I was hesitant because of the HBO series based on it, which I have no desire to see. However, as long as you can tolerate (for prison, a rather expected amount) of bad language, I found it an insightful jump into a completely different world that exists under our noses as a blight on society -- yet, any statement-making by Kerman is blended with an optimistic message about the goodness of people even in the worst of situations, even when many other people are sadistic, stupid, or crazy.