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It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War

Lynsey Addario,

Tavia Gilbert (Goodreads Author) (Narrator)

4.34 · Rating details · 9,795 ratings · 1,210 reviews

MacArthur Genius Grant winner Lynsey Addario's relentless pursuit of complex truths drive this heart-pounding and inspirational memoir of a photographer's life.

Lynsey Addario was just finding her way as a young photographer when the events of September 11, 2001, changed the world. One of the few photojournalists with experience in Afghanistan, she gets the call to return a MacArthur Genius Grant winner Lynsey Addario's relentless pursuit of complex truths drive this heart-pounding and inspirational memoir of a photographer's life.

Lynsey Addario was just finding her way as a young photographer when the events of September 11, 2001, changed the world. One of the few photojournalists with experience in Afghanistan, she gets the call to return and cover the American invasion. She makes a decision she would often find herself making not to stay home, not to lead a quiet or predictable life, but to set out across the world, face the chaos of crisis, and make a name for herself.

Addario finds in photography a way to travel with a purpose, and "It's What I Do" is the story of that singular calling how it shapes and drives her life and how it changes the lives of others. She captures virtually every major theater of war of the twenty-first century and from it creates a historical document of truth on the international conflicts that have made, and remade, our world. She photographs the Afghan people before and after Taliban reign, the civilian casualties and misunderstood insurgents of the Iraq War, as well as the burned villages and the countless dead in Darfur. She exposes a culture of violence against women in the Congo and tells the riveting inside story of her headline-making kidnapping by pro-Qaddafi forces in the Libyan civil war.

As a woman photojournalist determined to be taken as seriously as her male peers, Addario fights her way into a boys club of a profession. Rather than choose between her personal life and profession, Addario learns to strike a necessary balance. In the man who will become her husband, she finds at last a real love to complement her work, not take away from it, and as a new mother, she gains an even more intensely personal understanding of the fragility of life.

Watching uprisings unfold and people fight to the death for their freedom, Addario understands she is documenting not only news but also the fate of society.
"It s What I Do" is more than just a snapshot of life on the front lines it is witness to the human cost of war." ...more

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Published February 5th 2015 by Blackstone Audiobooks

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Jan 16, 2016 Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: journalism, books-of-the-year-2015, nonfiction, auto, memoir, biography, africa, terrorism, afghanistan, photography

“Sahafi! Media!! He yelled to the soldiers. He opened the car door to get out, and Quadaffi’s soldiers swarmed around him. “Sahafi!”
In one fluid movement the doors flew open and Tyler, Steve, and Anthony were ripped out of the car. I immediately locked my door and buried my head in my lap. Gunshots shattered the air. When I looked up, I was alone. I knew I had to get out of the car to run for cover, but I couldn’t move.
Click!

description

Lynsey Addario - from CBS News

You may not recognize the name L ...more

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May 20, 2015 Adina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, travel

I took time with this wonderful, strong autobiography, reading a few pages/day trying to fully immerse myself in her story and her pictures. I am usually a fast reader and I tend to forget a lot from what I am reading and I did not want it to be the case with this one. As a consequence the review is also quite long, probably the longest I have ever written.

description

Lynsey Addario is and American photojournalist, one of the best at her job. She was member of a team that won the Pulizer prize for a story ...more

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May 19, 2017 Diane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: media, nonfiction, photography, war, journalism

I've always admired journalists who cover wars. After reading It's What I Do, I have a better appreciation for just how difficult it is for writers and photographers to report in areas of conflict.

Lynsey Addario has had an amazing career as a photojournalist. She's covered conflict in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Darfur, and dozens of other places. She's been kidnapped twice. She's been hunkered down with soldiers during battle. She's had tea with members of the Taliban. The girl gets around.

"While ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-biography-autobiography, listened-to-audiobook, movie-in-the-works, stand-alone-novel, changed-my-perspective, nonfiction, read-2015

How many times have I mindlessly flipped through the glossy images of a magazine in a waiting room? Too many times...but never with the realization I have now. I will never look at a photograph of conflict and war the same way again.

