13 Women

I wasn't sure what to expect from this anthology, so I was happy to see it was so well-written. The various women tell their stories with eloquence. Many of the authors come from different backgrounds from what I've read in other prison anthologies; several of them are educated and come from intact families but have been imprisoned because of non-violent political protest. Other turned to crime because of drugs. The selection includes women from the US as well as Canada, and the editor spends a chapter on the status of Canadian Aboriginal women in prisons, who are clearly discriminated against in the system. Provides a sometimes shocking glimpse into women's prisons, which differ in many ways from men's prisons but are nevertheless often brutal. The editor follows each woman's story with insight into how it relates to the condition of women prisoners at large, but avoids sounding stiff or academic.