest to such an experience, because this is what happened to her; only her incident was unlawful. Her 2010 memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison has made a huge comeback through Netflix’s most watched original series Orange is the New Black, an adaptation of Kerman’s experience in prison.

Piper Kerman has a happy life. She has a great boyfriend, a roof over her head, and a job she enjoys. This is all interrupted, however, by an event, which happens ten years prior to this happy place. When Kerman was young and in college, she got involved with Nora Jansen, an international drug smuggler. Kerman was OK with the situation as long as she didn’t have to personally handle anything associated with Jansen’s “job”. One day, however, Jansen finds herself in a bind, asking Kerman to deliver a bag of money for her. Kerman agrees, successfully completing the task. Ten years later, Kerman finds herself sentenced to 15 months in prison.

From her first prison bathroom experience to her last strip search, readers follow Kerman as she learns the ins and outs of prison life. The rules are inconsistent, the language a foreign tongue and the routines often monotonous. She becomes acquainted with prison culture and adapts to her surroundings rather quickly. Kerman meets women of various backgrounds whom she becomes close to, considering them friends rather than inmates. Kerman gives readers insight into what happens to both innocent and guilty women in prison. Her memoir is not one of those “feel sorry for me” stories. She owns up to her mistakes and pays the consequences, leaving her family, friends and everything else behind to serve time. Her experience strengthens her character and confidence as she observes, records and shares this hidden and often misinterpreted culture.

The curiosity and unknown happenings behind prison walls is what drives readers to pick up this book. Outsiders comprehend prisons through media depictions or from the accounts of others. Even then, it’s difficult to get a real sense of what goes on in these American institutions. What makes Kerman’s story stand out is how abruptly this past mistake changes her entire life. She flips from an everyday citizen to a criminal in seconds. She lived years of her life after her unlawful incident in normalcy, almost forgetting about her short-lived, drug-money-relationship altogether.

If you are interested in Kerman’s story, I suggest reading the book first, then watching the Netflix series. While the book is well written, the series is, of course, exaggerated and more entertaining, overshadowing Kerman’s memoir. Reading it first may help the reader develop a greater appreciation for what Kerman actually went through.

While I do recommend this book to those interested in prison lives or memoirs at all, I have to mention that Kerman’s story is not as bold as I thought it would be. While it was thoughtful and sometimes humorous, her memoir seemed to lack depth. I wanted to learn more about her relationships with the inmates, but I felt disconnected from all characters, including Kerman. She talked about these women impersonally, with very little emotion behind her words. I still, however, believe her story is worth reading and that there is a very important lesson to be learned: The past can catch up with the present.

We often let past faults haunt and worry us, causing us to miss out on great opportunities in the present. Owning up to our mistakes, no matter how big or small, seems like a much easier, less nerve-wracking way to live – don’t you think?

– Rachel LeCompte is a library lover who enjoys nothing more than a good book with a strong cup of coffee. She may not be saving lives like doctors (and Superman), but she’ll do her best to save literature – the enrichment to life. Reach her through email at rachel@gumboguide.com.

“Orange is the New Black”

COURTESY PHOTO