It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War documents Lynsey Addario’s experiences as a combat journalist. This memoir presents more of a story than just what she has viewed through her camera though. It also documents her experience as a woman working in ...more

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Nov 03, 2015 Malia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-2016, non-fiction

I so rarely read nonfiction, but this book has me wondering whether I might really be missing out! Addario tells her own story, but in a broader sense that of journalists everywhere, the struggles they face and the rewards, too. We rely so much on journalists, but I have to admit, I do not very often think about where my news is coming from, and especially who took that striking/shocking/unforgettable photo. "It's What I Do" tells a thoughtful and insightful story and for people wary of dry nonf ...more

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Feb 11, 2015 Trish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: asia, foreign-affairs, mideast, memoir, adventure, art, journalism, travel, war, nonfiction

Lynsey Addario has been a war photographer for at least the past two decades. She has won numerous awards and recognition, including the Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Prize, for her work. In this memoir she talks of her development from taking photos to being a Photographer. The experience of reading this book left me so grateful….”grateful for your service,” I suppose. That there are people willing and able to do this kind of work, I am forever grateful. It can be fulfilling and exciting but i ...more

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Apr 25, 2016 Jess rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies-memoirs, non-fiction, 2016

Wow.

Gotta say, even as a photography enthusiast who at one point wanted to be a photojournalist... I have a whole new respect for the field after reading this memoir. I wasn't familiar with Lynsey Addario's work before reading this, but I was completely overwhelmed by both her passion & her determination for her work while reading this book.

I'd never realized the full extent of what a war photojournalist goes through to get information to the rest of us. Although I'd heard of journalists being ...more

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Sep 24, 2015 Steve rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: photography, non-fiction, military

Addario has truly earned and, in that sense, enjoyed a remarkable career, lived a life filled with impressive achievements, and taken extraordinary risks, some of which unsurprisingly led to harrowing, painful, and devastating experiences. Her travels, work, and sacrifices are truly extraordinary.

Alas, I found myself constantly frustrated with the book, but I expect that all of my critiques and irritations were self-imposed (and, thus, accordingly, may not distract other readers). The title is e Addario has truly earned and, in that sense, enjoyed a remarkable career, lived a life filled with impressive achievements, and taken extraordinary risks, some of which unsurprisingly led to harrowing, painful, and devastating experiences. Her travels, work, and sacrifices are truly extraordinary.

Alas, I found myself constantly frustrated with the book, but I expect that all of my critiques and irritations were self-imposed (and, thus, accordingly, may not distract other readers). The title is entirely accurate - this is a book about one photographer's life; and, it's not necessarily a book for photographers nor is it, in any meaningful way, about photography (other than offering glimpses into the difficulty and, frankly, kismet, associated with breaking into the profession). This is an autobiography in the truest sense - it's the author's story about the author's life, and she can (and should) tell her story anyway she'd like. But the jumble of topics - including but not limited to photography, journalism, gender, love, war, parenting, poverty, travel, the kindness of others, and the evil in men, just to name a few - suggest opportunities for reflection and examination more frequently missed than exploited.

I found myself consistently frustrated with what - to me - seemed like superficial examination of significant issues and bored and distracted by, among other things, the author's lengthy coverage of her early, doomed long(er)-term relationship. But, hey, it's her story, and she can tell it any way she wants. And, for all of its faults, it's impossible to accuse the author of egotism or hubris - my sense is that, like many successful people, her insecurities relentlessly drive her, and she wears them on her sleeve. Ultimately, for this reader, throughout the book, there were sufficient stories/vingnettes that kept me going such that, while I never came to like (or identify or even empathize with) the author, it was impossible not respect her achievements, aspiration, drive, and commitment to something (even if I'm not really sure, even having finished the book, what that is). ...more

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Oct 31, 2016 Emma Scott rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Absolutely fascinating with enough detail to put you there but not so much as to feel overwhelmed. Deeply humanistic touch to the prose only added to its awesomeness, as did the feminine perspective which made the dangerous locales potentially more sinister.
For someone researching what it's like to be a war photojournalist, this book couldn't have been more perfect, but a highly compelling read even to the casual reader. Loved it. ...more

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Feb 13, 2015 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir-biography, non-fiction

my own prelude I borrowed this book from my public library. It was purchased with gift funds from our First Selectwoman, Carmen Vance. Carmen started this fund when I worked at Saxton B. Little Free Library, Columbia, CT. I am thankful to see that it continues to add books by, and about women’s issues.

The Hook - Memoir allows me to see other people’s worlds, their lives, their hopes, their dreams. These moments of their lives shared in the pages of a book inspire and amaze me, enhancing my own. my own prelude I borrowed this book from my public library. It was purchased with gift funds from our First Selectwoman, Carmen Vance. Carmen started this fund when I worked at Saxton B. Little Free Library, Columbia, CT. I am thankful to see that it continues to add books by, and about women’s issues.

