One Book/One New Paltz names “Orange is the New Black” as fall read

The One Book/One New Paltz Committee has chosen Piper Kerman’s memoir, “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” as its featured book for fall 2015. Programming is now in the early planning stages for a series of events to take place from Nov. 15 through Nov. 22.

In her book, the author recounts how some poor choices and reckless behavior following her college graduation led her into drug trafficking and money laundering. She soon left that period in her life for an upright path in a career and marriage, but a decade later two federal officers knocked on her door. Indicted and found guilty of money laundering, Kerman spent 13 months in the federal correctional facility in Danbury, Conn. The book focuses on that period in her life.

One Book will use Kerman’s story as a jumping off point to look at issues relating to our nation’s flawed criminal justice system, which include drug laws that disproportionately target minorities and the treatment of prisoners.

It should be noted that One Book/One New Paltz will concentrate on the memoir by Kerman and not the Netflix TV series that the book inspired.

Program details will soon be available at the One Book website www.onebookonenewpaltz.org.