First published 2003
Fresh from Harvard in 1988, Deborah Copaken Kogan arrives in Paris with cameras and ambition. She wants to photograph war up close. Within weeks she sits veiled in the back of a truck in Afghanistan, the sole woman and only journalist among rebel fighters. A French photographer she trusted with her heart and her plans proves unreliable and dangerous. Kogan finds herself chasing conflicts across continents, from Zimbabwe to Romania, Russia to Haiti. Each assignment connects to whatever man currently occupies her life. She battles sexism, violence, and assault while documenting historical struggles through her lens. Her photographs eventually grace front pages of major publications. The photojournalism brotherhood accepts her after years of resistance. But what once thrilled the young adventurer begins to burden the mature woman. Success in capturing death and destruction leaves her searching for something deeper. She discovers that life itself offers the greatest adventure worth pursuing.
Genres: biography, adventure, autobiography, memoir
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, overcoming-adversity
Setting: Afghanistan, Haiti, Paris, Romania, Russia, Zimbabwe
Period: 1988
400 pages · Paperback · Piper
Content warnings: violence