something I read...

This weekend I took a little trip to Philadelphia, the city of "brotherly love".  If you know me, you know that a trip cannot possibly become a vacation unless I get to spend some time reading.  Since I was in-between books, without a clear idea of what I wanted to read next, I decided to take a chance and buy a book at the airport.  In between Fifty Shades of Grey and a Jodi Picoult novel, I found Orange is the New Black, which is a memoir I've been meaning to read.

Along with about 4 million other people, I watched the Netflix series last year and was curious what the  real-life Piper Kerman had to say about her time at Danbury, a women's federal prison in Connecticut, where she spent a little over a year.  The series is filled with sensational crimes by colorful characters, dark humor, and ahem, quite a bit of lesbian activity.  I really enjoyed watching the entire series all in one sitting… but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading the book too!  A few things to take away… it seems that Netflix has really amped up the violence and prison hook ups, which shouldn't be too surprising.  Piper's memoir is fresh, honest, and really sheds light on the many problems of our justice system and the Bureau of Prisons.  

If watching the Netflix series isn't your thing, I would say, give the book a chance!  It's not nearly as shocking as the show, and there's a wonderful positivity to it. (And if you buy it from the airport and return it within six months… you get half of your money back!  It's a great deal.  Thanks Paradies!)