Out of Orange

by Cleary Wolters

The real-life Alex Vause from the critically acclaimed, top-rated Netflix show Orange Is the New Black tells her story in her own words for the first time—a powerful, surprising memoir about crime and punishment, friendship and marriage, and a life caught in the ruinous drug trade and beyond.

Fans nationwide have fallen in love with Orange Is the New Black, the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Netflix show based on Piper Kerman’s sensational #1 New York Times bestseller. Now, Catherine Cleary Wolters—the inspiration for Alex Vause, Piper’s ex-girlfriend, friend, and sometimes-romantic partner on the show—tells her true story, offering details and insights that fill in the blanks, set the record straight, and answer common fan questions.

An insightful, frustrating, heartbreaking, and uplifting analysis of crime and punishment in our times, Out of Orange is an intimate look at international drug crime—a seemingly glamorous lifestyle that dazzles unsuspecting young women and eventually leads them to the seedy world of prison. Told by a woman originally thrust into the spotlight without her permission—Wolters learned about Piper’s memoir in the media—Out of Orange chronicles Wolter’s time in the drug trade, her incarceration, her friendships and acquaintances with odd cellmates, her two marriages, and her complicated relationship with Piper. But Wolters is not solely defined by her past; she also reflects on her life and the person she is today.

Filled with colorful characters, fascinating tales, painful sobering lessons, and hard-earned wisdom, Out of Orange is sure to be provocative, entertaining, and ultimately inspiring.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Audiobook, True Crime, LGBT, Autobiography

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2015

About the author

Catherine Cleary Wolters is an author best known as the inspiration for the character "Alex Vause" in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The show was based on Wolters's ex-girlfriend Piper Kerman's memoir, in which Wolters appeared under the name Nora Jansen. Wolters has also published her own memoir, Out of Orange. She is also the author of three unpublished novels.

Reviews

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After picking up this book and going in excited about hearing her side of the story, it proved to be more of an ordeal to get through reading than I expected. I know I shouldn't judge someone's life story with such disdain because this tale is what she went through as seen through her perspective, but it's fair to say I wanted to put it down many times and read something else. The story was so consumed with cats I couldn't even begin to mention how much this woman loves her cats. Don't get me wrong, though. I love cats too and have my own furry cat baby too, but there is a point when enough is enough. It's sweet and I know they are like her children, but as a reader I wanted to shout "stay on topic!" And she doesn't even begin to talk about the incarceration until the last 50 or so pages. I'm sorry her life was ruined by her poor choices and that she was unable to be with her family for so many lost years. Her afterthought of using this story to help educate the public about how poor the living conditions are in some prison facilities and how some people who work in these facilities "lack empathy" are worthy mentions but seem disingenuous. I could have done without the description of a youtube video of kittens being used to fish with. She could have used a better analogy to attach to these prison guards than that. Plus, I'm not wanting to nitpick, but on page 76, she got her actresses mixed up when comparing a girl they used as a carrier as having "a Lauren Bacall smile with the sexy gap." She meant to say Lauren HUTTON, not Bacall. Hutton's got the tooth gap, not Bacall. Minor mistake, I know, but truly, who gets those two actresses mixed up?

[Kate Dansette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a cat person too but there is WAY too much about her cats in this book.

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as digital ARC.

I was very excited to read Out of Orange; I figured it would be like stepping right back into the world of Orange is the New Black. However, I've come to the conclusion that Out of Orange is is missing most of what made Orange is the New Black so interesting for me, although it did still have its moments. (Chicken wing smuggling--that's what I'm talking about.)

The first thing to note is that you'll be over halfway through the book and still not be in jail. (This is problematic as I believe that jail is where most of the interesting events occur.) It seems to me that something crazy like only 50 pages of this book actually take place in jail.

Then, once in jail, I found that, while Piper explained a lot of things and always gave all the interesting details, Cleary has a way of glossing over potentially interesting things. She'll mention a past lover or a habit of taking 10 vicodin pills a day. But, that's all the information you really get. Many times I'd read a line and then have to back up and wonder if I'd somehow missed something earlier. But, I don't think I did.

Another thought I had is that in Orange is the New Black, a lot of what made it interesting and made it work was the relationships. We got to know inmates by name, whereas Out of Orange mainly sticks to Cleary herself, with a lover or two introduced only to leave. And then cats. So many details about cats.

