TSS: A Week in Review (June 8) |

This post is going live far later than I had anticipated! I guess that’s what happens when you forget to hit “publish!” Oh well, it gives me a chance to add a few things!

My ankle is slowly healing from my pre-BEA injury. I’m wearing fairly normal shoes, though it’s still quite swollen. It’s forced me to take things at a slower pace, certainly not something I’m used to!

My brain is also slowly returning back to normal after losing all the BEA brain fog! I’m finally getting back into a regular reading grove again which is always nice.

In case you missed it, here are the books I reviewed this week:

I spent a lot of time outdoors this weekend creating a patio garden. When the weather cooperates, I spend as much time out on the patio as I can and this patio garden adds a much needed punch of color!

The most exciting part of the weekend, however, was meeting Piper Kerman (the author of Orange is the New Black and the inspiration for the hit Netflix series).

By far, it was one of the best author events I have ever attended (and I’ve attended quite a few.) Here are a few nuggets of information I took away from her talk:

the increased percentage of people (and women in particular) in prison is staggering. So many are serving life terms for non-violent crimes, terms that Kerman believes (as do I!) that these terms could be served elsewhere.
In most federal prisons, inmates with mental illnesses are not seeking adequate treatment for their illnesses. Rather than receiving psychiatric treatment for their conditions (therapy, etc) they are instead treated soley with medication. In many cases, the circumstances and setting make their conditions worse, rather than better.
Piper has now devoted her life to helping women in prisons. She is involved on the Board of the Women’s Prison Association, “the nation’s oldest service and advocacy organization committed to helping women with criminal justice histories see new possibilities for themselves and their families.”
While in prison, she did a substantial amount of reading, much like the fictionalized Piper. Some prisons have libraries, but many, like the one she served her sentence in, do not. The inmates receive books from family members and then pass them around to others in a communal library system. Desperate to clear out some books from your house? Dozens of programs exist that collect reading material for inmates. Just google it.
On a lighter note, while she does state that the Netflix series, Orange is the New Black, deviates from what actually happened during her 15 month stint in prison, she admits that adding a bit of fiction is necessary to creating an engaging television series. She does get a say in what happens on the series and often makes appearances on the set.

Now, after the event I did have to wait in line for 90 minutes to get my book signed but it was more than worth it. Since I majored in Criminal Justice, I know all about the inequalities and issues our country’s prison system faces. This event certainly reminded me of what made me passionate about this field years ago, revitalizing something in me that has been dormant for some time.

So, there was my reading week. How was yours? What were your favorite books read? Attend any outstanding author events?