Former journalist Mary Cronk Farrell skillfully relates the story of a remarkable young woman who overcame great odds to capture the Vietnam War on film. Catherine Leroy dared to venture into the "almost exclusively masculine business" of war and war photography and, thanks to her bravery and empathy, the United States received glimpses of the realities happening on the other side of the world.
Leroy, undeterred by her inexperience, gender or petite size (5-foot and less than 100 pounds), set her sights on being a war photographer. She saved to buy a camera, strapped it on, left her home in France and marched into battle. The new photographer was still learning to use her camera and "carried half her body weight in gear" as she patrolled with U.S. soldiers, parachuted into combat with Marines, suffered a grave shrapnel wound and was captured by North Vietnamese forces. She positioned herself as close as possible, and "she focused on the moment when some aspect of war touched someone, soldiers and civilians alike." She put a face on an ugly, brutal conflict with her extraordinary sense of empathy.
Farrell (Standing Up Against Hate) narrates Leroy's exploits through interviews with those who knew her in Vietnam, the photographer's letters home, her quotes and, of course, her photographs. Leroy is not as well-known as her male counterparts in Vietnam, but Farrell's gripping biography has the potential to put a significant dent in that discrepancy. She brings her audience face-to-face with the determination, compassion and fortitude of this groundbreaking woman. Readers who meet Leroy through Close-Up on War will not forget her. --Jen Forbus, freelancer