It's What We Do - Book Report

Josiah Love

5/30/17

JN - 134

Rob Priewe

                                             “It’s What We Do” Book Report

From the very beginning, Addario’s sense of purpose, and will to succeed at her chosen field is inspiring. No matter what career you choose to pursue, you have to admire her absolute refusal to give up, through the hardest circumstances.

Whatever I choose to do in life, I won’t forget Addario’s passion and drive that she showed throughout this book. Whether she was being held prisoner in Libya, or in an active warzone throughout Afghanistan, she always held her work in priority to her own safety, and stayed true to herself and her goals.

Addario’s unique ability to capture beauty and truth during the most desperate of times really brings something fresh to the the field of photojournalism, and not only shines a light on situations, and puts our own lives in perspective, but also provides us with detailed visuals.  For me personally, her photos, as well as her vivid descriptions, really made me feel like I was there, experiencing the pain, the struggle, and the satisfaction of finally getting the perfect shot.

Some of my personal favorite moments were Addario’s vivid descriptions of Saddam Hussain’s fall, her photographs of children swimming in a lake that was once his palace moat. (pg. 128) She captured this, and moments like these, so well, it genuinely inspires me to travel, and to bring my camera as well!

Through every situation which Addario was thrust into, she persevered, with an attitude of privilege, rather than of being inconvenienced. This can be shown through her quote: “Where in the world would I rather be than on the front line of history?”.

This mindset is admirable, and all though the intensity and constant danger of her line of work may be too much for most of us to handle, we should all try and apply her paradigm to our own lives, no matter what we may be doing.