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saracatalyst's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
Reading this in 2022 was about what I expected it to be, in some ways. A lot of this book did not age well in ways that have been widely discussed, especially since the show came out. The discussion of Vanessa, who became Laverne Cox’s character, particularly bothered me. Not just because of the transphobia but the voyeuristic surface level of her part in the book. Also, Kerman felt the need to comment on an estimated weight of the fat people she encountered to seemingly no end except to say they’re fat. Also sometimes how unattractive she deemed some people, again, to no effect or real point.
So, I don’t super recommend this. There are a lot of better memoirs and a lot of better books to read to learn about prisons. But I am still a sucker for a memoir, and I recently rewatched the show. It was interesting to see the pieces of this source material and how they showed up in the TV series. The storyline was very different in the show but so many of the details were there, and you could often see the primary inspiration for one of the characters.
I almost DNF’d this half way through. Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t. I was surprised at the amount and depth of reflection that Kerman did, and I did feel somewhat gripped by her story of her transport to Chicago.
So, I don’t super recommend this. There are a lot of better memoirs and a lot of better books to read to learn about prisons. But I am still a sucker for a memoir, and I recently rewatched the show. It was interesting to see the pieces of this source material and how they showed up in the TV series. The storyline was very different in the show but so many of the details were there, and you could often see the primary inspiration for one of the characters.
I almost DNF’d this half way through. Ultimately I’m glad I didn’t. I was surprised at the amount and depth of reflection that Kerman did, and I did feel somewhat gripped by her story of her transport to Chicago.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
lindseythelibrarian's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
3.5
I didn't watch the show, but I found the book to be an interesting look into aspects of the justice system. The author seems to acknowledge her privilege in some aspects, and not in others.
It's a very interesting story, but the flow of the books was kind of strange in that the only clear direction was time itself. I guess that makes sense in prison. I wanted to know what happened after prison seeing as we are given insight into what happened before prison. Did she keep up the relationships she made behind bars? It was just odd that everyone also seemed to like her and saw her as this classic "white girl". Maybe it was the case, but I don't know.
Our justice system is so broken, and I hope restorative justice actions continue to take place and create a better society for those who are incarcerated and I appreciated her insight into this aspect.
It's a very interesting story, but the flow of the books was kind of strange in that the only clear direction was time itself. I guess that makes sense in prison. I wanted to know what happened after prison seeing as we are given insight into what happened before prison. Did she keep up the relationships she made behind bars? It was just odd that everyone also seemed to like her and saw her as this classic "white girl". Maybe it was the case, but I don't know.
Our justice system is so broken, and I hope restorative justice actions continue to take place and create a better society for those who are incarcerated and I appreciated her insight into this aspect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Deadnaming, Drug use, Sexual content, Grief, and Sexual harassment
crystalmethany's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia and Confinement
Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexual assault, Grief, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness
aquakerwitch's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Confinement, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment