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

Book description

“An unflinching memoir . . . [that] offers insight into international events and the challenges faced by the journalists who capture them.” —The Washington Post

War photographer Lynsey Addario’s memoir is the story of how the relentless pursuit of truth, in virtually every major theater of war in the twenty-first…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

3 authors picked It's What I Do as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Whenever I give a talk about Dickey Chapelle, I’m always asked why she did it. Why did she risk her life for so many years to cover conflict? I, too, wondered this same thing when I started writing about her, and in truth, I didn’t have a clue. 

I began to turn to accounts by other women photojournalists for insight, and I found a great deal in this book. Like Chapelle, Addario has an incredible capacity to connect with those she photographs. There is a palpable sense of empathy in her work—and one that is not easily come by. 

From…

From Lorissa's list on female war correspondents.

It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War is the memoir of Lynsey Addario, a photojournalist who is called to cover multiple wars in the Middle East and Africa. This book not only spans Addario’s professional journey to capture the utter devastation of life in the midst of war, but also her struggles to find a reasonable balance between her dangerous yet fulfilling career and the personal relationships in her life - something many women face! If you want an absorbing read and to be inspired, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Lynsey Addario, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner, has spent a career finding truth through the lens of her camera. After documenting the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., she braved danger to reveal both Taliban cruelties and the devastation caused by the chaotic war waged by the U.S. that followed. Addario's book. It's What I Do is more than just the inspirational personal story of a woman photojournalist, it provides witness to the horrors and injustice of war in hotspots like Iraq, Darfur, and the Congo. Her account of her kidnapping by pro-Qaddafi forces during the Libyan civil…

If you love It's What I Do...

Ad

Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

Want books like It's What I Do?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like It's What I Do.

Browse books like It's What I Do

Book cover of How to Avoid Being Killed in a Warzone
Book cover of You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War
Book cover of On the Front Line: The Collected Journalism of Marie Colvin

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,210

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like It's What I Do, you might also like...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

5 book lists we think you will like!