Book Report

Lynsey Addario had no ordinary childhood and I believe this is what contributed to her love of photographing intense moments in war. It takes a special kind of person to have that kind of drive and passion for what they believe in. You must posses a lot of qualities to want to photograph the aftermaths of war, because it is no easy task.  Keep in mind that most people run away from war instead she follows it knowing that there is danger ahead. Insane would be the correct word to describe her.  I just simply  believe that she has taken it upon herself to reveal the truth no matter how ugly it is.

Two themes that I saw in Addario's photos throughout the novel was her ability to capture emotion while keeping the photo fairly casual. Her style is unique, and really gives the observer an explanation of what is going on in the photo.  These styles were best portrayed in the photographs of the Afghan women shielding their faces at the women's hospital in Kabul, May 2000 on page 146-147. Another good example would be on the same page of the young afghans who were listening to music for the first time since the fall of the Taliban. The photo of the women shielding their faces really captures the emotion of war, and the one the young afghans listening to music is very casual makes you feel like you are apart of the crowd.

I think page 31-32 really helped me with my photography, and was probably the most informative section of the book to me. This section taught me how to look for light in a room or picture, and how to fill my frame on the viewfinder. This information came from Bebeto her mentor, and I found it the most useful. It read “He explained how to enter a room and look for the light by the window, or from a door slightly ajar. He taught me about composition. He showed me how to fill the frame of my viewfinder with the subject and important contextual information- something that lent the image a sense of place.” I could really relate with this section of the book and it definitely helped me while shooting for my photo story assignment.

My favorite photo was of the Cuban couple watching Fidel Castro on TV at home, in 1997. The reason I believe I like this photo so much is because I can relate to it. I say this because that is a latin household and I come from a latin background, and my grandparents would be in the same exact posture as the people in the photograph. The photo also includes the television which lets you know why the couple looks so disappointed. Addario tells a story in this photograph, and captures the emotion of the couple very well.

The quote that most resonated with me from her came on page 184 “A bunch of young American who should have been out drinking beers at bars back home and living up their early twenties were instead carrying the lifeless body of their dearest friend through the lonely mountains of Afghanistan- a place that no one would care about twenty years from now. I wondered what we were doing there when so many others had failed to occupy afghanistan in the past. Were we trying to influence and change a culture that was a hundred years old? We were in what seemed like the most desolate place on earth, with no people around, neither Afghans nor Americans, and I wondered why we were there, fighting in a forest in the name of democracy. We were giving our lives for a policy that wasn't working-something completely intangible” I liked this quote because it describes how I feel about war in general word for word.

I would probably recommend this to my mom because much like Lynsey Addario she also has a troubled past, and I feel like she could really relate with Addario. My mom is also a domestic abuse counselor, who takes great pride in women empowerment. I don’t really have friends that read for fun. I don't even read for fun, but I do have plenty of relatives that could take an interest in Addario's story.