Overall, Out of Orange was still a fairly easy and interesting read, and will likely be made better when not approached with sky high expectations. Obviously, we have a book to compare this to.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Reads more like a personal journal, in that it's written for the writer, not the reader. The topics of focus were not always that interesting, but were obviously important to the writer. For example, an unusually large amount of words were dedicated to the writer's relationships with her cats, and the effects of her acts on her cat's lives. I'm a cat person, and I was over it.
Not enough on the life of crime, and surprisingly little about time behind bars. Very much a one sided journal - seldom were concepts considered from others' perspectives.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having devoured the Piper Kerman memoir which began the Orange Movement, I took it upon myself to devour the Netflix show it spawned. Along the way, I took the time to read the brief piece that Larry Smith coined in response to Kerman's book and the show's portrayal. With the release of Cleary Wolters' (aka Alex Vauss) book, another perspective is released and more truth can be added to further fictionalise the Hollywood approach, as well as alternative viewpoints on Kerman's recollections. As Wolters mentions early in the piece, she was completely unaware of Orange is the New Black as a television program, receiving no foresight into his release or chance to offer insight into the Prepon character who bore her identity. Wolters admits the show painted her in a light that differed significantly from reality, which spawned the impetus to add her voice to the discussion. Wolters uses a great deal of the book to explore her life as a drug smuggler, caught up in the net of an African kingpin and how she utilised her knowledge to move from mule to organiser. In her travels to Europe and Asia, Wolters fostered a few strong relationships while always worrying that 'this trip' could be the one that could prove her last. Through a series of recruiting tactics, a young and fresh woman, Piper Kerman, crosses Wolters' path and becomes a key player in the smuggling ring, as well as her lover. When the weak links in the ring begin crumbling, Wolters finds herself vulnerable and does all she can to ensure her safety. She turns on her co-defendants, including Kerman, which leads to the bitter presentation in the latter's published work. The memoir uses its last few chapters to offer a glimpse into the federal prison system, but steers away from a soap box analysis of the penal system. Wolters had her own vignettes behind bars, including a lover of her own and struggles with familial interactions. However, her book looks more to how she lived prior to incarceration, which is useful only in a tangential way to the television program, though highly entertaining for readers who like backstory. A wonderful contrast to Kerman's memoir, offering a unique spin on the larger story made popular by the binge television show watching movement.

This is a great piece of work, particularly for those who were drawn in by the Kerman piece and have since morphed into addicts of the Orange Movement. It does not seek to compete or dispel the previous narratives, but offers a raw insight into another prisoner's life that led her to incarceration. I found a great deal of time was spent spinning the story of life as a drug smuggler, which branches away from a number of prison-based stories and characters. It will not appeal to some, who want more 'behind the bars' action, though it weaves a story that needs telling, how Wolters (and Kerman) found themselves in prison, which proves to be the cornerstone to the Orange Movement. The story flows well and Wolters has a firm grip on what she is doing, without playing a vindictive role or trying to dispel myths woven by others. She has a story and leaves it to the reader to enjoy it or not, plain and simple.

Kudos, Madam Wolters for your interesting perspective into life and how you found yourself in the custody of the federal penal system.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Kali · Rating 2 out of 5]

from kalireads.com:

Cleary Wolters finished watching TV with her declining mother. After tucking mom into bed, she went back to the television. Remote in hand, she watched a woman in an orange jumpsuit step out of a van with a familiar pinstripe pillow. She heard the phrases “lesbian lover” and “drug smuggling” as she watched a montage of prison life. Then she saw Donna from That 70’s Show wearing her own trademark glasses, and she realized she was watching a trailer for her own life. Made into a television show! Can you even imagine?

That story, of how Cleary Wolters, AKA the real Alex Vause, found out about the show, is told in the prologue of her new memoir Out of Orange. I found it to be the most interesting one in the book. To have your life’s illegal choices made into a hit television show without your consultation, seems bookworthy in itself. In relating her story, Wolters seems determined to keep events rooted in her downfall, in the unglamorous truth behind her life as a drug smuggler. I give her props for refusing to hype up her time in the drug trade, but this translates to a memoir unpeppered with Hollywood-style action or Kerman’s own meditations on the inequalities of the justice system.

