Since March of 2003, more than 160,500 women have served in the war in Iraq. More women have fought and died during this war than in any other since WWII, yet they still only account for one in ten soldiers. Many find themselves in virtual isolation among men. This seclusion, combined with the military’s history of gender discrimination and the uniquely challenging conditions in Iraq, has resulted in a mounting epidemic of sexual abuse, physical degeneration, and emotional distress among many female soldiers.

Now in The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq, Helen Benedict explores the lives of these soldiers, following their stories from enlistment, through service, and back home again. A professor of journalism at Columbia University who has written extensively on women, race, and justice, Benedict interviewed 40 soldiers and veterans about their experiences in the military, specifically in Iraq. Through their first-hand accounts, she finds that while all of these women risk their lives each day, many are forced to wage a second war in secret, “against an enemy dressed in the same uniform.”

Weaving together the poignant and often grueling accounts of the war in Iraq, Benedict offers new insight into the lives of women in the military, before, during, and after the war. The book also features a list of resources available for veterans in need of support, and includes suggestions from Benedict and her subjects on how to improve conditions for women in the military. “Women have always met with hostility when they first tried to enter male domains, whether as voters or police officers, firefighters or politicians, and the answer has never been to give up, but to stay and fight for reform until the culture changes and accepts them.”