Kerman, Piper

The author tells of her fifteen-month experience while she was incarcerated in the infamous federal corrections institute in Danbury, Connecticut. A well-heeled Smith College alumnus, Piper Kerman had made a serious mistake which led to her arrest and experience with the American penal system. She met women from all walks of life who surprised her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious and also enraging, her story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison.

The author provides an account of her thirteen months in a minimum security correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, where she was sent after being convicted on a ten-year-old charge of drug smuggling and money laundering in 2003, offering insights into the heirarchies, communities, and friendships that characterize the women's prison.

Follows the author's incarceration for drug trafficking, during which she gained a unique perspective on the criminal justice system and met a varied community of women living under exceptional circumstances.

Follows the author's incarceration for drug trafficking, during which she gained a unique perspective on the criminal justice system and met a varied community of women living under exceptional circumstances.