Outside Reading Blog #3

In chapters 8-10 it demonstrated a lot of how close the women in the prison got to be. They celebrated birthdays together, cooked together and celebrated when women were leaving the prison together. I thought that it was really interesting that even in prison Piper had managed to make cheesecake out of the scarce amount of ingredients she was given. Her cheesecakes were huge hits at every celebration they had in the prison. She shared her recipe with many and they all praised her for making the cheesecake for dessert. Seeing how much the women would share with each other gave me a sense of community in prison. I never expected that there would be any sense of community in a place that was always thought about so poorly. Chapter 10 focuses a lot about the schoolwork that they are doing in the prison. A lot of women try and get their GED while other women have classes that they are taking in prison and those classes are really important to them. Piper helps her bunkie Natalie prepare for the GED test which she finally is able to pass after multiple times of taking it. Piper explains that she feels like breaking down and crying when Natalie finally passes her test. This warms my heart because it shows me how strong relationships in prison and get even if you don't plan on becoming good friends with anyone in prison. Piper also helps Mrs. Jones with a class that she needs to get an A in. Piper helps her write papers and helps her with certain activities from the classroom. This reminds me of my friends and I because we are always helping each other out with homework problems that we don't understand or helping each other come up with ideas for essays. Reading about the community that's formed it makes me realize how closely related school life and prison life are besides the very restrict policies in prison.