BOOK REVIEW: Orange is the New Black

Much fanfare has been made about new, original content on Netflix, like Orange is the New Black, for example. Call it new and original if you like, but Orange is the New Black is based on the true story of Piper Kerman's yearlong sentence in prison.

Regardless of whether or not her short time of petty crime should be celebrated with a TV series, Kerman's book looks inside America's prison system -- and boy, is it bad ... not the good bad, either. Prison should be uncomfortable, yes, but why not also use it to help people? According to Kerman, the US prison population has more than quadrupled in the last 30 years, a trend unlikely to change anytime soon.

Kerman survived prison, in fact, she thrived in prison. Her positive outlook and willingness to help others helped her make friends. Prison helped her discover something she thought she would never find: her identity. Orange is the New Black is a good read: B+