Lynsey Addario Book Report

One of the most intense scenes that you’ll find in Lynsey Addarios It’s What I Do is in chapter 9, The Most Dangerous Place on Earth. In this scene Lynsey and her pregnant colleage are photographing in Korengal Valley with Captain Kearey and some US soldiers. This place is known as the most dangerous place on earth due to the warzones and the fact that there is little to zero cover if you were to be shot at, it’s simply a desert. Well, this place lived up to its name in this chapter. “As a photographer in a war zone, I didn’t have a weapon. I needed to get as close as I could to the action in order to get the photographs, but I also needed to stay alive.”(pg 185) Lynsey reminds us that she is completely unarmed while being in these war zones. After a couple days of trekking through Korengal Valley during Operation Rock Avalanche, Lynsey and the soldiers with her began to be shot at from various places. The most powerful part of this event to me is when Sergeant Tanner Stichter is comforting Specialist Carl Vandenberge due to him being shot and losing a lot of blood. Vandenberge asks if he’s going to make it or not and Stichter responds by asking him what the color of the interior of his car is back home. Lynsey takes a moment to process that Vandenberges’ last thoughts may be the color of the interior of his car. During all of this emotional heartache, Lynsey still manages to ask for permission and takes photos of the scene. I can’t even begin to imagine the feeling in her stomach as she looked through the viewfinder and captured the moments before her.

Lynsey Addario, It's What I Do
pg 226

I applaud Lynsey for having such a drive for this kind of work as a war photographer. The images she captures hold such emotion and real life. I have crazy anxiety and would not last a week in a war zone with only a camera. I’m so glad that there are people in this world who thrive with this kind of work because it’s really important for us to have a look into what’s really going on in the whole world.

Lynsey does have a little bit of luck when it comes to photographing the rise of the Taliban. As a woman, she’s allowed to be around other women and can photograph and interact with them on an intimate level; something that a male photojournalist wouldn’t have access to. She was able to go to a women's hospital in chapter 2 and as a female she was able to make the women in the hospital feel comfortable with her. This reflects in her photos a lot. She photographed many women in order to give them a voice. She learned a lot through this as well. For example, the women there don’t care about having to wear a burqa, but instead care that they cannot work. It’s very special that Lynsey got to give these women a voice to break stereotypes and to educate on different cultures.

One piece of advice from Lynsey that I used this term is that you should get all your contact information as soon as you can. The example that I grabbed this advice from is in chapter 9. Lynsey asked Sergeant Rice after being shot in the stomach if it was okay for her to take photos of him. He obliged and after a few seconds he asked if she would email him the pictures that she was taking.  Lynsey laughed and immediately asked for his email address, in the middle of an active war zone, because she’s learned that it’s always harder to get this information after the fact. When I read this section I noted in my head to always get contact information because it really is almost impossible to acquire it after the event. There's been times where I forgot to get someone's name for a photojournalist assignment and I wished I had gotten someones email so I could have simply asked them for my missing information.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a thrill of love and war. I don’t read novels on the regular, but I absolutely loved this one if that says anything. It hits everything you want from a novel. Thrilling war zones, solemn deaths, terrifying kidnapping, heartwarming romance, and a struggle to balance between work, home, children, and relationships. Strap in because this novel will take you on a rollercoaster of life and death through Lynsey Addario's eyes.