MEDINA, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- A federal prison sentence is not typically viewed as a positive experience, but for two women in the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia, their incarceration held its share of learning and laughter in addition to the tears. Rhonda Turpin details this transformative period of time in her new book, Resilience: Living in Prison with Martha Stewart (now available through AuthorHouse).
Turpin turned herself over to authorities at the prison just 10 days after Stewart became an inmate. Already fascinated by society's impact on repeated criminal behavior, and deeply immersed in research on the parallels between African apartheid and American segregation, she entered Alderson with plans of completing her dissertation on this subject. But after realizing how close she would become to her well-known fellow inmate, Turpin seized the opportunity to add another layer of insight to her work, creating a fascinating memoir of what it is like to remain a leader under adverse conditions.
A philosophical narrative, Resilience documents four months of incarceration shared by Turpin and Stewart, from October 2004 to February 2005. It reveals how, at first, Turpin felt the two were opposites, but after spending time in close proximity, similarities emerged. Both driven by ambitious natures, the women forged a dynamic bond.
Throughout the book, Turpin weaves her personal feelings and daily prison experiences with interactions between herself and Stewart. She offers insight into how both women made the best of a difficult situation, and the ideas they developed that still propel Turpin through a new chapter in life.
Resilience is more than just a fascinating account of time shared in prison with a celebrity. Turpin's story gives hope to anyone who has been faced with confining challenges, from the women inside Alderson to those striving to succeed despite limitations placed on them by social circumstances.
Turpin was born in Cleveland. She holds a master's degree from Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs and is currently a member of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a national organization that challenges penalties set by existing sentencing laws. Resilience is her first published book, and she is currently working on the sequel, Beyond Resilience. She lives in Shaker Heights, Ohio.
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