"It's What I Do" Book Report

          “It’s What I Do,” is an autobiography that tells the story of Lynsey Addario, a war photographer who travels the world, documenting the action of the battlefield. It describes in great detail the difficulties and risks of a photojournalist during conflict. To me, the most compelling part of the book is when the group Addario is traveling with is ambushed, leaving two soldiers injured and one dead. This shows just how dangerous war photography can be. Even after she was almost killed in the ambush, she continues to document the aftermath of the attack.
          Lynsey Addario’s work is different from the work of other photojournalists because while most photographers would focus on the midst of the war zone, she concentrates her energy on showing the world how civilians are affected by the conflict. In chapter nine, the picture she struggles to get published is of a child wounded in a bombing. While she does end up with the soldiers, taking pictures of their lives, the book mostly describes the struggles of those left in the aftermath.
          Also throughout the story, she shows a sense of duty to follow the action of the world. Many times she leaves her life at home to photograph the lives of others. This decision leads to a large distance from her friends and family. Her work seems to drive many people away, and even causes her family to slowly drift apart. However, during her time in battlefields across the globe, she finds photographers in the same position, struggling to balance a life and a career. These people soon become her closest friends and the only people who understand why she chooses to gather stories from the most dangerous places in the world. At the end of the book, she has to make a choice. Her son is growing up and she is on the other side of the planet. She ends up choosing to spend more time at home. Her determination to photograph and see the world is something that all photographers feel at least once in their lives.
          Beginning photojournalists can learn a lot of lessons from this story. It encourages people to be more bold while photographing difficult stories, as well as how to make sure you are safe and how to know when you should leave. Within the pages are many amazing pictures of the wars. They show the lives of people who are affected by the wars, as well as the soldiers who fight in them. One image shows several soldiers carrying something through a smoke-filled forest. One of them is looking up at the camera, while the others seem downcast and are staring at the ground. The smoke is so thick, that the entire sky appears grey, and the sun is blocked. Around the troops, the remnants of charred trees lay scattered across the soil.

          “Many smiled back, calling me by my title: ‘Sahafiya.’ Journalist. It is who I am. It’s what I do.” This quote is one of the most memorable of the book. While many people may not think much about being called a journalist, Addario actually thinks about the word and connects it to who she is.
          This book reveals the true life of a war photographer. It inspires journalists to get out in the world and document the events that go on around them.