First published 2015
Lynsey Addario tells the story of her career as a war photographer documenting conflicts across the globe. After September 11 transformed the world, she traveled to Afghanistan to cover the American invasion, launching a career that would take her to every major war zone of the twenty-first century. Addario photographed Afghan civilians under Taliban rule, documented casualties during the Iraq War, and exposed violence in Darfur and the Congo. She survived a kidnapping by pro-Qaddafi forces in Libya and witnessed uprisings where people died fighting for freedom. As one of the few women in a male-dominated field, she fought for recognition while balancing her dangerous work with personal relationships. She found love with a supportive partner and became a mother, gaining deeper understanding of life's fragility. Through her lens, Addario captured not just news events but the human cost of war, using her fear to build empathy with her subjects.
Genres: biography, autobiography, non-fiction, 21st-century, journalism, photography
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: female-protagonist, personal-journey
Setting: Afghanistan, Darfur, Iraq, Libya
Period: 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press
Content warnings: violence, war