It’s called falling, when a person enters the prison system. An apt title if you ask me, for the way it must feel to lose control of everything around yourself and to be locked away from the rest of the world. In the book I’m recommending this month, we’re given a glimpse into the world of a women’s prison, through the eyes of memoirist Karen Andrea Campbell.
Falling: Hard Lessons and the Redemption of the Woman Next Door, by Karen Andrea Campbell is a record of her six years spent in a prison in Oregon, the minimum required sentence for a DUI/Manslaughter II Car Accident. The story is complicated, heart-wrenching and honestly terrifying, but it’s also filled with hope, humor, and light. Campbell doesn’t only give voice to her story, however, but also gives voices to countless others she meets along the way.
What I Liked
Campbell is an extraordinary writer. I disappeared into this book every time I picked it up, and found myself having a hard time coming back to my own world when I needed to put it down. Her descriptions and language use were perfect for the subject matter and I was enthralled by her storytelling. For someone who previously never viewed themselves as a writer, Campbell has outdone herself in this book.
I appreciated the author’s candor with subjects that are too often ignored or pushed under the rug. She approaches the material from a place of acceptance and grace, but does not sugar coat things that need to be addressed. She tells her story, and the story of those she lived with, in a way that preserves their dignity, which highlights the flaws in the system that should be brought to light.
Finally, I admired the author’s strength and fortitude through this insanely difficult challenge. Her ability to recognize her own areas of privilege and to address that privilege openly while seeking immense personal growth is impressive to say the least. I was drawn to her honesty as well as her determination to use this experience to become a better version of herself each day.
What Was Missing
One thing I would change about this book was the structure. The book is broken into eight chapters, but they feel more like parts. They are long, and broken only by small spaces in the text. For me personally, this made reading more difficult, as it helps me to have chapter breaks more often. This is simply a personal preference, but it would have made the book easier to read to have more chapter breaks. I will grant, however, that the way the chapters are divided into sets of experiences makes sense considering the subject material.
The other thing missing was some description of a few of the prison slang words. When I reached the end of the book, I realized there was a glossary of terms that would have helped me, but it also would have been helpful to have those descriptions more clearly defined in the text.
Recommendation
This book receives my highest recommendation. It is real, and raw, leaving nothing on the table, but yet it humanizes people who are often overlooked or even completely disregarded by our society. It also addresses real issues facing the criminal justice system, and challenges ideas held by the general population about crime and punishment. I seriously recommend this book to those working in these fields or those interested in that kind of work. I also think it’s an important book for all those who vote, as it may change the way you view policies and measures that may require reconsideration.
About the Author
According to the bio on her website, Karen Andrea Campbell is a writer and advocate. She spent six years in a full custody women’s prison for a felony of driving intoxicated. She caused a fatal car crash which killed her husband and an innocent woman. She wrote down her experiences and shared them in her 2020 memoir, Falling.
Falling is available at Grass Roots Books.
By Kyra Young
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