Orange is the New Black

This book is an account of Piper's year in a female prison. It is mostly a straightforward series of anecdotes, with some condemnation of the prison system.

The television series obviously draws out some of the features of the book. It is really well done, and I am enjoying it so far. (I've watched 4 episodes) At first I was a little annoyed because Piper does not start out as a strong or optimistic character. But as she starts to get her bearings, we start to see the spirit that comes through in the book.

Her run-in with the cafeteria boss is quite exaggerated, and the incident with the screwdriver is backwards. (she actually ends up with an extra screwdriver, instead of accidentally stealing one) I like how we see the back story of some of the other inmates, and most of them are sympathetic. We also see the nice side of most of the guards, with the exception of the prick Pornstache.

I was surprised by how closely the series is matching the book, though. It is difficult to take a short book (about 300 pages) and make it into a 13-episode series. (or maybe longer, I do not know yet)