Piper Kerman’s Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison is a memoir that chronicles her experience as an inmate. Kerman is convicted of a crime he committed a decade ago whereby she delivered a suitcase of drug money. Prior to her conviction, Kerman has a good career, a loving family and a promising future. However, after being convicted for 15 months at the correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, Kerman is exposed to varied experiences which alter her perspective toward life. She navigates the strange world of prison which is characteristic of arbitrary rules that are compounded by enforced codes of conduct. Kerman interacts with women from different social-economic and ethnic backgrounds which adds to the richness of her experiences as a convict. Most importantly, the book provides a mirror through which the reader gets a glimpse into the lives of women in prison.
One of the key themes that emerges in the book involves the penetration of traditional and cultural barriers that are imposed by ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. While in prison, Kerman interacts with women from different cultures and ethnicities which plays a crucial role in promoting the quality of her experiences. She notes that while in prison, it was customary for a particular tribe or culture to make a new inmate feel settled and help steer her through the arrival. She writes that “This was a tribal ritual that [she] would see play out hundreds of times in the future” and that “If [one] fell into that ‘other’ category- Native American, Asian, Middle Eastern – then [she] got a patchwork welcome committee of the kindest and most compassionate women from dominant tribes” (Kerman, 2011). With this particular observation, Kerman maintains a critical eye toward culture relations and the quality of interaction. It seems that those who fall within the category of “others” took on a more collective approach when it came to welcoming a new inmate. While she is white, Kerman has good relations with women from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Such kind of interaction establishes a balance between tribes and cultures which is crucial in promoting favorable outcomes for all inmates. Within the theme of tradition and culture, one can observe the unifying element of prison whereby human relationships are not subject to commodification as is the case in the society. Being imprisoned appears to emphasize the human values of showing concern, sympathy, empathy, as well as loving each other.
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An interesting aspect about the book is Kerman’s choice of title “Orange is the New Black”. The color orange represents the prison attire, but there are varied interpretations as to why Kerman meant when she included the color “black”. A more surface level understanding of the title is that it symbolizes the commonality among the women. The statement, “We were all dressed alike, with those stupid canvas slippers” (Kerman, 2011), is an indicator of the sameness of experiences that the women were going through. However, in one particular encounter, Kerman interacts with a black woman, Rochelle, after she is moved to a new cell block, B-Dorm. She writes, “I looked at this woman – black, middle-aged, ordinary, yet unfamiliar. My guard went up” (Kerman, 2011). It is not quite clear why Kerman feels threatened but one cannot discount that she confesses felling trapped in her cube and that she was certain Rochelle was sniffing around. Her initial impression of Rochelle is not, in any way, shocking as blacks have been villainified in both the real and fictional worlds. For instance, her perception of Rochelle is, in part, a contribution to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which fights for the rights of African Americans. In truth, the interpretation of BLM has since changed to “all lives matter” signifying the unity behind support and advocacy for the rights and privileges of minority groups in America. It is, therefore, interesting that Kerman choses such a unique title with full knowledge that the prison houses women from other cultural backgrounds and not just blacks. Kerman corrects herself and regrets having such misguided feelings about Rochelle who appears to be a mild-mannered woman, who was pleasant around others, and embodied a deep love for church. It is such kind of description that brings about an interesting aspect of the book, and in this case, Kerman’s choice of words in her title.
Throughout the book, it is apparent that Kerman comes from a privileged and supportive family that is not only loving, but also financial stable. Unlike other inmates, Kerman is able to buy supplies from the commissary. Her elite status allows her to immerse herself into books thereby escaping the reality of confinement despite the fact that her sentence is minimal compared to that of others. In contrast, her counterparts, regardless of racial and ethnic background, suffer a different fate in that they struggle to buy supplies, while some have a low level of literacy and cannot read. Based on these observations, there is an urgent need in the reader to want to know how the prison system helps inmates maneuver through prison life despite such deficiencies. Even in prison, Kerman is able to find some degree of satisfaction in knowing that she has support from outside. Most of the other inmates have no such privileges which explains their reproach toward life. There are various cases of women who were previously released but violated the law and got sent back to Danbury. Such cases demonstrate the need to explore the various kinds of intervention, if available, the prison system implements to prevent recidivism once an inmate is released into the society. The book does not only focus on the quality of experiences for inmates, but also sheds light on the confounding impact of being underprivileged regardless of ethnic affiliation. Within the prison system, every inmate is the same, and that the issues faced help define the quality of experiences. Nevertheless, such unity is leveraged in terms of promoting a peaceful environment amid the possibility of conflict among inmates. Kerman does well to place herself both within and outside the experiences of fellow inmates. Her third-person perspective is not only informative, but also echoes the varied issues that women face while in prison. It could be that some issues are specific to the correctional facility at Danbury, but the bulk of experiences can be replicated across the country’s prison system.
Kerman’s book is a rich description of prison, but also a warm and heartful depiction of the interaction of women from different walks of life. In prison, what matters is the unity that these women demonstrate and not the various factors that create a gap between and among them while outside confinement. There are crucial themes such as socioeconomic status, racism and prejudice, the bad conditions of a prison, among others. However, humanity appears to surpass every other theme as demonstrated through the warm welcome of new inmates. Such kind of culture is indicative of a community of women who appreciate their sameness thereby establishing a sense of belonging and identity regardless of one’s period of sentencing. This particular outcome makes the book incline more toward illuminating the positive outcomes of a supportive and caring culture among inmates.
Reference
Kerman, P. (2011). Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison . Spiegel & Grau.
