Moab is my Washpot- Stephen Fry

Moab is my Washpot- Stephen Fry

Author:

Stephen Fry

Published:

1997

Blurb on the Back:

A number one bestseller in Britain, Stephen Fry's astonishingly frank, funny, wise memoir is the book that his fans everywhere have been waiting for. Since his PBS television debut in the Blackadder series, the American profile of this multitalented writer, actor and comedian has grown steadily, especially in the wake of his title role in the film Wilde, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and his supporting role inA Civil Action.

        

Fry has already given readers a taste of his tumultuous adolescence in his autobiographical first novel, The Liar, and now he reveals the equally tumultuous life that inspired it. Sent to boarding school at the age of seven, he survived beatings, misery, love affairs, carnal violation, expulsion, attempted suicide, criminal conviction and imprisonment to emerge, at the age of eighteen, ready to start over in a world in which he had always felt a stranger. One of very few Cambridge University graduates to have been imprisoned prior to his freshman year, Fry is a brilliantly idiosyncratic character who continues to attract controversy, empathy and real devotion.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 reading challenge on goodreads.com.

Is there a man alive who is more eloquent than Stephen Fry? The man is a national treasure. This is his first autobiography and spans his life from birth to his 20th year when he was starting University. The book is both in equal parts funny and brutally honest about his early years. 

He makes no bones about his problems in school both with expulsion and with theft. His subsequent arrest and prison term as well as his honest retelling of his suicide attempt makes for a personal and interesting read. Interspersed are tales of life, love, family and the unique observations that make Stephen so beloved to so many people. It is these tales that make the book hard to put down once started. 

I must admit that I have done his autobiographies back to front as I started with the Fry Chronicles last year but Moab gives a good ground on his pre Fry and Laurie life and if you like Stephen then it is a must read.

For shear enjoyment there is not much better. 

10 out of 10 

Peace 

Deejay.

Orange is the New Black - Piper Kerman

Orange is the New Black - Piper Kerman 

Author: 

Piper Kerman

Published:

2010

Blurb on the Back:

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 ago. 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 women who disappear "down the rabbit hole" of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behaviour and arbitrary rules, where the uneasy relationship between prisoner and jailer is constantly and unpredictably recalibrated. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Orange Is the New Black 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.

Review:

This is one of the books on my 2014 reading challenge. 

If you bought this book because you like the TV series, turn back now. The true life story of Piper Kerman is nothing like the hit netflix series. There is no prison lesbian love affair between Piper and her ex-lover and no sex between guards and inmates. don't get me wrong you can see where the things in the TV series come from however they are not as dramatic as the TV would like you to believe.

What you do get is a story about a girl, who made some bad choices in her youth and ultimately paid the price for them. Pipers year in prison while not uneventful is more about the camaraderie and the bonding between the inmates as well as the hopelessness of the American justice system. 

Piper comes across as a well educated and likeable person, however, at times the book becomes preachy on the uneducated within the prison. Her relationships with the inmates are fascinating especially with the Russian Chef Pop but they sometimes come over as stereotypical characters especially with the emphasis at times on racial groupings.

Pipers Boyfriend (come Fiancée) comes across exceptionally well being put in a very difficult situation and the support from him, Piper's family and friends is vital to her survival and the story.

The book is very well written and a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours, however remember it is nothing like the TV series.

8 out of 10.