Description
Book Synopsis'A groundbreaking debut from an extraordinary writer ... a testament to where a woman can go after rock-bottom'
PIPER KERMAN, New York Times bestselling author of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK
Keri Blakinger's brave, brutal memoir, Corrections in Ink, is a riveting story about suffering, recovery and redemption'
DAVID SHEFF, NEW YORK TIMES
'A raw, fast-paced portrait of one woman's descent into a mental abyss'
Irish Independent
Keri Blakinger had always lived at full throttle. Whether flying through the air, chasing Olympic dreams on the ice rink; surviving on as few calories as she could; or balancing a heroin addiction with pursuing a degree at an Ivy League university. But on a cold December day, Keri is arrested with a Tupperware container full of heroin. Shortly afterwards, she is convicted and sent to prison.
Forced to confront her addiction, Keri finally manages to break free of it, and finds herself in a place unlike anything she has experienced before: a world built on senseless brutality, but whose inhabitants, her fellow inmates, will change her life forever.
Written in luminous prose, with searing honesty and flashes of dark humour, Corrections in Ink shines a light on a broken prison system, and the cruelty and kindness Blakinger experienced there. It is a radical call for justice, and a testament to the power of finding one's voice.
Trade ReviewCorrections in Ink is
a ground-breaking debut from an extraordinary writer; in her memoir, Blakinger offers
a searing work of self-examination, an inquiry of power, and a funny, provocative, and inspiring personal story of addiction, prison, and investigative journalism... a testament to where a woman can go after rock-bottom, the power to transform oneself, and the imperative to discover and tell the truth * Piper Kerman, New York Times bestselling author of ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK *
Keri Blakinger's
brave, brutal memoir,
Corrections in Ink, is
a riveting story about suffering, recovery and redemption... I was tempted to close the book - it's hard to witness self-harm - but Blakinger is
a gifted writer and she'd ensnared me. I needed to stay with her; I wanted her to be OK... [An]
inspiring and relevant memoir -- David Sheff * New York Times *
Blakinger has
a gift for careful, intimate writing and for a self-revelation that perhaps equals her former penchant for destructiveness... This is
a raw, fast-paced portrait of one woman's descent into a mental abyss, and her efforts to clamber out of it. It's
more than a tale of recovery from addiction, but also offers up
a damning picture of America's flawed and chaotic corrections system - and an impassioned argument against it -- Frieda Klotz * Irish Independent *
A gorgeously written, page-turning memoir about addiction, prison, and privilege * Kirkus *
It's hard to think of a reporter more deeply devoted to exposing the brokenness of the American prison system than Keri Blakinger, who in
Corrections in Ink turns her journalistic eye and narrative gift to her own story -
a riveting journey through the depths of addiction and incarceration * Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of THEY CAN'T KILL US ALL *
'A
resonant call for criminal justice reform rings out from investigative journalist Blakinger's
extraordinary debut... Chronicling in
unsparing prose the cruelties she suffered for nearly two years behind bars - where "you are nothing," and "torture" prevails over "treatment" - Blakinger depicts the slow stripping away of her humanity, but she also writes of learning "how to steal joy in a place built to prevent it."...
absolutely sensational' * Publishers Weekly Starred Review *
Transferring powerful internal dialogue onto the page, Blakinger offers
vulnerable, honest recollections, and
a story that won't be forgotten and could even inspire much-needed change * Booklist *
Corrections in Ink is a bleak account of a life most of us will luckily never see, but it's also a tale of redemption, not only in the moments of shared humanity Blakinger manages to find in prison, but also in the courageous way she pulled her life together after her release to become an inspiring investigative journalist. Her account of going on to expose wrongdoing behind bars, and helping prisoners with issues such as dental care, is really quite touching. * The Independent - Book of the Month *
