Almost all of the depictions in life that I had seen, whether they were in popular culture or in a more realistic form, were about men. Piper Kerman: Almost everything was surprising about prison life because I had really no idea what to expect that was realistic. What surprised you the most about prison life? So eventually you find yourself in prison. And I ended up following her around the globe and, at her request, I carried a bag of money from Chicago to Brussels.īrendan Francis Newnam: And for that you were convicted of money laundering, 10 years after the fact. And she was involved in narcotics trafficking, which I did not know initially but I quickly learned.Ī lot of folks would have run screaming, but I was intrigued by her. Piper Kerman: Well, going way back in time to the early ’90s, I was in my very early twenties, fresh out of college, and I became involved in a relationship with a mysterious older woman. She schools Brendan in the reality of life behind bars… and how it feels to walk down streets filled with billboards advertising the darkest chapter of her life.īrendan Francis Newnam: Piper, welcome. Join the Random House Reader's Circle for author chats and more.Piper Chapman, the fictional heroine of Netflix’s new series “ Orange is the New Black,” was inspired by Piper Kerman and her memoir of the same name - a chronicle of her fifteen-month stint in prison. "It's a compelling awakening, and a harrowing one-both for the reader and for Kerman." transcends the memoir genre's usual self-centeredness to explore how human beings can always surprise you." "This book is impossible to put down because Kerman] could be you. What I did not expect from this memoir was the affection, compassion, and even reverence that Piper Kerman demonstrates for all the women she encountered while she was locked away in jail. It's a story rich with humor, pathos, and redemption. The true subject of this unforgettable book is female bonding and the ties that even bars can't unbind." Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman's story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison-why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they're there. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187-424-one of the millions of people who disappear "down the rabbit hole" of the American penal system. With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before.
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