Wolters loses enchantment with smuggling early on in the story, but fears the powerful African drug boss Alaji so much that she finds herself recruiting others to smuggle drugs to avoid the risky job herself. Wolters experience of smuggling is often one of waiting around for a call in a foreign country, watching money spent at hotels burn through previous earnings, hoping to recoup costs on the next run. It sounds unbelievable stressful, and although there are some glimpses of the high life, with wads of cash thrown around a room or champagne drunk in a warm ocean, the majority of the story documents the struggle of Wolters and her sidekicks as they try to stay above water.

Throughout the memoir juicier stuff is (intentionally?) glossed over–the level of partying among the group (Wolters mentions popping pain pills, but doesn’t expand on the habit), time spent at Alaji’s compound in Africa early on, her motivations for drug smuggling, her feelings for Kerman throughout their time together. She spends quite a bit of time on details difficult to care about without a bigger picture–different cats and their Wolters-caused plights, morning damage control of forgotten drunk fights from the night before, hotel amenities and airport surroundings and where to plot down next. Is all this important? Of course. Does it relate to any larger message on Wolters as a person, justice, drug use in America, being in a relationship with Piper Kerman, or Orange is the New Black? No.

So, what’s the deal with Piper? If you are Orange in the New Black obsessed, read the book. It gives more background on how exactly Piper (real last name Kerman) met Wolters, and ended up being recruited by Wolters. First for watching her cats while she traveled the world, and eventually for traveling with her. Although this is Wolters story, her love affair with Kerman comes on slow and strange, and much more about it is revealed here than in Kerman’s own memoir. Which makes me wonder–will Kerman write another, more personal memoir now, as her first was so focused on the injustices of the prison system?

If you don’t want to read the book, here’s the breakdown: Kerman and Wolters meet at a restaurant where Kerman waitresses. When Kerman comes over to Wolters’s house with a group of people, Wolters is impressed by Piper’s handling of her freaked out cats, who are scared after a move. The kitties love Kerman. Really, Kerman’s downfall could be blamed on her cat whisperer tendencies here. There’s a heavy love of kitties throughout Out of Orange: prison cats, San Francisco cats, cats recruiting Kerman to the darkside. Although the attraction between the cats and Kerman is instant, the attraction between Wolters and Kerman isn’t. Wolters gets the pretty blondie’s phone number, but nothing happens that night.

When Wolters needs someone to watch her kitties and house sit for her during her next smuggling trip, who does she think of but cat whisperer Kerman! She meets Kerman and lays it all down–the drug smuggling, the need for a cat sitter. Thus begins an odd sort of relationship, where Kerman stocks Wolters’s home with healthy foods and tends to her cats, sleeps nude in a guest bedroom, but they remain just friends. There is one scene in the memoir where Wolters gets home from a trip abroad and tries to wake up a sleeping Kerman, throwing money around. I believe this is in the TV show, right? So yes, that happened.

Eventually, Kerman becomes more involved with Wolters, and travels with her. Kerman dresses like a sexy businesswoman, sleeps nude, and spends way more of Wolters money than Wolters secretly desires. Internally, Wolters is losing control of everything. They pose as a couple, although their relationship is a strange business/friendship deal full of power issues. Kerman is the hot one, Wolters is the one with the drug money. Wolters is hoping to groom Kerman for her role in the smuggling operation, but Kerman doesn’t even know this. Kerman clearly likes the attention and the life of luxury, but the luxury part can’t hold out much longer. They never seem to get the payoff they’re hoping for. Finally, they have a threesome with sidekick Phillip, which opens the doorway for the Wolters and Kerman relationship.

Their breakup is as sudden as their hookup. At a hotel in Brussels, Kerman tells Wolters she “can’t do this anymore.” Wolters understands and lets her leave.

When Wolters is arrested, she does ask for protection for a list of people including Kerman. She is terrified that Alaji will kill them all, if he finds out that she has been arrested. As Alaji was involved romantically with Wolters’s sister, she immediately thinks her sister is in danger. Eventually, Wolters claims, what she said didn’t matter as they all pled guilty to conspiracy.

Amazingly, “Alaji,” who is really Prince Buruji Kashamu (is it okay to say this?) has won a senate seat in Nigeria. I wonder what he thinks of the show. Or when we’ll get his memoir…

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a Piper v. Alex story. Yes, Piper is mentioned, but the book is not about her. This is about Cleary Wolters and her experience from realizing her past life was being played out on Netflix to mainly her life before, during, and after incarceration. She writes beautifully and you can truly see the story as it unfolds. I highly recommend this book!!

