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A Woman Doing Life: Notes from a Prison for Women
A Woman Doing Life is the only book that tells stories of women in prison from the inside out. Author and inmate Erin George draws a vivid and uniquely raw portrait of female life in prison, detailing her own responses to incarceration as well as her observations of prison relationships, death
and sickness, reactions from friends and family, and even "cooking" in prison. The text also features poignant stories from other female inmates.
Edited by Robert Johnson--esteemed scholar and editor of Victor Hassine's Life Without Parole, Fourth Edition (OUP, 2009)--each chapter of the text opens with a helpful introduction that guides students as they read. An Afterword by noted scholar Joycelyn Pollock further helps place inmate
testimonies into an academic context.
Offering profound insight into the too-often neglected issue of women in the criminal justice system, A Woman Doing Life is a must for courses in women and crime, gender and crime, and women in prison.
and sickness, reactions from friends and family, and even "cooking" in prison. The text also features poignant stories from other female inmates.
Edited by Robert Johnson--esteemed scholar and editor of Victor Hassine's Life Without Parole, Fourth Edition (OUP, 2009)--each chapter of the text opens with a helpful introduction that guides students as they read. An Afterword by noted scholar Joycelyn Pollock further helps place inmate
testimonies into an academic context.
Offering profound insight into the too-often neglected issue of women in the criminal justice system, A Woman Doing Life is a must for courses in women and crime, gender and crime, and women in prison.
- GenresNonfiction
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 21, 2014
I went into this book not expecting much, especially considering I was reading it for class. Instead what I found was quite surprising. I LOVED it. It's hilarious, moving, and makes you feel like you understand prison a lot better than you did before. I went into this book having stereotypes of what prison life was like and realized I was mistaken. I recommend this book to anyone who has a spare day, as it only took me 1 day to read!
March 17, 2013
Erin George is serving a 603-year sentence for the murder of her
husband at a maximum security women's prison. Although she denies
guilt of her crime, this book does not focus on her culpability. It is
a book describing her days as a "lifer" at Fluvanna Correctional
Center for Women. George has an excellent command for language and
offers a compassionate behind-the-scenes look into life as a prisoner.
She has learned to stand up for herself and accept the lack of privacy
involved in incarceration and is living the best life she can while
behind bars.
George does detail the violence and injustices of daily life in
prison, yet she brings a humanity and honesty to the stories. She
finds herself making friends and finding religion despite her
reluctance in the early days. She is just hardened enough to speak the
language of the inmates, yet well educated enough to write poetry and
assist other inmates in preparing for their GED exams. She is a liver
if words and language and mourns the loss of her right to purchase
books almost as much as the loss of life around her. George lives
through the everyday changes of the prison and although she will never
leave, she seems content to make her life there. This is an amazing
and honest book.
husband at a maximum security women's prison. Although she denies
guilt of her crime, this book does not focus on her culpability. It is
a book describing her days as a "lifer" at Fluvanna Correctional
Center for Women. George has an excellent command for language and
offers a compassionate behind-the-scenes look into life as a prisoner.
She has learned to stand up for herself and accept the lack of privacy
involved in incarceration and is living the best life she can while
behind bars.
George does detail the violence and injustices of daily life in
prison, yet she brings a humanity and honesty to the stories. She
finds herself making friends and finding religion despite her
reluctance in the early days. She is just hardened enough to speak the
language of the inmates, yet well educated enough to write poetry and
assist other inmates in preparing for their GED exams. She is a liver
if words and language and mourns the loss of her right to purchase
books almost as much as the loss of life around her. George lives
through the everyday changes of the prison and although she will never
leave, she seems content to make her life there. This is an amazing
and honest book.
July 20, 2025
I regularly interact with incarcerated women given shorter sentences, so it was really interesting to see the perspective from a woman doing life without parole! Also interesting seeing the differences between prison life 10 years ago as well as how a Virginia state prison functions.
