Q & A with Helen Thorpe
Author To Speak in Park Hill
The Park Hill Community Bookstore will present Helen Thorpe on Saturday, May 23, at the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church. A silent auction with wine and refreshments will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by Ms. Thorpe at 7. Tickets are $20 each and are available at the bookstore, at 23rd and Dexter. They may also be purchased at the event.
In addition to her work for some of the leading journals in the United States, Ms. Thorpe, who lives in Park Hill, is known for her two books, Just Like Us, and Soldier Girls. The former is a strikingly detailed and personal account of young Mexican-American women dealing with immigration issues. The latter follows the path of several women who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I recently interviewed Ms. Thorpe via email and this is what she had to say.
Farrar: What is your earliest memory of visiting a bookstore?
Thorpe: When I was seven years old my family moved to Vienna, Austria for one year. We had been living in suburban New Jersey, so this was a big change. I spent a lot of time in the English language bookstore in Vienna. I found C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series there and fell into those books.
Farrar: What were your favorite books as a child? Who is your favorite author? What are you reading now?
Thorpe: As a child I read C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and Enid Blyton and pretty much anything I could get my hands on. I spent a lot of time at the library. The authors who have influenced me the most as a writer are probably A.J. Liebling, William Finegan, Susan Sheehan, and Adrienne Nicole Leblanc. Right now I am reading a book by the Irish novelist John Boyne called A History of Loneliness. It is beautiful.
Farrar: Books appear to be an endangered species. What do you think is the future of books and other print media?
Thorpe: I don’t think books are endangered at all. People are reading as much as they ever did, just in a greater variety of forms.
Farrar: In your books, how do you maintain a balance between objective journalism and empathizing with your subjects?
Thorpe: I try to keep in mind that my ultimate loyalty lies with the reader, never my subject. And yet by fully empathizing with my subject, I can do the greatest job of enlightening the reader.
Farrar: What was the most significant insight into immigration you gained from working on “Just Like Us”? What surprised you the most?
Thorpe: At the start of the project, I thought I knew a lot about immigration, because my own parents had moved to this country with me when I was very small. But arriving without documents or legal permission is an entirely different story. I did not know nearly as much about immigration as I had imagined, and I learned a great deal about what it meant to live without legal status. It is a continual, daily struggle, and the low status associated with the predicament feels very personal, particularly to a young adult who is coming of age in this country.
Farrar: Do you believe the combat role of women in the military should be expanded? Have you ever considered serving in the military?
Thorpe: When I was thinking about where to go to college I seriously considered applying to the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, back when I was in high school. I had close friends who had gone to those institutions and felt inspired by them. However my friend at the Naval Academy wrote a letter warning me that women were not enjoying the experience of going there at that time, and I decided not to apply to either institution as a result.
Farrar: What are your thoughts on the recent reporting scandal at Rolling Stone?
Thorpe: I have been reading a lot about the reporting scandal and have been fascinated by the mistakes that were made. I know from personal experience that when you contact other sources, you always see a new angle on things. I had that experience in my last book, when I reached out to the ex-husband of one of the women I was writing about. He described everything slightly differently than had his former wife. I thought it was very valuable to have spoken to both of them.
Farrar: What is your current book/writing project?
Thorpe: I wish I knew! I am in the middle of looking for a new story. Stay tuned.