[Archie Lewallen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Truly obnoxious. I had to force myself through it. She was way to descriptive over everything to the point where the book was ten times longer than it should have been. I remember thinking it was strange that I hadn't seen or heard about this book until stumbling upon it ONCE in the book store and after reading a few chapters, its clear why. 1 star is being generous.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was A LOT of talk about her cats in this book. Like, I feel like my takeaway was that Cleary Wolters loves cats.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our story begins in 2013, with our author/narrator in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the home in which she grew up. She is looking back on the events that shaped much of her adult life.

We are then transported back to February 1993, in Paris, as the crazy world of drug smuggling unfolds. We see the intricacies, the complexities, the minutiae of each aspect of the plans, including how many others are involved. Like a unique kind of staging event, the couriers have their own part, and it all happens in tandem.

It started for Cleary in Africa, where she met her sister Hester’s fiancé…he was the head of the organization. He called the shots, and a certain amount of fear was involved.

Back and forth we go, following each series of assignments, and Piper Kerman (Orange is the New Black) comes into the story when Cleary and associates are back in Massachusetts after one of the trips.

The events transpire over a rather brief period of time. And then it all ends. Cleary is out, and beginning a new life in Vermont, where she is renovating a carriage house. She has a new business with computers and technology. It is 1996. She feels she can breathe again.

Then the proverbial chickens come home to roost, and on an ordinary day, as she is at the bank, a fleet of SUVs block her in, the marshals surround her, and she is arrested.

Her new journey in the prison system begins.

Out of Orange was suspenseful from the very first pages, and even knowing how it would all turn out, it was fascinating to see how many ways in which everything could go wrong. I felt compassion for those in the “game,” as most were there for seemingly legitimate reasons….the need of money, helping a friend, or protecting someone. But it seemed inevitable that everything would go wrong at some point, as none of the plans seemed well orchestrated. Too many human errors could bring the whole house of cards down at any point.

My heart went out to each person trapped in the world of her own making, and even familiar with the show that sprang from Piper’s book, I was touched once again by the unfairness of a system that imposes “mandatory minimum” sentences that are equal in severity to those of hardened and violent criminals. This author’s writing was riveting and kept me turning pages, even as I suspected how everything would finally play out. A 5 star read for me.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was every bit as good as "Orange is the New Black". It was just as suspenseful and gave much more detail about the drug smuggling business from her perspective. The traveling to exotic countries was very interesting and scary. It was also great the way this author's story filled in the gaps about what happened after they were arrested and the time spent in jail.
You don't necessarily need to read " Orange is the new Black" first, but each book rounds out the other's story nicely.

[Meryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

The show is much more entertaining than what really happened. The majority of the book is a tell-all about how they smuggled drugs and spent their time getting drunk in other countries.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very tedious read (or listen - I did the audiobook). She spent the first 75% of the book going into excruciating detail about the minutiae of her drug smuggling, and any chance she got she had to somehow bring everything back to Edith and Dum Dum, her cats. If I never hear those two names again, it will be okay, because I got my fill of them in this stinker of a book. I'm not quite sure why I'm even giving her a second star. It feels a little cruel to give just one. What the book lacked was any redeeming qualities of the author - maybe why she decided to go down the path she did (though she admits it was just for fun and adventure). During very last chapter she I think comes to that self-realization and says a few words about being truly sorry for the lives she may have ruined, but her words come across as disingenuous, like maybe she figured out how truly shallow her book sounds. At one point I was mad because she seemingly skipped her and Piper's breakup altogether and just went to the getting busted part, and then it came back to me that she actually did cover it, but because it was just a brief line, I'd forgotten it. I feel like she skipped what were probably the interesting parts of her life for her own personal reasons and just inserted anecdotes about her cats instead.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's very clear that this could have been told in a one-page article in a magazine. Wolters doesn't have enough to say for a memoir, and this is just filled with descriptions and long "memories" of discussions. There's just nothing here. It didn't need to be a full-length memoir. It's annoying to read all the details of what her cat "typed" by sitting on the keyboard, or what exact healthy foods Piper bought for her apartment. Because it wouldn't be enough to say "healthy foods"? We actually need to hear spinach, yogurt ... ugh.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read orange is the new black, watched the series and read this book. I loved it. if you put all the pieces together you get the whole picture. I think some of the reviews people haven't remembered the golden rule of stories. there is always two sides and two versions of every story. to be honest I actually liked this book better than orange is the new black.

