Corrections in Ink

A Memoir

By: Keri Blakinger

Narrated by: Keri Blakinger

An electric and unforgettable memoir about a young woman's journey—from the ice rink, to addiction and a prison sentence, to the newsroom—and how she emerged with a fierce determination to expose the broken system she experienced.

Keri Blakinger always lived life at full throttle. Growing up, that meant throwing herself into competitive figure skating with an all-consuming passion that led her to nationals. But when her skating career suddenly fell apart, that meant diving into self-destruction with the intensity she once saved for the ice.

For the next nine years, Keri ricocheted from one dark place to the next: living on the streets, selling drugs and sex, and shooting up between classes all while trying to hold herself together enough to finish her degree at Cornell. Then, on a cold day during her senior year, the police caught her walking down the street with a Tupperware full of heroin.

Her arrest made the front page of the local news and landed her behind bars for nearly two years. There, in the Twilight Zone of New York’s jails and prisons, Keri grappled with the wreckage of her missteps and mistakes as she sobered up and searched for a better path. Along the way, she met women from all walks of life—who were all struggling through the same upside-down world of corrections. As the days ticked by, Keri came to understand how broken the justice system is and who that brokenness hurts the most.

After she walked out of her cell for the last time, Keri became a reporter dedicated to exposing our flawed prisons as only an insider could. Written with searing intensity, unflinching honesty, and shocks of humor, Corrections in Ink uncovers that dark, brutal system that affects us all. Not just a story about getting out and getting off drugs, this galvanizing memoir is about the power of second chances; about who our society throws away and who we allow to reach for redemption—and how they reach for it.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

Critic reviews

<p>[<i>Corrections in Ink</i>] is a hair-raising tale of a girl torn between perfectionism and self-destruction, and a woman who uses her profound gifts to help set others free. How that girl became that woman demonstrates the beauty of storytelling—and sobriety." <b>—Sarah Hepola, <i>New York Times </i>bestselling author of <i>Blackout</i></b><br><br>"It's hard to think of a reporter more deeply devoted to exposing the brokenness of the American prison system than Keri Blakinger, who in <i>Corrections in Ink </i>turns her journalistic eye and narrative gift to her own story—a riveting journey through the depths of addiction and incarceration. As Keri writes, so few who are sucked into the carceral system receive the second chance that she was given, which is why it's impossible to read this book and not be inspired, and called to action, by her dedication to exposing the inhumane and injustice status quo within our country's jails and prisons." <b>—Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of <i>They Can't Kill Us All: Ferguson, Baltimore and a New Era in America's Racial Justice Movement</i></b></p>

Dark but moving, great book

Keri Blakinger, Cornell graduate, the star journalist and so much well known media person, tells the story of a self-destructing troubled teenager, failed in all possible ways and ended up in prison, after years of life in streets, sex industry, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempts... The story of Keri herself, true to the word, brilliantly written and narrated by the author. Absolutely must read. Or better listen.

Thank you, Keri

Great book. I myself have never abused drugs, or been incarcerated, but these experiences are all to come in for many people in our society. This forthright personal account let me walk in those shoes, a little. And brought me to tears several times near the end. The author did a terrific job with the narration.

What a stand out.

This memoir is so well written. You can feel her journey. The performance matched the story. Well done all around.

What it’s like to be in Prison!

Very Informative and well written! I thought Keri did a great job of explaining what it’s like to be behind Bars/Prison.

What an amazing life!

Well written, captivating story. It was such a delight to hear this in Keri’s voice. Brilliant.