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Summary: SUPER-SIX FOUR GOING DOWN
Review: This is one of the best books that I have ever read. This book shows that war is not just glory. It showes the bound between men in combat. I loved this book and it captured my imagination. I would recomend the book to anyone who is intersted in military history or who just wants a good book to sink thier teeth into!
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Summary: The Best Military Book I've Ever Read
Review: I only had a superficial knowledge of U.S. involvement until I read this book. To say it was an eye-opening experience is an understatement. Bowden does an amazing job of showing the horror of modern urban warfare without demonizing the Somalis and showing the American soldiers as the men they truly are. Heroes. It is sad to say that good intentions never solve s situation totally, but the gripping accounts that Bowden makes in this book truly caught me. Buy this book, buy it now, and give yourself an afternoon to sit down and read. You won't be sorry.
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Summary: Readable but not objective
Review: The book is about an incident in the peacekeeping mission of the US forces in Somalia. In broad outline a number of elite soldiers a ranger force attempted to kidnap some Somali civilians....From reading this book one gets the impression that the whole exercise was deeply flawed. The rangers did not seem to be able to connect with the local population at all dismissing them as "Skinnies". The Rangers described a small gauge German automatic pistol not as a pistol, but as a "Skinnie Popper". The story the Rangers tell is of an adventure in which the enemy is hardly human more like aliens in a science fiction movie. This is despite the fact that the US had been in Somalia for some 10 months. One wonders what was meant to be achieved by the kidnap of individual leaders. The reality seemed to have been that Somalia had fragmented and that there was no defined single opposition to the peacekeepers, rather there was a myriad of factions. One would have thought that if the Rangers had succeeded in their kidnap it would not have ended the conflict as another rebel group would have sprung up. One also wonders about the military logic of landing people from helicopters in urban areas remote from support when the local population were equipped with hand held rocket launchers. This sort of incident was surely the sort of thing that was likely to happen. The author interviewed some of the Somali's including a member of Adid's faction and another who he describes as a mercenary. The first describes how previous raids by the Americans had not been well directed and led to civilian deaths. This made it easy for Adid to demonize the Americans and to make resistance to them popular. The second Somali describes his own role but it is not clear if the resistance was organized or largely spontaneous. Most of the book however relates to the American side of things. Occasionally the author has his Somali informants speak not as normal people speak but has them doing sons of the desert imitations. He has his informants saying things like "they dropped from the great birds in the sky" rather than using normal expressions. Other language by the Rangers is reasonably derogatory of the Somali's speaking of firing at "swarms of excited skinnies". This incident in fact would objectively be seen as a big victory for General Adid . Against well led highly trained troops a number of poorly armed civilians have defeated a major power and forced them off the African continent. This view of things the author fails to pick up on till the very end of his book. One would be interested to see how Aidid was able to mobilize support when the country was collapsing but this the author does not explore. One also wonders at what the leaders of the Rangers were trying to do and if they thought through their strategy. The impression the book gives is that the Rangers and their leaders lived in a boys own type adventure and had little comprehension of the complexity of the real world.Despite that they are clearly disciplined and brave men. It seems that their leaders were poorly equipped to undertake such a mission and the one person who comes out of the story with some positives is President Clinton who realizes when to cut his losses and get out. Despite all this the book is gripping and easy to read.
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Summary: Tanner's Review
Review: Black Hawk Down is a great story of modern war. The book gave me a greater understanding of what combat is like. It was great how it all flowed together even though it did not go in order. It was intresting to read about how the operation went and what men were doing and thinking. I highly recomend this book if you want to get a greater under standing of war and its affects on people.
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Summary: must-read!
Review: gripping and heart-stopping suspense. i couldn't put it down. this is one hell of a war story. brilliantly written with the absolute realism. highly recommanded. can't wait for the movie.
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Summary: Absolutely Gripping
Review: I don't usually read documentaries, but picked this book up on a friend's recommendation. And it was worth it. The author reconstructs, from words of U.S. soldiers, those opposing the U.S. soldiers, and transcripts, the horrific mission which went literally to hell. In the honest telling of a story in which most of us would shiver to imagine ourselves, I read about the fears, the deaths, the comeraderie, and courage of the soldiers who found themselves stranded and at the center of a unbelievable gunfight. It is not a book that exhalts the United States, or even warfare. It is not a book that aims to glorify the bloody, cruel, and inhumane act of war. It depicts the soldiers in fear, being shot at, crying and screaming, and struggling just to stay alive. It depicts clashes among the ranks, and pride getting in the way of the mission. Yet, in the end, it is the luck and pluck of these ordinary men giving their lives for their country which remain with you, regardless of what the Governments and Military intended or forced upon them. It is no wonder, that once the book came out, it has become a required reading in the military itself. Even though it brings out its own dirty laundry, you cannot help but to bow your head in respect for their courage and service. dulce et decorum est pro patria mori I don't support military actions, I don't support warfare (though I admit it seems to be in human nature), I don't support the U.S. "intervention", I don't support massacres of people in the name of security - But I respect these men, and what they did. The author wrote the book saying the men "deserve to be remembered" and it does a great job.
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Summary: To a reader in Detroit
Review: Hmm. Never been in the military huh. I am an ex-Ranger that read what you had to say and thought you needed a little advice. You talk as though you think the Rangers and the Delta force just make up their own missions and carry them out at their own discretion. These men may be the best but that means nothing when their commander in chief and polititians posing as Generals are making the faulty decisions behind the use of these elite troops. Do you really think these units would have repeated these tactical missions over and over if it was up to them? Wake up you fool! The term proud is used when these men are thrust into this situation and how they handled the horror that insued once those decisions were made by polititians who really had no place to make them in the first place. Why the hell do you think military service is a factor in Presidential elections? A correct statement from you might have been...America has nothing to be proud of when it comes to politics in Somolia. Rangers and Delta teams are not political creatures. Unfortunatley they are often chess pieces in a game of poker. Remember that.
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Summary: The best book in a while
Review: I read this book over memorial day weekend, so perhaps that holiday influenced my view of the novel. However, having only heard media reports of U.S. engagement in Somalia, this book was not only an eye-opener, but a truly heroic story of men at war. The simple fact that these men perservered through the situtation they were stuck in is a testament to their bravery and commitment. There is no way for me to correctly describe the skill Mr. Bowden uses to write this book, to bring all the charachters to life and to make the reader feel like he/she is on the streets of Mogadishu with the soldiers. If you want to lose yourself in a book for a good long time, buy this. Buy it now.
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Summary: rayjoy@ipa.net
Review: I Have read many books about the Rangers, being a VietNam era Ranger myself.This is by far the best I have ever read. Mark puts you right in there with the men, as they fight for their lives. One reveiwer said Mark did not put much about the Delta Force in this book, but the reader must remember that most of the Delta Force people are sworn to keep their exploits secret. I think there was enought in the book about the Delta Force to let you know what kind of people the Somalis were dealing with. The Rangers are a very well trained bunch of young men , but the Delta Force this is their specialty. I have read the book twice and plan on reading it again in the future. Roadrunner 6 out
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Summary: Awsome suspense book.
Review: You never know what'll happen next. Detailed maps to go with the story helps you stay with the book. The story itself has alot of detail. Must read today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
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