[Marykay Pogar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Orange is the New Black from "Alex's" point of view. Should have been interesting, but she's so self absorbed it's hard to be sympathetic or even care. Also, this book really needed editing.

[Elizabeth O'Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up after finishing Orange is the New Black. I feel like Out of the Orange was only written as a 'Hey Netflix got this wrong, let me correct you'. I'd like to say, yes Netflix got it wrong, but if they followed the book (OITNB) it would have been a 10 part docuseries like Dopesick, or the Elizabeth Holmes Theranos series (both on Hulu). It wouldn't have become a smash hit, money making machine that we were all obsessed with. Netflix is in the business of making money, OITNB series raked it in for them.

Out of the Orange is why she got into what she was in (drug and money smuggling), and her choices that kept her in it, and then life in prison. Oh and lots of cats, like legit feline animal cats.

Overall I liked the book, but honestly, I only picked it up after seeing this was out there (once finished with OITNB).

[Aj · Rating 2 out of 5]

It feels like a book about everything EXCEPT what people would have been interested in. Way too much about smuggling logistics (if A brings cash to Paris and B takes it to Jakarta, A flies to Chicago and sends C to Jakarta, then D who flew to Jakarta earlier takes the heroin to Brussels to meet...enough!!!), not enough about her prison time and almost nothing about her reaction to OITNB. Besides the overall arc of the book, the book also needed a lot of general editing. Give this one a pass - out doesn't add anything much to Piper Kerman's memoir.

[Eileen Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly written memoir that was disturbing at times but on the whole, informative and true to life.

[Analisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better title might have been Poor Choices Were Made By All (and other details about pet cats).

[LuNoSti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well told story of how a bad decision can change your entire life.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing narrative is the story of the real life Alex Vause, a character loosely portrayed by Laura Prepon, on the hit Netflix series, Orange is the New Black. After reading the book, I have to agree with Wolters: she and Vause have little in common other than the fact that they had a relationship with Piper's character, smuggled drugs and money, and their shared signature eyeglasses.

Did I read this because I love the show, because I've have already read Piper's and Larry's books, and because I wanted to "complete" the list? Yes. Did I highly enjoy the book in it's own right? Also a resounding "yes!"

The narrative is largely chronological and Wolters goes back and forth somewhat between present-day, the years during her involvement in the drug smuggling ring, her later (seemingly relatively short compared to the TV show) relationship with Piper, the years after they split, the years after she managed to get away from the business, how her arrest went down, the events involving her own self surrender, her years in prison, her release from prison, and her life after.

We learn a lot more details about the drug trade than the show or Piper's book give us. This is largely due to the fact that Wolters was more involved/higher up the chain. She is very open about her family and we come to know her sister, brother, and parents - in addition to a whole cast of interesting actual/true characters/friends from the days she was globe hopping with money and drugs.

I found the whole thing extremely fascinating and walked away with a much more developed sense of how the prison system really works, how broken it is, and how scary it is.

The book is a very detailed account of her own life and the majority of it has nothing to do with Piper or anything from the Netflix show. In no way was that disappointing. Thankfully her life is interesting enough on its own, and I enjoyed learning more about the true events that inspired the show. Wolters' ability to recount minute details of days long gone by is incredible. I highly recommend this book.

Cleary, should you ever read this - thank you for telling your own story. Also, I'm right there with you on the cats. I related immediately with Edith ans Dumb Dumb, through all of your cats and cat tales. The biggest decision when going out of town is who do we trust with them. I have 5 as of this writing and I would have been right beside you helping Patches get her house back so she could safely survive the elements outside prison. I would have also taken her with me when I got out. Having a cat there could have possibly been my personal saving grace at the end. I hope the rest of your life is filled with as much happiness as possible and shared with at least one feline companion.

[Jessica White · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might know Cleary Wolters as Alex Vause in the hit Netflix series, Orange is the New Black or as Nora Jansen in Piper Kerman's book with the same name.

Personally, I enjoyed reading this book more than Orange is the New Black. Cleary's story is more personal than Piper's. She gets us into the deep into the African drug smuggling ring. She gives us details of how they were under the impression they were smuggling diamonds, which soon turned to heroin, which then turned to $50k sewn into suitcases. They never expected to be in so deep with a drug lord, yet here they were carrying loaded luggage through airports and living to tell the tale.

