Helen Thorpe (born January 23, 1963)[2][citation needed] is an American author and freelance journalist who was the First Lady of Colorado following her husband's inauguration until their divorce in 2015.

[5] She then worked for a short time at both The New York Observer as a staff writer, and then, having caught the attention of editor Tina Brown, for New Yorker Magazine.

Her first book, Just Like Us, follows the lives of four Denver girls of Mexican ancestry and deals with aspects of immigration into the United States.

Her third book, The Newcomers, follows 22 newly-arrived teenagers from nations racked by drought, famine, or war, recording their first year in America as they take a beginner-level English Language Acquisition class at South High School in Denver.

Thorpe explores what it means to "be American" while learning these refugee students' stories, presenting a perspective on the issues of immigration, multiculturalism, and America's role on the global stage.

In addition, Just Like Us was adapted for the stage by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and Soldier Girls was optioned by HBO and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a potential miniseries.

[4] In July 2012, the couple announced plans to separate amicably after 10 years of marriage, and they divorced in January 2015.