To the team at National Geographic, who offer me the opportunity to work with one of the greatest photographic magazines in the world and who continue to push me to tell long-form stories with photographs: Sarah Leen, Ken Geiger, Elizabeth Krist, and Kurt Mulcher, and to David Griffin, who first brought me into the magazine. A special thank-you to those at the National Geographic Society, who include me in such prestigious company for lectures and exhibitions: Andrew Pudvah, Katherine Potter Thompson, Bob Attardi, Kathryn Keene, Jen Berman, and Melissa Courier.
The people and foundations who have generously given me grants to support long-term projects, and who have exhibited my work: the Nobel Peace Center, Open Society Foundation, Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography, Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women & Gender in the Arts & Media, Visa pour l’Image, Overseas Press Club, United Nations Population Fund, The Library of Congress, and Art Works Projects. A special thank-you to Aidan Sullivan, Leslie Thomas, Jean-Fran?ois Leroy, Sonia Fry, Christian Delsol, and Jane Saks.
One of my life’s great honors has been the MacArthur fellowship: I am so grateful to the MacArthur Foundation for recognizing my work and rewarding me with the gift of freedom to follow stories I believed in during the fellowship. This book would not have been possible without your support.
To James Salter: Thank you for your eloquence, and for allowing me to reproduce a passage from A Sport and a Pastime.
Donovan Robotham: I appreciate our longtime friendship and working relationship. You kept my finances organized, even when there weren’t any finances to organize!
The two greatest travel agents in the world, who make themselves available at all hours for obscure destinations: Elif Oguz at Bedel Tourism in Turkey, and Ashu at Sadhana Travels in New Delhi. You have helped get me everywhere I needed to be, when I needed to be there.
The organizations that do important and fearless work around the world and support me in the field: Médecins Sans Frontières, United Nations Population Fund, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and Save the Children.
The men and women in uniform from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines: You have helped keep me alive while navigating hostile terrain, and provided great company and a slice of home when we were anything but close to home. Lieutenant Colonel Bill Ostlund, Major Dan Kearney, and the men of 173rd Airborne, Battle Company: Thank you for your hospitality and your courage, and for trusting the integrity of our work. You enabled our uncensored view of life on the front lines in the Korengal Valley and our ability to witness and record the brutality of the war in Afghanistan. Sergeant Larry Rougle, may you rest in peace. Major Jason Brezler, USMC: Thank you for caring deeply about Afghanistan and its people, and for letting me accompany you on that ride in Nowzad.
A big thank-you to the kick-ass women in uniform who were working on the front lines of war well before women were allowed on the front lines: Captain Emily J. Naslund, USMC; CW3 Jesse Russell; Lieutenant, Nurse Corps, USN Amy Zaycek; Commander (CDR) Rupa J. Dainer; and Master Sergeant Julia Watson.
All the brave and dedicated interpreters and drivers: I could not have reported or photographed a single story without you. In Afghanistan: Jamila and Saida Emami, Arif Afzalzada, Abdul Waheed Wafa, and Zeba Alem. In India: Jaideep Deogharia, Abhra Bhattacharya, Pradnya Shidore, and Vinita Tatke. In Iraq: Sarah Aldhfiri and Sami al Hilali. The New York Times crew in Iraq, including Abu Malik, Warzar Jaff, Zainab Obeid, Qais Mizher, Husham Ahmed, Waleed al Hadithi, Khalid Hussein, Ayub Noori, and Yerevan Adham; in Lebanon, Hussein Alameh and Waled Kurdi; in Sierra Leone, Hawa Cawker; and in Sudan, Waleed Arafat Ali.
Sebnem Arsu, Lubna Hussein, Leena Saidi, Ranya Khadri, Sarah Aldhfiri—my female pillars in the region: I simply adore you. You make every assignment in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq fun, and feel like home.
To Tyler Hicks, my friend, a tireless, talented, principled photojournalist: Thank you for your companionship and encouragement during those dark days in Libya. Those small gestures pulled me through. Stephen Farrell and Anthony Shadid: Thank you for staying calm and centered, for finding humor in the bleakness, and for being strong and focused in Libya long enough to prevent our imaginations from running wild with the possibility of doom.
To all my colleagues who have provided the best company in the field and who have grown into family over the years: Ivan Watson, Samantha Appleton, Moises Saman, Tyler Hicks, Jo?o Silva, Michael Robinson Chavez, Michael Goldfarb, Spencer Platt, John Moore, Franco Pagetti, Michael Kamber, Quil Lawrence, Bryan Denton, Nichole Sobecki, Paula Bronstein, Kate Brooks, Stephanie Sinclair, Ruth Fremson, Anastasia Taylor-Lind, Carl Juste, Opheera McDoom, Newsha Tavakolian, and Thomas Erdbrink. And Monique Jaques—thank you for always being there to organize my life and images. A special thank-you to Bryan Denton, Michael Goldfarb, Kursat Bayhan, Chang W. Lee, Bruce Chapman, and Landon Nordeman for sharing your pictures with me for this book.