The Hook - Memoir allows me to see other people’s worlds, their lives, their hopes, their dreams. These moments of their lives shared in the pages of a book inspire and amaze me, enhancing my own.

The Line – ”I was now a photojournalist willing to die for stories that had the potential to educate people.”

The Sinker – With an interest in photography and a curiosity to understand what compels a woman to become a conflict photographer, I picked up It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War. After reading this I’m still sorting out the why of Lynsey Addario life choice. It’s not that she doesn’t explain how she got there; it’s just hard to understand why someone would put herself in harms way repeatedly. For Lynsey Addario there is no choice, It’s What I Do plain and simple.

Addario begins her story with her growing up years in Westport, CT. I truly enjoyed hearing about her home life, a house filled with people, food, laughter and love. Her parents, Phillip and Camilla are hair dresses with a somewhat bohemian lifestyle that attract all kinds of people with their open door policy. Bruce is just one of these. Addario describes Bruce as ”charismatic, talented, and very flamboyant.” He becomes a friend to both parents. They eventually finance his schooling to become a colorist. After four years, Phillip and Bruce find themselves in love. They move out. Some years later they gift Addario with her first camera, a Nikon FG. This is the beginning. Addario steps early on into a career mostly inhabited by men. She studies, she watches, she learns, she stretches her reach to work for the finest of news sources.

Each reader will take something different from Addario’s story. Lynsey Addario has my deep admiration for her determination and dedication to capture a world many of us cannot imagine. She shows us this world with her tools, the lens of a camera. She’s been doing it in war torn countries for years. It is not all about the war and the military, the governments, and the religion, though much circles back to that. Her photographs bring to life the people, those affected by countries where poverty, hunger, brutal treatment of women, children and even men are a way of life. We will never meet them but we will never forget them either. She has a story to tell us and she does so with the imagery of her trade.

I know so little of the world. Addario’s memoir and her photographs nudge me to think, question, read and look past my life here in the states. This is the perfect book for Women’s History Month. Highly recommended. There is much I have not told you. I hope you take the time to read It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War.
...more

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Jul 02, 2018 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, war_journalist, non-fiction, womens-_studies, middle-east

This was a good read, as one might expect a journalist to be capable of competent writing. Addario certainly found herself in some hair-raising situations and is undoubtedly fortunate to have escaped with life and limb intact, a bit of good fortune that, sadly, was not enjoyed by all of her employees. The fact that she is a woman opened doors for her that would have been closed to male journalists, and she has thereby been able to add to our knowledge of the circumstances of women in the Middle ...more

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Feb 12, 2015 Megan Edwards rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I had to give this up after about 150 pages, which kills me just a little bit to do. But I just couldn't take the author's politics anymore. I expected to hear fascinating stories about being a photojournalist in some very scary and perilous situations. And there was some of that. But there were too many political asides. I get it - you're against the war on terror. Do you have to belabor that every chance you get? She didn't go in depth on the good stuff either - I felt like I was basically rea ...more

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Jul 11, 2019 Linda Hart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! This is a journalist's absolutely fascinating memoir. I have great admiration and respect for Lynsey Addario, the author, and am stunned by her unbelievable experiences and frank reporting. I loved it. It reads like a novel and includes many of her fabulous photos that bring her words to life. I am pretty certain a movie was made about this. Highly recommend. ...more

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Aug 07, 2015 Heather rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I wasn't sure why this book wasn't sitting well with me as I read it until I came across this quote close to the end:

"Journalism is a selfish profession."

That's the issue I had with this book. Throughout most of it I felt like the author had little to no empathy for the people whose lives she was invading. She was there to document their suffering and to get the best picture. She talks a lot about how stressful her job was and I'm sure it was but she also talks about how she made sure that she would leave combat zones and go on vacation regularly for her mental health. That's a luxury that the people she was covering never had. That disconnect is never discussed.

There is a time when she is embedded with another reporter in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army. They are both hiding the fact that the other reporter is pregnant, with no regard for how this increases the danger for the people who are in charge of them.

"For the first few weeks Elizabeth didn't seem hindered by pregnancy, aside from the fact that she had to stop to pee several times during the course of each patrol. After years of trying to get soldiers to overlook our gender on embeds, I cringed each time we had to ask the platoon leader, Lieutenent Matt Piosa, to hold up an entire string of troops in unfriendly villages while Elizabeth scampered off into an abandoned house or behind a tree to empty her bladder." Emphasis mine

Then she has a fit because her troops aren't willing to escort her across a hostile valley during an engagement so she can photograph dead villagers.

