Recent Read: It's What I Do

It's What I Do by Lynsey Addario

Lynsey Addario is perhaps most famous to the general public for being kidnapped and held by the Libyan government for five days days in 2011. Hopefully that will change with the publication of this book, because what she should be better known for is her breathtaking photography, and now, her stunning memoir.

Addario got into the business of breaking news photography in her mid-twenties. She moved abroad, even did a story about women in Afghanistan in 2000 that no publication was interested in buying. Imagine that.

After 9/11 and the start of the war, she entered (and fell in love with) the world of conflict photography. Over the years she covered conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, and Darfur, to name a few. She is the recipient of a Pulitzer, a Getty Images grant, and a MacArthur Fellowship. But all you need is to see are a few of her gorgeous photographs to know she is the      real deal.

It’s What I Do takes us inside her world, introducing us to her roots, and bringing us through the most important parts of her career and personal life--those times that shaped her as a person and as a photographer. Every single page is fascinating.

I love this book for so many reasons:

• The photography. Lynsey Addario is has produced some of the most stunning photographs I’ve ever seen. She is a true artist.
• The adventure. Addario hasn’t lived in the US in 15 years. She's seemingly always on the go--from one remote location to another. She sees so much of the world, becomes familiar with the people and the cultures in ways most of us can only dream about. For her to invite us to see and learn about these places and people with her is a gift. 
• The human side. At the heart of all of it are the stories of individual people. That’s what much of her work is about. She sees the human cost in these conflicts, sometimes at the hands of evil men and regimes, other times an unintentional price of a war. Take, for example, this piece that was just published in the New York Times about an emergency women's shelter in Afghanistan where women can seek refuge from honor killings. 
• The power of photography. She knows (as do some of her subjects) that by taking photographs and taking them home, she can get aid to those in need. It’s given me a newfound respect for photojournalists and journalists at this level—their passion, their genuine concern for other people, the risks they take to bring scenes home to us that we would be ignorant of otherwise.
• Her presentation. Her writing is excellent. But perhaps, more important, her story is honest. She has a way of presenting the events of her life in a way that is personal and yet fair. Though she feels compelled to do her work as a way of drawing attention to causes and informing the American public, she never pushes an agenda. She acknowledges and describes the limitations (both real and imagined) of being a woman in her field, without ever sounding like a feminist activist. She intimates her own personal realizations and feelings, but largely, she lets her experiences speak for themselves, and that is more than sufficient
• Love. Addario’s own personal story of family and love is as compelling as the rest. It’s very difficult for her to sustain relationships with all her comings and goings. Her passion and drive is something no partner seems to fully understand. She expects to stay single and never have children, and yet, she meets a man who understands her photojournalist side, her need to constantly be on the go, and he accepts and loves her as she is. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying they have a child, and her descriptions of new motherhood are beautiful, as well. (Plus, there is the most gorgeous baby photo I HAVE EVER SEEN.)
• Perspective. There is definitely something about seeing and hearing (and for Lynsey, witnessing first-hand) how other people (especially women) live in other places around the world to put your own life in perspective. One of my favorite quotes in the book: “The women ... put my life of privilege, opportunity, independence, and freedom into perspective. As an American woman, I was spoiled: to work, to make decisions, to be independent, to have relationships with men, to feel sexy, to fall in love, to fall out of love, to travel. I was only twenty-six, and I had already enjoyed a lifetime of new experiences.” Have you ever thought how lucky you are just to be able to make a decision? Wow.
• Gripping. I did not want to put this book down. Plus, it had a similar effect on me as Into Thin Air: I felt warned off her profession, while also wishing I could get out there and do what she does.

Lynsey, you are so cool. I wish I could be friends with you.