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

The Bottom Line: Although Washington wouldn't commit, leaving Task Force Ranger to accomplish its mission with insufficient resources, the men acquitted themselves with valor and reflect honor on themselves and their country.

Review: 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: Simply riveting, excellent account of a strange battle.

Cons: Depressing, wears you down.

The Bottom Line: Compelling and intense, descriptive and factual. Shows the brutality of war.

Review: 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: 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.

The Bottom Line: This book is for people into Tom Clancy-style military books, only this story is the real thing, and it hammers that home with a nailgun.

Review: 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

Review: 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: Fast paced, thought provoking

Cons: May evoke strong emotions in the reader

Review: "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: Grippind, accurate account

Cons: none

The Bottom Line: Your perception of armed combat will be forever changed, likely youll forever want to avoid it

Review: After i was finished reading this book, i thought i was going to have flashbacks of my own. This book not only goes into absolutely pristine detail of the ordeal in Mogadishu, but it makes even the minutest details gripping. You can almost feel the storm...

Pros: Exciting, fast paste, true

Cons: Adequate but sketchy background

Review: 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: Well Written

Cons: No Movie Yet

Review: 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...

Pros: excellent investigative journalism

Cons: sometimes, more information than we need to know

Review: 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: Personal accounts; intensity

Cons: Lack of details on the aftermath

Review: I don't normally buy paperbacks so this was a departure for me; one that I certainly don't regret. As a child of the Vietnam era and an avid reader of its fiction and nonfiction writing, I did not expect to find a modern-era "war" read that...