Recent Reads: Me Before You, Orange Is The New Black

Whenever I write a book review post, I always ask if you have any suggestions for my next book. (Yes, I am on Good Reads, but I haven’t figured out how to use it for reading suggestions–can you tell me what I’m missing?) In the comments to last month’s book review post, Tenecia suggested I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

From the summary on Amazon:

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

It sounded a bit sappy and predictable (I think we all can guess Will’s “shocking plans”), but I downloaded a sample to the Kindle App on my iPhone, and was quickly drawn in to Louisa’s life,. The characters have more depth than the plot outline suggests, and the story includes enough unexpected twists to keep you wondering what will happen. If you are in the mood for a story that will tug at your heart strings and have you contemplating life’s big moral dilemmas, this book will not disappoint.

My next book, Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman, was quite a change of pace.

If you have watched the TV show (is it still a “TV” show when it originated on Netflix?) then you know that this is Piper’s memoir about her 15-month sentence in Federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut.

From the Amazon summary:

With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system. …. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman’s story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison—why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they’re there.

If you have watched the show and are expecting high drama and salacious story lines, you might be disappointed. I’m sure the show had to create twists for better ratings, but maybe Piper toned down reality for a book that she knew her parents were likely to read. For example, she mentions the humiliating searches that she has to endure before and after each visitor session, but she doesn’t describe it each time she recounts a visit, or go into much detail about how she felt enduring them. She may have had to block out the worst of the indignities to cope, which is great for her, but may paint too rosy a picture of life in prison.

On the other hand, Piper does a good job of highlighting the retributive nature of our penal system, and its complete failure at rehabilitation and helping people integrate back into society. It really is appalling how quick we are to send people to jail, but how little we do to help them move on after they have served their time.

Do you watch TV shows on Netflix?

Any suggestions for my next book?