Piper got involved when Cleary started crushing on her. She thought maybe, just maybe, Piper could be a stand in on one of their runs. They could start an international love affair with suitcases full of money. Which is exactly what they tried to do, before Piper realized she didn't want to be a part of that life. Cleary was already in way too deep to call it quits and head back to San Fran with her.

It details how they got into this business, how they got out, how they got caught, and how they made their prison time worthwhile. It deals with love, loss, and growth. Cleary never expected for this to be her life and she really never expected to turn on the tv one day and a blonde girl hop out of a van and say, "Hello. My name is Piper Chapman, and this is my story."

This review and my review for Orange is the New Black can be found on A Reader's Diary!

[Lisa Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. I hD read "Orange is the new black" and liked it. While that author discussed briefly her life as a drug courier, the focus was her adjustment to the social dynamics of prison. The author of this book is a co conspirator, but was much less successful her her book. She made two main mistakes.

First, she did not understand which parts of her life were interesting. Most of the book focused on her role in a drug organization, and quickly became very tedious. Failed meeting, changing locations, worries about getting caught. The first round was interesting, but thereafter, it wAs just repetitive. Then little time is spent on developing the prison experience, other than to shallowly identity what jobs and lovers she had.

The second problem was her failure to finish her opening theme. She begins at work, seeing the announcement of the show, and wondering what her current friends and colleagues will think if it comes out that she was involved. She never comes full circle to let the reader know.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of "Orange is the New Black" show, I was eager to read Cleary Wolters' memoir. It more than held my attention through the back story of how she and her sister became involved in drug smuggling, meeting Piper, the waiting game after the arrest of a colleague, the heart wrenching devotion of her family and the time in prison. Wolters writes with a clarity only hindsight and deep reflection can bring. Her willingness to bare her past mistakes and vulnerabilities to the world with brutal honesty is the heart of this book. The underlying soul is the deep loyalty and love of family both feline and human.

[Sheila DeChantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found Out Of Orange to be interesting. Having followed Piper’s side of the story it was interesting to hear Alex’s. As I listened to this one on audio, narrator Barbara Rosenblat had just the right style for Alex, raspy voiced and self-assured with a kick of humor. Learning how Alex became involved in drug smuggling was a subject I knew little (nothing!) about. What a frightening and fascinating world she lived in!

If you liked Piper’s story, or are a fan of the Netflix series, I think you would appreciate this story. Recommended on audio.

Full review: http://bookjourney.net/2015/06/09/out...

[Grace Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know no one said it in reviews...I’m so bothered by that. This book is a prequel to Orange Is The New Black. This memoir is clear that Cleary was aware of the content of Pipers memoir, and filled in what you need to know. The pre story to what happened to get into prison.

Whole OITNB definitely touches base on back story of its prisoners, this one does so in another way. This book is salaciously filled with how big a crime it was that committed, and how Cleary and Piper played a role in the crimes. It is inevitable that during the war on drugs this ring that imported heroin would be a big case.

She fills in some info you need to know about herself and Piper. The book is filled with contrition, love, and details.

Ignore the fact that reviewers say the book is about cats. Ok she loves cats ok. That’s as juicy as Piper buying mackerel at commissary.

Give it up the kingpin godmother of heroin. She does try to protect her flock, in the way Alejah, the drug lord doesn’t. She repeatedly protects those around her, including her sister, Hester, who was romantically involved far before Cleary and Piper came along. Clearly protected her sister, got roped in, and thought if Piper worked for her, Alejah would never touch her. This part is what we don’t see in OINTB, she is portrayed as an sexy villain to some capacity. That is not Cleary. Read both books.

[Ashley Bartlome · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have a hard time rating this. It’s a memoir and it’s her experience and she can say what she’d like… but on the flip side this book really needed an editor to push it into a coherent story.

It’s long, meandering, and in some places senseless due to the missing cues about timing and theme. We had several stories that were of the same theme and ideas about her days being a drug smuggler, and then a complete lack of stories on subjects like her sentencing. She spends a decade in prison but only 30% of the novel covers any of her time in prison.

I do believe her story could be powerful but it needed more focus, and more guidance from professionals to make it cohesive and meaningful.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

good read but not gonna be really memorable

[Madelynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot about cats, actual cats, and I liked seeing that because it's clear how important the cats were to Cleary. A majority of the book focuses on the drug and money smuggling and not a lot on her jail time. I do wish there was more of an even split on the how she got there to what her jail experience was like, but what she did say was compelling.