48 pages • 1 hour read
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison
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Piper Kerman
Kerman is the author of the memoir, and she is a dynamic figure throughout the book. After graduating college, instead of seeking a stable career, she finds Nora, a drug dealer who lures her into a life of overseas adventure. During this time, Kerman considers herself a lesbian, attracted to the bohemian counterculture. However, once things between Kerman and Nora go sour, she moves back to San Francisco and attempts to live a more normal life. During this time, she falls in love with Larry, gets a stable job, and moves into a nice apartment.
While her life changes drastically between the Nora and Larry period, prison is what allows Kerman the space to grow beyond who she used to be. While in Danbury, she realizes that she’s not as stoic as she once thought. Before prison, she considered herself a loner who would rather figure things out on her own than seek the help of family or friends. Once in prison, she realizes just how much she needs other people—not only the friendships of the other women in Danbury but also the love of her family and friends on the outside. The biggest change she experiences is her ultimate desire to let people in, rather than pushing them away.
Larry
Larry is Kerman’s boyfriend and then fiancé throughout the memoir. His and Kerman’s relationship is what helps Kerman get through prison. Kerman and Larry start as close friends, but they both quickly discover they have deeper feelings for one another. By the time Kerman is in prison, Larry is a prominent editor and writer, and he is deeply devoted to Kerman. He visits her almost every weekend, writes her letters and sends her books, and even writes an article about how his love for her has grown. He stands by her side throughout the six-year process and remains as loving and calm as ever.
Pop
Pop is one of Kerman’s best friends while in Danbury. Pop is an older Russian woman serving a long sentence for being married to a Russian gangster. She works in the kitchen and takes her job seriously; she loves to cook. She is also widely respected throughout the prison. If she needs or wants something, she gets it, but always because the other women adore her. She is a motherly figure in that she takes many of the younger women under her wing, including Kerman. Pop loves to tell stories and cook, and Kerman loves to listen and eat. More than that, Pop is a shining example of a woman who serves a long sentence but manages to keep her sanity and self-respect.
Nora
Nora is Kerman’s post-college lover. She is charismatic, intelligent, and adventurous—qualities that Kerman finds have only grown stronger during the time between college and prison. It’s difficult to ascertain whether Nora started dating Kerman simply because she liked her, or because she saw an opportunity to con a naïve young woman into helping her run drugs. However, by the time Nora and Kerman see each other in the Chicago MCC after years apart, it seems like Nora feels guilty about their past.
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