"Afghans dying was an enormous part of that reality, and I was just failing to witness it."

Eventually a favorite soldier of hers is killed during this embed and she decides that she's had enough.

"Kearney? Is there any way to get me out of here?" I cringed as I asked him to also deal with me: a freaked-out girl who was pleading to be extracted from the middle of a hostile ridgeline, where every Black Hawk flight in risked getting shot down by an insurgent on the mountain."

I bet all those soldiers would have loved to get out too. I bet the helicopter pilots had nothing better to do than to risk their lives to go get a freaked out journalist.

After years of work in conflict zones, she starts to develop some empathy but only after she has a bad experience with Israeli border guards taunting her over her fears about going through a body scanner when pregnant.

"I was confused, appalled, and angry until I suddenly had a moment of clarity: If the Israeli soldiers were doing this to me, a New York Times journalist accredited by the Israeli government itself, who had called the press officer in advance to graciously ask to be manually searched, how on earth did they treat a poor, Palestinian pregnant woman? Or a nonpregnant Palestinian woman? Or a Palestinian man? The thought terrified me."

Talk about needing to be aware of your own privilege. If they harass ME, maybe they are even meaner to someone else? What a novel idea. That's the kind of insular thinking I'd expect from someone who has never traveled before, not a journalist with decades of experience in many countries.

I did appreciate the fact that she talked about the fact that she thought her career would be over if she had children. She didn't want to get pregnant. She talks about her husband pressuring her. She was very unhappy when she gave in and got pregnant. Eventually she liked the kid after he was born but I'm glad she voiced the sort-of taboo thinking that not everyone is a gleeful pregnant person.This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story ...more

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Dec 09, 2015 Lauren rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bios-memoirs, best-of-2015, travel

This riveting memoir will change the way I look at photographs forever. Years of appreciation for the glossy pages in National Geographic, or the special magazine insert of the newspaper, as well as the online galleries attached to major new stories - but did I really stop to think about what went into even *obtaining* this photograph in the first place? More than a passing thought, unfortunately not.

Lynsey Addario, an American conflict photojournalist, has changed that.

The book begins with a ha ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Rebecca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs, reviewed-we-love-this-book, art-books, travel-books

Photojournalist Lynsey Addario remembers a decade on the frontline of conflicts in the Middle East and Africa and strives for balance in her work and personal life.

Addario was raised by hairdressers in Connecticut and studied international relations. Her photography hobby soon became an obsession. As a freelance photographer for the New York Times and National Geographic, she has lived in Argentina, Mexico, India and Turkey and crafted photo essays on New York’s transgender prostitutes, Congo’s ...more

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May 18, 2017 Harriet Levin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I am super excited to read this book because Lynsey Addario allowed me to use a photo she took for the cover of my novel, How Fast Can You Run. (https://www.amazon.com/How-Fast-Can-Y...) She is a truly a generous person, and in a field dominated by ego. Her work is breathtaking and the photo she allowed me to use has made the cover of my book truly stunning, like owning a work of art. My cover shows a S. Sudanese boy trying to find his mother in the bogs near Bor, S. Sudan in 2013. It is a heart ...more

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Mar 29, 2015 Kats rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs, american, 2015, audio, kcls-audio, war, travel, politics-law-social-issues

I don't remember where I first heard about this memoir but I knew straightaway that I'd be interested in hearing more (as I enjoyed the audio book read by Tavia Gilbert) about Lynsey Addario's life as a photojournalist in conflict and war zones. The journalists in war zones are often the forgotten heroes as they put their lives at risk to report to the wider public what is going on. As we read a newspaper or a magazine we take it for granted that there are visuals accompanying the latest news st I don't remember where I first heard about this memoir but I knew straightaway that I'd be interested in hearing more (as I enjoyed the audio book read by Tavia Gilbert) about Lynsey Addario's life as a photojournalist in conflict and war zones. The journalists in war zones are often the forgotten heroes as they put their lives at risk to report to the wider public what is going on. As we read a newspaper or a magazine we take it for granted that there are visuals accompanying the latest news story, but we don't usually stop to think at what price or risk these photos were obtained. It seems to me that the journalists opting to work in war zones have a certain fearlessness and adrenaline addiction; something I couldn't fathom. Even knowing that this is a memoir written in a first person narrative (i.e. Addario was alive at the time of writing it....), I was scared for her safety and wellbeing on many occasions. Clearly, I wouldn't have the guts for this work. With the interest I had in photography as a career some twenty years ago, I'd have ended up with a dull wedding photography job. :-)

