Book Review: Orange is the New Black
After becoming hooked on the series based on this book, I longed to delve into Kerman's words for myself. As I collected my thoughts on this memoir, I started reading the reviews about it. I was astonished by all of the criticisms. Sure, she's a white middle-class woman and that gives her privileges, but she acknowledges that and in the afterword, she talks about working with a non-profit for women in the prison system. Sure, I'm biased, sharing blonde and blue-eyed characteristics with Kerman myself, but what she does to show the injustices and sad realities facing women in the prison system gives the reader something to think about. The fact that so many U.S. citizens go into the prison system and wind up back speaks a lot for how hard it is for many to find work, housing, and regain normalcy after their stint in prison. Also, hearing how many face long sentences for non-violent crimes and yet still receive little rehabilitation or training so that they can rejoin the real world is such a sad thing to read about. Prison shouldn't be just about punishment, if we want these people to be model citizens upon their release, we need to educate them and help them prepare for and find jobs when they get out. While maybe I was uneducated myself and don't have to think about these realities on a daily basis, this book was an eye-opener for me. It is easy to overlook someone because of their status or their past, but that doesn't mean they don't have a future. And for those that are disgruntled by Kerman's ability to befriend her fellow prisoners? I think that should be a sign of her adaptability and the fact that she didn't just hold herself about others, but instead tried to understand and learn from them. She really did grow during her stay and befriended people she probably would have never have before. The fact that she could learn from these people and that they could shift her perceptions and attitudes was really one of the reasons I enjoyed this book.
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