This was a great book. I am a huge fan of the Netflix show Orange is the New Black and I decided to give this book a try. Piper Kerman reveals the major flaws in our justice system and makes you question why punishment should comprise of stripping humanity from an individual (especially over petty non violent offenses). Also, Kerman takes you on a journey of compassion among complete strangers and shows the importance of having each other’s backs. This book shares a resemblance to the Netflix series but it’s not identical to the series. The characters were definitely more mellow compared to the animated characters we see in the show. I recommend this book!

Piper has written a very personal memoir that will open your eyes about our country’s prisons and the individuals who are incarcerated. She has written her story with honesty, grace, and humor. Orange is The New Black is an excellent book filled with sad, anxious, and downright funny occurrences in the daily life of a prisoner.

Great book. Hopefully the prison systems have been overhauled.

First of all, if you come to this book thinking it's anything like the amazing Netflix series - stop. It's a good read but an entirely different animal. As this reads, Piper had it fairly good as far as being deprived of freedom & basic human rights goes of course, being white, upper class, etc. However please don't miss the bigger picture. That she and her prison-mates are in large part NOT a danger to society and are locked away for doing things that should be decriminalized. Meanwhile harder criminals get released due to "over-crowding". Piper does alright, making it in with the 'popular' crowd & keeping her nose clean, so to speak. Reading about her experience was interesting enough to keep the pages turning. Reading between the lines, I feel like some of the drama that was made up for the Netflix Series might be more true-to-life in prison life, especially the funding part, as politicians are involved. Overall interesting from many perspectives and I do recommend.

This book is dope. I hate reading ...but good job Kerman

Really interesting book. Much tamer than the Netflix series, which is a bit racy. Was inspired to donate to the prison book projects listed at the end of the book.

Completely raw, entertaining and truth. Great read to pass the time and actually know the reality of U.S prisons. Yes, the book is almost different from the series (drama) but it is also a good read and know what Piper has actually gone through.

I typically always watch the movie (based on a best selling or otherwise popular book) prior to reading the same story, otherwise I'm usually left disappointed. As we all know, customarily books are better than most movies given the descriptive details contained therein, and therefore it often "ruins" the movie for readers when the film version doesn't live up to the vivid imagery the author has already pre-painted in the reader's mind. However, this is the one and only instance I can recall whereby the opposite occurred for me...the BOOK was actually disappointing in comparison to the television series.

I actually enjoyed the book more than the show and I love the show!

I had high expectations as I loved the TV series. However it was hard to get past pipers cocky tune throughout the book as she continually reminded us she wasn't better than anyone else, in effect constantly saying just that. There were some good stories but it mostly seemed like a way for her to talk about herself.