Lynsey Addario is inspiring, and her background and family life very interesting. At times there was a bit too much tedious detail and repetition in her story telling ("I flew back to Mexico to see my boy-friend. We went out for dinner with friends, then headed to the beach. It was back to normalcy for a few days before I boarded another flight to Afghanistan." - this sort of scenario was relayed about a dozen times or more), but overall I really enjoyed her animated and candid writing.

Much to my dismay there was no PDF file available with the audio book, so I am going to have to look for her photographs online. I imagine that they will be incredibly harrowing pictures given the countries and conflicts she worked in, but I have no doubt they will be of top quality given how many prizes she's won for her work. I have much admiration for Lynsey Addario, her family and her colleagues, and I will be looking out for her work in the future.

This article in The Telegraph sums up her book very well and shows some of her prize winning photographs. There is a whole story around the photo of Khalid, a seven year old boy in Afghanistan who had shrapnel wounds in his face, as The New York Times pulled the picture at the last minute due to not wanting to upset the US military!! Here it is seeing the light of day after all.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/world... ...more

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Apr 12, 2016 Maryam rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobook, favorites, favorite2016, memoir-biography-autobiography

Journalism is a selfish profession but I still believe in power of its purpose and hoped my family too

Taliban fighters near the Afghan border, 2008 (part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning series) (Lynsey Addario/Getty Images Reportage)

Taliban fighters near the Afghan border, 2008 (part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning series) (Lynsey Addario/Getty Images Reportage)

Three months after I was born, a war began between Iran and Iraq which lasted for 8 years. I still remember most of those years. I was young and I didn’t live in the cities close to border but still there were bombings, I remember horror of loud sound of red alarm broadcasted through streets by loudspeakers and then calmness brought by hearing green alarm. Still this book showed me much more ab ...more

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Mar 16, 2015 Daniel Simmons rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Five stars for the photographs (brilliant, haunting, gritty, inspiring), but this isn't a photo essay, it's a memoir, and I just wasn't particularly impressed with the writing. (A few times I found myself wishing that one of her journalistic colleagues, like Dexter Filkins, had written a biography of her instead, with Addario's incomparable photos included.) And so while I admire Addario's artistic eye, appreciate her attempt to personalize an incredibly tough job that many newspaper and magazin ...more

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Jun 27, 2016 Jen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction, war, 21st-century

Lynsey Addario is an award winning photojournalist who has covered Afganistan under the Taliban, multiple wars, and a variety of other events. This book is her memoir. In it she discusses her development as a photographer and her experiences covering war zones. She was captured twice and was one of 4 New York Times journalists who went missing in Libya in March of 2011. She won a MacArther Fellowship and a Pulitzer Prize in 2009. She discusses all of these events in the book.

I really enjoyed thi ...more

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Feb 11, 2015 Mainlinebooker rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I was really intrigued by the title loving both photojournalism and travel. The strength of this book is her focus on women, and the difficulty of needing to prove herself in a field dominated by men.She artfully discusses how her gender has affected every aspect of balancing her personal and professional life. . Her travelogue explores the exhilarating and demanding aspects of her job showcasing her risky adventures from being beaten, hiking long hours without water with sniper fire abounding, ...more

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Dec 28, 2014 Olena Rosul rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

* I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads (Giveaways). *

This book is about a woman photographer who captured war and its consequences for civilians in many contries—Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Libya, ans so on.

It is not an easy reading. It is disturbing in many ways. But it is one of the books that must be written and must be read. Because on the very same planet we live, people DO keep killing each other in meaningless wars, and people DO keep suffering from famine, lack of cle ...more

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Nov 10, 2015 Hank rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars only because I am feeling stingy with my 5 star ratings. This is truly an excellent book! Memoirs, as most people know, can be hit or miss. Many (most?) lives aren't really that interesting and the authors need to stretch a bit to entertain. Addario's life fascinated me on two different fronts (pun intended). First, her fundamental nomadic and rootless nature was so foreign to my personality that it captivated me. How could anyone just pick up and move to Mexico, South America, Pakista ...more

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Sep 20, 2015 Elizabeth☮ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, quick-reads, recent-reads

When I was in high school, I took a photography class. I began to see the world differently, and for a while, I entertained the idea of being a photojournalist, without really understanding what it meant. But I love National Geographic and I was saddened when Life stop producing a monthly publication. And why is this relevant? Because Addario's depiction of traveling the world and capturing the tumultuous landscape of war gives me a true sense of what life is like as a photojournalist.

