Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, upon which the Netflix TV show is based, has received largely positive reviews since its publication in 2010.
Here are a few of my favourites:
- Writing in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Diana Wagman called much of the book "funny and warm... the most striking thing is the hopelessness of it."
- Deidre Donahue in USA Today praised Kerman's "zippy, unpretentious writing," and felt surprised by "the moments of joy, friendship and kindness...that make Orange so moving and lovely."
- Ben Dickerson in Elle magazine called Orange "a fantastic tale...and is a rippingly fun read."
The Book Also Won Praise in Vanity Fair, The LA Times and Newsweek
Praise wasn't universal, however. Jessice Grose on slate.com criticized Kerman's book as being a typical entrant in the the"middle-class-transgression genre," full of "upbeat banalities" and "platitudes," written by someone who "doesn't think her crime was so terrible."
For those interested in Kerman's story of prison life, there may be more to come. On August 21, 2014, paste.com reported that Catherine Clary Wolters, upon whom the character of Nora is based (renamed Alex Vause for the TV show), is to write a book of her own version of events, to be published in May 2015.
Here's a YouTube user's review of Piper Kerman's book, contrasting it with the TV series: