Helen Thorpe was born in London to Irish parents and grew up in New Jersey. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, The New Yorker, Slate, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her radio stories have aired on This American Life and Sound Print. She is the author of Just Like Us, Soldier Girls, and The Newcomers and lives in Denver.
"A breakthrough work... What Thorpe accomplishes in SOLDIER GIRLS
is something far greater than describing the experience of women in
the military. The book is a solid chunk of American history --
detailing the culture's failing, resilience and progress... Thorpe
triumphs."
*The New York Times Book Review*
"In the tradition of Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Richard Rhodes, and
other masters of literary journalism, SOLDIER GIRLS is utterly
absorbing, gorgeously written, and unforgettable."
*Boston Globe*
“With a novelist’s perception of character, drama, and telling
detail, Helen Thorpe magically weaves together the stories of three
very different but equally compelling women soldiers. Taken
together, their stories provide an intimate window on life in the
military, the impact of war, and the difficult transition to home.
This is an absolutely terrific and important work.”
*Doris Kearns Goodwin*
"A dynamic understanding of what it’s been like for Guard members
who unexpectedly found themselves shipped off to the front lines of
the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq... highly complex matters are all
made palpably real through the prism of this book’s three heroines’
lives."
*The New York Times*
"A nuanced look at the lives of female soliders that is as intimate
as it is groundbreaking."
*O Magazine*
"Thorpe follows three women, tracking their ups and downs
withfaithful detail in a brilliant tableau of their overlapping
lives for 12 yearsas they do multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq
and readjust to civilianlife...Soldier Girls raises important
questions about how men and women serve together and thedifferences
in how they experience war, enabling us to see the subtle
challengesfemale soldiers face — the hardships that don’t make easy
headlines."
*The Washington Post*
"A vivid and intensely personal account of the lives of three women
whose only common denominator had been that they joined the Indiana
National Guard never imagining they might end up in a war zone...
Thorpe's matter-of-fact tone and clear and concise prose make the
book all the more riveting... a captivating read, an important book
and a stunning accomplishment."
*Lorraine Dusky, Military History magazine*
“A raw, intimate look at the impact of combat and the healing power
of friendship.”
*People magazine*
"A thoughtful, fascinating and often heartbreaking account...
Thorpe manages to burrow deeply into the lives of these
women...incredibly intimate."
*Miami Herald*
"Tracking a trio in an Indiana battalion, Thorpe movingly captures
how unexpected deployments rocked women's lives... she unravels the
women's complex relations--and how they sustain one another."
*Elle Magazine*
"Heart-breaking... absorbing, funny... a cry worth attending,
sounded by a band of sisters put in harm's way."
*Newsday*
"Moving... Highlighting how profoundly military service changed
their lives--and the lives of their families--this visceral
narrative illuminates the role of women in the military, the
burdens placed on the National Guard, and the disproportionate
burden of these wars borne by the poor."
*Publishers Weekly, STARRED review*
"The absorbing story of how wartime experiences shaped the lives
and friendships of three female soldiers deployed to Iraq and
Afghanistan... Intensely immersive reading."
*Kirkus, STARRED review*
"Laudable for its clear focus on individuals and their
idiosyncratic life stories... Soldier Girls is a worthy addition to
the literature of our most recent wars.The three women at the heart
of Thorpe’s story share a tender, familial bond that, like so much
else in war literature, is generally ascribed to men... an eloquent
reminder of how women’s experiences are transforming military
lore."
*Bookforum*
"Thorpe fills this gripping tale with the women’s own words, texts,
and letters (from friends and their children, as well), and the
story is engrossing and heartbreaking at once."
*Booklist*
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