Rene Denfeld
Rene Denfeld | |
|---|---|
 Denfeld in 2014 | |
| Born | c.1968 (age 57–58) |
| Occupation |
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| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Years active | 2014– |
| Notable works | The Enchanted (2014) |
| Notable awards |
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| Children | 3 (all adopted) |
| Website | |
| renedenfeld | |
Rene Denfeld (born c. 1968[1]) is an American author[2][3][4] and investigator for the Portland office of the U.S. public defender. She works with sex-trafficking victims and death row prisoners, who have inspired her writing.[5][6]
Biography
Since 2015, Denfeld has openly discussed her childhood, raised by an alcoholic mother and was sexually and emotionally abused by her stepfather, a sex offender who opened the family home to other pedophiles.[7] As a teenager, she ran away from home and lived on the streets, became estranged from her family,[8] and earned an income by working for McDonald's. She left school in the ninth grade, and taught herself to write by reading.[1] Denefeld is now an author, teacher, coach, justice worker, and licensed defense investigator.
Her first novel, The Enchanted, was awarded the Prix du Premier Roman Etranger award and an ALA Medal of Excellence for Fiction.[9] The book was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, The Oregonian's Best Book of the Year, listed for the Dublin Literary Award for Fiction, and was long-listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction.[10] Her other works include The Child Finder, Sleeping Giants, and The Butterfly Girl. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Oregonian and the Philadelphia Inquirer.[11]
Denfeld, who lives in Portland, Oregon,[12] is a foster mother to three children, all who came from traumatized childhoods, adopting each child.[5] In 2017, she won both The New York Times Hero of the Year Award and the Breaking the Silence Award[13] for using her fictional works to highlight social inequity, especially impacting children.[14]
Selected published works
- The Enchanted (New York and London: HarperCollins; 2014). ISBN 978-0-297-87051-7.
- The Child Finder (New York and London: HarperCollins; 2017). ISBN 978-0-062-65906-4.
- Trouver l'enfant (in French); translated by Pierre Bondil.
- The Butterfly Girl (New York: HarperCollins; London: Hachette; 2019). ISBN 978-1-474-60763-6.
- La Fille aux papillons (in French); translated by Pierre Bondil.
- Sleeping Giants (New York: HarperCollins; 2025). ISBN 978-0-063-01474-9.
References
- ^ a b Gardner, Fran (May 8, 2024). "Rene Denfeld's new novel, 'Sleeping Giants,' is the best kind of story". Oregon ArtsWatch. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
She is 56.
- ^ Denfeld, Rene. "Radical Acts of Imagination: An Interview with Rene Denfeld". fictionwritersreview.com (Interview). Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ Denfeld, Rene (September 17, 2017). "Interview with Rene Denfeld, Author of "The Child Finder"". psychologytoday.com (Interview). Interviewed by Jennifer Haupt. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ Denfeld, Rene. "On "The Child Finder": An Interview with Rene Denfeld". sites.lsa.umich.edu (Interview). Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ a b Denfeld, Rene (May 2018). "A Conversation with Rene Denfeld". Literary Mama (Interview). Interviewed by Alison Lee. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ Denfeld, Rene (November 1, 2019). "Q&A: She knows the harsh truth of 'Butterfly Girl's' world". Los Angeles Times (Interview). Interviewed by Chris Barton. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Jane (November 18, 2019). "Rene Denfeld: What Happens After the Trauma". Guernica. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Jane (March 28, 2024). "Addressing Harm, Helping Others, and Embracing Hope: A Conversation With Rene Denfeld". Substack: Jane Ratcliffe. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "American Library Association Longlist 2015 - Fiction". ala.org. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ "Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Longlist 2015". www.booklistonline.com. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- ^ Moreno, Julia (October 14, 2015). "Death row investigator speaks on mass incarceration". The Observer. Ellensburg: Central Washington University. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ Wolfe, Bill (March 28, 2024). "Rene Denfeld: Writing the Truth About Criminals". Read Her Like a Book. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ "Rene Denfeld". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
- ^ Dunn, Samantha (April 18, 2024). "'Sleeping Giants' novelist Rene Denfeld explores the harm done in the name of helping". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