April 12, 2021
Had to read this for my women and corrections class and it was very insightful and emotional yet easy to get in to
December 10, 2023
Read for a Corrections class. Really good insight from a LWOP inmate and her life in a woman’s correctional facility.
May 22, 2015
In the preface for her book A Woman Doing Life, Erin George lays out her intentions for writing it: provide a thoughtful, unbiased description of prison life; to create a more productive, humane prison system; raise support for improved education for inmates; and to make Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women a more healthy and constructive place (vi-vii). The subsequent eight chapters support her first objective in a detached and dry first person narration. George does not develop an engaging voice to warm her reader to her objectives. It is uncommon for me to feel so detached from a first person narrator sharing on such potentially compelling subject matter. This reader is left wondering if the removed storytelling is in some way connected to the detachment required to shoot her husband in the head for insurance money.
It isn’t until midway through Chapter 9, The Sick and the Dead, in a section titled “Chick” that the reader is finally shown a scene between George and another inmate that hints at the pain and discomfort George herself experiences during her imprisonment. The last couple chapters stay closer to George as she shares about the death of her father, but even then she makes note of checking her responses. The reader is also put in check. The most compelling stories are shared in Chapter 10, Other Voices, Other Venues: Self-Portraits by Women in Prison, which is comprised of stories told by other women in prison. It was in that chapter that I started to feel the compassion and empathy necessary to generate a call to action on my behalf.
I question George’s motive for writing this book. While she claims to want changes, I remain unconvinced of her sincerity toward that endeavor. In her own words she shares, “I don’t care enough about these women to invest the effort to understand. I don’t have the emotional resources to explore the psyches of people who aren’t introspective enough to realize that they are destroying their own lives, and probably the lives of their families as well” (203). This sentiment reveals the low tolerance George has herself for her fellow inmates, especially the repeat offenders, the ones who stand to benefit most by the changes she suggests. Why did she write this then? As a reader, what does she want me to do? I still don’t know. Perhaps more will be revealed in a third edition.
It isn’t until midway through Chapter 9, The Sick and the Dead, in a section titled “Chick” that the reader is finally shown a scene between George and another inmate that hints at the pain and discomfort George herself experiences during her imprisonment. The last couple chapters stay closer to George as she shares about the death of her father, but even then she makes note of checking her responses. The reader is also put in check. The most compelling stories are shared in Chapter 10, Other Voices, Other Venues: Self-Portraits by Women in Prison, which is comprised of stories told by other women in prison. It was in that chapter that I started to feel the compassion and empathy necessary to generate a call to action on my behalf.
I question George’s motive for writing this book. While she claims to want changes, I remain unconvinced of her sincerity toward that endeavor. In her own words she shares, “I don’t care enough about these women to invest the effort to understand. I don’t have the emotional resources to explore the psyches of people who aren’t introspective enough to realize that they are destroying their own lives, and probably the lives of their families as well” (203). This sentiment reveals the low tolerance George has herself for her fellow inmates, especially the repeat offenders, the ones who stand to benefit most by the changes she suggests. Why did she write this then? As a reader, what does she want me to do? I still don’t know. Perhaps more will be revealed in a third edition.
November 29, 2012
This is a fabulous look into what life is like for women who are incarcerated. Presents as an ethnography, reads like a memoir. This style made it easily accessible to readers from any background who is looking for more information about what the system is like for women... regardless of educational background or reading level.
Would definitely recommend.
Would definitely recommend.
May 8, 2015
Engrossing and nuanced look at the realities of life for incarcerated women in the United States. Written by award-winning poet and "lifer" Erin George. Reads more like a tell-all memoir than a college level textbook, the only real reminder are the editorial analyses and reference notes at the beginning and end of each chapter. Fascinating and thought-provoking volume.
March 23, 2012
A real eye opener to what women behind bars go through.
August 11, 2013
I can't be more relieved to finished this book. It was a struggle and then some.
May 3, 2017
if you want to know what goes on in prison read this book
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews