Though I heard about Orange is the New Black when it first came out, I didn't actually read it until I'd watched the first season of the TV show (which is fabulous, by the way). Consequently, I couldn't help by compare the book to the show. 
 Overall, the show follows the rhythm of Kerman's writing and the progression of the major plot points. However, the show takes the characters Kerman encountered and expands on them to give viewers, not only entertaining moments, but further means of relating to and empathizing with women in the US penal system. The TV show also adds a hefty dose of kink. The supporting cast really carries the story and provides the joy in the TV show, whereas the book really is all through Kerman's eyes. Consequently, the book is less a story of specific women's struggles, and more a portrait of life within a women's prison in the States. The last chapter is especially disturbing for the very dehumanizing experiences detailed. 
 Even for those who aren't fans of the show, the book is worth reading to find out more about how women are treated within US prisons and to provoke thoughts on the reasons we justify locking people up for crimes.