Helen Benedict

Helen Benedict is a novelist and journalist specializing in refugees, the effects of war on civilians and soldiers, social injustice, and on violence against women. Her most recent book, the novel, THE SOLDIER'S HOUSE (April 2026), is part of her series about the Iraq War. 

Benedict's previous novel, THE GOOD DEED (April 2024) was shortlisted for the 2025 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and translated into Arabic and released under the title NAFISA in Egypt in 2025. Her related nonfiction book, MAP OF HOPE AND SORROW; STORIES OF REFUGEES TRAPPED IN GREECE, and her recent articles have focused on Middle Eastern and African refugees. In 2021, Benedict was awarded the 2021 PEN Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History for this work.

Benedict's articles on refugees have been published in The New York Times, The Nation, Slate, Guernica, Arrowsmith Journal, and elsewhere.

Benedict's earlier work covered Iraqi refugees in the U.S., American women soldiers, and sexual assault, the subjects of her novels, WOLF SEASON (2017) and SAND QUEEN (2010), and her non-fiction book, "THE LONELY SOLDIER: THE PRIVATE WAR OF WOMEN SERVING IN IRAQ. (2009 and 2010). 

Benedict is credited with breaking the story about the epidemic of sexual assault of military women serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. For this work, she won the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism in 2013, and was named one of the “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” by Women’s eNews. In 2015, she was a finalist for the U.K. Liberty Human Rights Arts Award for her related play, “THE LONELY SOLDIER MONOLOGUES.” Her work on military sexual assault has also won the EMMA (Exceptional Merit in Media Award) from the National Women's Political Caucus, the Ken Book Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism.

THE LONELY SOLDIER led to a class-action suit against the Pentagon on behalf of women and men who were sexually assaulted in the military, and inspired the 2012 Oscar- nominated documentary about sexual assault in the military, “The Invisible War.” Benedict testified twice to Congress on behalf of women and men who were sexually assaulted by their own comrades.

Benedict's earlier book, VIRGIN OR VAMP: HOW THE PRESS COVERS SEX CRIMES is widely taught in journalism and law schools and has helped to change the way several newspapers cover sexual assault, while her earlier book, RECOVERY: HOW TO SURVIVE SEXUAL ASSAULT is used by rape crisis centers around the country. 

Benedict's 15 books have been translated into eight languages. Her books on sexual assault were the first ever on the subject to be published in Hungary and the Czech Republic.