It's What I Do

It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For some reason I read memoirs even though I usually conclude the memoir is written for the author to process something or for their family. But this one knocked it out of the park. It was straightforward, engaging, entertaining, and insightful. I loved learning about her life as a photojournalist in war-torn areas and she balanced it well with relationships and how they worked and didn't with her work. She doesn't hold back on the good, bad or ugly and I felt like I was having a deep conversation with an interesting, thoughtful friend. Pervading it all is the sacrifice that women make to do the same jobs as men, and their constant need to show that they are just as tough, physically and emotionally. Addario succeeds by showing when she is tough, but also sharing when she was vulnerable. And I think her experiences show that it is her strength along with her vulnerabilities that made her such a good photojournalist. There are several pictures included too which added immensely to the story.

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I didn't want to be the cowardly photographer or the terrified girl who prevented the men from doing their work.

I believed that if my intentions were for a good cause, nothing bad would happen to me.

You had to say yes.

I worked every waking hour so that I could be at the right place at the right time.

I didn't want my gender to determine whether or not I could cover breaking news, so I continued photographing, ignoring the sweeping of hands on my butt, the occasional grab.

I found my male colleagues, lounging, all of them smitten with their afternoon's work, checking the backs of their digital cameras for their prizewinning photographs, completely oblivious to what I had gone through to compose even one frame.

I preempted their suspicion that we, the chicks, might hold them up in the field by being overly prepared, physically and mentally.  I trained religiously for assignments, I made sure I had all the gadgets I'd need in my kit to be as self-sufficient as possible, and I tried not to show fear.