Mark Bowden - Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

Pros: Well written account of bravery above and beyond the call of duty.
Cons: Only the dead have seen the end of war. Plato

When the first bullet goes by your head, politics and all that other &^%$ goes right out the window. ”Irene,” crackled over the radio headset. “&^%$* Irene,” relayed CWO Mike Durant to the crew and passenger ...

Pros: Well researched and written
Cons: None

I was about eighteen when I met my first Ranger. My unit had gone down to Fort Lewis Washington to conduct training with the US Army. It was something that we looked forward to with mixed feelings. On the one hand we would have ample time to visit the ...

Pros: Simply riveting, excellent account of a strange battle.
Cons: Depressing, wears you down.

I received "Black Hawk Down" as a Christmas gift. Frankly, all I could remember about the 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, it was a peace keeping, UN mission gone awry. I truly had forgotten about this battle. However, through the magic reporting...

Pros: Amazing Detail
Cons: Shaky Conclusion

Pros: Gripping detailed account of real warfare that you can taste.
Cons: Very detailed; not an easy read unless you're into the subject matter.

Mark Bowden's gripping account of a little-publicized raid by some of America's best-trained fighting men in Somalia in 1993 is compelling and disturbing. It manages in objective journalistic style to both make you admire raw individual and collective...

Pros: Very true-to-life, easy to identify with the solders and their situation, a real story.
Cons: It was somewhat difficult to keep up with who was where.

I picked up this book before leaving on a trip to read on the plane. I wasn't sure if I would like the book, but it came highly recommended from a friend, so I thought I'd give it a try. I don't read very often, but I've enjoyed all of Tom Clancy's...

Pros: A very well written well researched book
Cons: American solders killed and dragged through the streets

This book is well written and thoroughly researched on the battle of Mogadshu Somalia, October 3&4 1993. Mr Bowen is a reporter, he interviewed many of the Rangers and some of the Delta Force operators (this has to be impossible because Delta Forces...

Pros: Descriptive, realistic writing puts you right at the scene.
Cons: Some information could be insensitive to the soldier's family members.

Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, is an account of American special forces' missions in Somolia in 1993.

After seeing an interview with the author on ABC News, I immediately read this book and loved it. The book has incredible detail that places...

Pros: Fast paced, thought provoking
Cons: May evoke strong emotions in the reader

"Blackhawk Down" is an account of "Bloody Sunday", a battle between Americans and Somalis that occurred on Sunday, October 3, 1993. Eighteen Americans and over 500 Somalis died. This blurb on the bookjacket understates the impact of...

Pros: Exciting, fast paste, true
Cons: Adequate but sketchy background

I caught an interview with the author, Mark Bowden, and thought the book was worth a look.
He does an excellent job of immersing the reader in America's worst fire fight since Vietnam. By obtaining hundreds of first hand accounts of both American...

Pros: excellent investigative journalism
Cons: sometimes, more information than we need to know

I could, if I tried, probably think of a handful of books that I’ve read that have moved this old goat to go misty. Certainly, history is not a genre, that emotes the frustration and tears I felt after reading Mark Bowden’s “Black Hawk Down: A Story...

Pros: Unique inside look at modern war
Cons: May be too bloody for some

Anyone who gives a hoot about America's ongoing geo-political struggles--which too often seem to be accompanied by the deployment of U.S. troops--needs to read this book.

"Black Hawk Down" is a comprehensive, from-the-bottom up account of an...

Pros: many, many people and details to remember
Cons: many, many people and details to remember

My opinion on Black Hawk Down can be summarized in just a few words. A close friend who is a member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), a component of that battle in Somalia, described what happened. What the soldier couldn't tell...

Pros: Very realistic insight into modern battlefield action.
Cons: With so many characters it's hard to get to "know" any character real well.

Perhaps no other book takes you to the modern battlefield and immerses you in the sights and sounds, the emotions and the personalities, like Black Hawk Down does.

This is the story of an elite group of Rangers and Delta Force soldiers who are...

Pros: Well Written
Cons: No Movie Yet

Mark Bowden helped bring back what happened in Somalia October 3-4,1993. It all tells the story of Task Force Ranger dealing with Army Rangers,Army Delta,SEALS,10th Mountain Division,and a combat unit from the Airforce.

The only reason I...