Addario's ...more

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Sep 04, 2018 Mel rated it really liked it

Wow. As someone who studied photography and for a brief period considering pursuing my own career as a war photographer- I'm in awe of the casual fearlessness Addario frequently displayed when obstacles and combatants got in the way of her job. More than once she describes her thought process when threatened or held hostage and after worrying about the stress her predicament is going to put on her family, her next concern is where her memory cards are and if her captors take her equipment she mu ...more

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Feb 25, 2015 Miranda Lynn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-books-read, non-fiction, library, favorites

It's What I Do is being turned into a movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, directed by Steven Spielberg!!!

Easily one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read!

Lynsey's story immediately intrigued me, and I had a very hard time putting this book down. That doesn't happen a lot for me when it comes to the nonfiction genre, so I was very impressed with how well written this was and how interesting her life has been.

Being a war photographer has absolutely no appeal to me personally. And Addario's boo ...more

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Mar 13, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Sarah by: Carol

I want to thank Carol for bringing this book to my attention. It was fascinating to read the story of a female war photographer.

I started college as photography major. With the confidence of a know-it-all 18-year-old, I was confident that I would lead an exciting life and travel to where the action was as a New York Times, Washington Post, AP or National Geographic photographer. Things did not turn out as I imagined, but that is a good thing. I have a great job that I love and photography is a w ...more

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Mar 03, 2015 Sarju Shrestha Mehri rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-books-to-read

What an amazing book. I love reading memoirs. The writer Lyndsey Addario , a war photo journalist not only shares her exquisite pictures but shares her experience as a woman who captured many stories of war in Afghanistan, Libya, Darfur, Iraq and culture of violence against women in Congo.

Her drive to capture the effects of war up close and personal through her lenses is riveting. Each of her pictures tells the story of truth, honesty and clarity. As you read each chapter, you will be familiar w ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Greg Davis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Some describe memoirs as often narcissistic, maybe too liberal use of "I". But that's what they are, personal words about one's life, necessarily subjective. For me, I love them, mostly because I enjoy hearing people freely go on about themselves, what's important to them, how they see the world. To the point, this book was exceptional, in that Ms. Addario spent little time trying to present herself as anyone save who she is, a seasoned, successful professional, driven by an involuntary passion, ...more

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Lynsey Addario

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Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist who regularly photographs for The New York Times, National Geographic, and Time Magazine.

Lynsey began photographing professionally for the Buenos Aires Herald in Argentina 1996 with no previous photographic training or studies. She eventually began freelancing for the Associated Press in New York, where she worked for several years before moving abroad ...more

Books by Lynsey Addario

Twilight of Empire: Responses to Occupation

En el instante preciso: Vida de una fotógrafa en el amor y en la guerra

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News & Interviews

Kazuo Ishiguro: A Dystopian Book in Dystopian Times

Kazuo Ishiguro insists he’s an optimist about technology. “I'm not one of these people who thinks it's going to come and destroy us,” he...

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Quotes from It's What I Do: A...

“Journalists can sound grandiose when they talk about their profession. Some of us are adrenaline junkies; some of us are escapists; some of us do wreck our personal lives and hurt those who love us most. This work can destroy people. I have seen so many friends and colleagues become unrecognizable from trauma: short-tempered, sleepless, and alienated from friends. But after years of witnessing so much suffering in the world, we find it hard to acknowledge that lucky, free, prosperous people like us might be suffering, too. We feel more comfortable in the darkest places than we do back home, where life seems too simple and too easy. We don’t listen to that inner voice that says it is time to take a break from documenting other people’s lives and start building our own. Under it all, however, are the things that sustain us and bring us together: the privilege of witnessing things that others do not; an idealistic belief that a photograph might affect people’s souls; the thrill of creating art and contributing to the world’s database of knowledge. When I return home and rationally consider the risks, the choices are difficult. But when I am doing my work, I am alive and I am me. It’s what I do. I am sure there are other versions of happiness, but this one is mine.” — 26 likes

“Photography has shaped the way I look at the world; it has taught me to look beyond myself and capture the world outside.” — 14 likes

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