This memoir, written by Piper Kerman, captures the author’s yearlong stay in a federal women’s prison. Through this narrative, Piper is able to communicate her experiences in prison and shed light of some of the issues of the United States criminal justice system. Throughout the memoir, Piper shares her first hand accounts of life in prison, telling her own story while sharing the stories of many of the women she met along the way.

The book began at Brussels Airport, where Piper committed the crime that changed her life. There, she laundered money for a drug trafficking operation. A naïve college graduate, Piper had become romantically involved with Nora Jansen, a woman heavily involved in the operation. Before long, Nora had convinced Piper to travel with her and eventually launder money. After seeing the dark side of the drug business, Pipe moved to San Francisco in hope of leaving this life behind her.

While in San Francisco, Pier started dating Larry, her eventual fiancé. Larry and Piper moved to New York, where Piper was eventually tracked down by the police. After years of awaiting her sentence, Piper was sentenced to fifteen months in Danbury women’s prison.

Despite her initial nervousness, Piper formed many meaningful relationships with her fellow inmates. Early on, Piper learned that the only thing she had to fear in prison were those in power. Throughout her stay, Piper was able to undergo a personal growth process in which she learned the value of community, resilience, and self-preservation. By the end of the memoir, Piper is stronger and wiser than she was before, profoundly effected by those she learned from in Danbury.

For the majority of the memoir, Piper relays her experiences in Danbury, sharing the stories of various inmates while citing various injustices of the prison system. The memoir serves simultaneously as recognition of the lives of the many women Piper encountered and an exposé of the dark side of the criminal justice system. In writing this memoir, Piper is able to share her experiences while drawing mainstream attention to the harsh realities of life in a women’s prison.