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Summary: Close up of the battle, but lacks context and somali view
Review: Bowden does an excellent job recounting the battle here. The detail is excellent and gives the reader a very good picture of how the Battle of Mogadishu played out. What is missing is the larger context of the overall Somalia crisis. For example, there is no analysis of what role the Somali warlord Aidid played in coordinating the battle, nor of the broader American mission there. Bowden makes a few attempts to give the Somali perspective, but they are disjointed at best. All that said, Bowden admits his goal was not to write a comprehensive history of the situation. He does an excellent job of what he set out to do-- recount the battle. But as a reader, I found myself wishing for more information about the larger context. In short, he does a great job answering who, what, when, and where, but leaves alot of unanswered whys.
Rating: 
Summary: A great read
Review: This is one of the best battle books I have ever read. The level of detail and the writing style is extraordinary. I had great difficulty putting the book down-I recommend this book to anyone interested in military history.
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Summary: A completely different perspective
Review: I enjoy reading military thrillers but I guess I was totally unprepared for the reality of this book. In fictional war accounts, the US never does anything wrong and the dramatic action of a super soldier averts disaster. This book reminds us that war is not fiction. The fear and pain of the real life soldiers is felt throughout the story. Many military novels talk about the fact that few plans survive combat. However, this is one of the few books that demonstrates clearly how true this statement is. The Army "knew" that their Black Hawks could not be shot down. Only as an afterthought did they assign a rescue team. Who would have expected two Hawks would be shot down? And for once, solidiers admit their fear. They acknowledge that they don't "want" to go back into the battle. But they do so because it is their duty. Anyone who believes in the glory of battle must read this book. As many of the participants in this raid admitted, combat is far more real than they expected.
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Summary: Great book by a really nice guy
Review: I'm reading this book right now and I love it, and its not the typical book for me to read either. I got an autographed copy of the book from my school's bookstore (makes sense since I do go to a military school). I was invited to the Military Writer's Symposium that my school does every year and I meet Mark Bowden. He has encouraged me to write and do what I love to do. He's a super nice guy and his book is great. Hope that you read it an enjoy it.
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Summary: Black Hawk Down
Review: As an ex-member of the 10th SF and having served during the same time as this operation, I found it unbelievable that all this took place without any real acknowledgement to the degree of the fighting and the losses that occurred. I was in Brindisi, Italy at the same time in support of Operation Provide Promise/Deny flight(Bosnia) with the seals and the pj's. The true devastation of Task Force Ranger was never even known to us who were so closely related to those involved. This is the best book I have ever read. Non-stop from cover to cover.
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Summary: Black Hawk Down
Review: Black Hawk Down is not a great literary accomplishment, but it never professes to be one. Rather it is an often too real account of a horrid war which destroyed the lives of good people who tried to do their jobs. I was struck, having been friends with one of the brave men who lost their lives, by the intensity of the account and the insight Mr. Bowden had into the personalities of these fine people. I cried hysterically throughout my reading of this because it was not fiction, and Tom Clancy and the like could never replicate it. This was and is real; it reads like a narrative of true stories and impressions because that is what it is. Here, in this book, one relives the moments of confusion, frustration, fear, and bravery. Everything is raw and riveting. The very fact that Mr. Bowden was given access into the closed ranks of the Rangers and Special Forces attests to the trust those soldiers have in him. I thank him for allowing me into the final moments of a dear friend, James Smith. I will miss him, but his memory lives on in our hearts and in this Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down.
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Summary: A study in MOOTW?
Review: Recommended book for every military professional. Goes beyond the politics and strategic-operational disconnect and examines the human nature of combat. However, Bowden has created an objective portrayal of a battle that speaks well beyond the tactical context and events. It shows (my opinion) the evolution of the military from post cold war and desert storm into the more difficult environment of asymmetrical warfare. Highlights our shortcomings in regards to really understanding culture and environment and how important a cultural preparation of the battlefield can be during mission analysis. In Bowden's writings there are many "take-aways" that remain relevant today as we continue to flounder in a "UN-Nation Building environment." I have never before felt such a range of emotions reading a book, with pride being the overwhelming feeling by far. The events of Somalia have shaped how the US makes strategic decisions today and can clearly be seen in events as recent as Kosovo. Bravo Zulu to Mark Bowden in his work that I believe will be classified as a classic of Modern Warfare.
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Summary: Miles away from Tom Clancy!
Review: An excellent account of the incident in Mogadishu, of an operation gone wrong. Unlike Tom Clancy's thrillers, where everything American works smoothly and efficiently, this was real-life: poor command, poor planning, poor communication, poor teamwork. Seems that all the criticisms that Richard Marcinko writes about in his books about the US Military were vaild here, despite obvious bravery from the poor soldiers on the ground. Although very heavily written from the US side, the author tries to include the Somalian view, though it is submerged under excessive analysis of their loss. A book worth reading to learn about the reality of a firefight.
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Summary: A gripping account of modern war - a must-read!
Review: Sadly, modern warfare is "fed" to the American public in a very sanitized, video-game sort of fashion. We don't see some of the horrific images our parents and grandparents saw. As a result, unfortunately, the ordinary soldier gets overlooked. "Black Hawk Down" bucks that sanitized look at war by dropping you into the midst of a horrifying battle. I read a lot of historical works, and this book is sure to go down as one of the classics of military history as time progresses. Very few historians are able to capture an account of battle in all its confusion, horror, and other emotions. But thanks to a tremendous amount of research, a journalist manages to pull it off. This book has the effect of a punch in the face, because it does show the risk our soldiers faced in Somalia, and how lucky they were not to rack up more casualties. My only criticism of the book is that the author seems to make no judgments in his lengthy conclusion and afterword. While making judgments are not always a good thing in documenting history, this operation screamed for some fault to be doled out to any variety of people - from Clinton on down. There were tactical errors aplenty, a doomed policy (trying to settle a centuries-old clan war), and other things that contributed to the outcome of this incident. To have pointed them out throughout the book, then not hold anyone/anything accountable in nearly 30 pages of personal opinion (the conclusion and afterword) seems to be a glaring omission. That criticism aside, the account of the battle itself is outstanding and reads very quickly. Once the action gets rolling, it's hard to put this book down. I would recommend it as a must-read, because it is operations like this need to be factored into future situations where men are called into combat. Not that it be an excuse not to go to war; simply so that as technology advances, we don't forget the human aspects of warfare.
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Summary: An American Isandlwana
Review: First of all, it is important to understand what this book is, and what it is not. It is a good oral history of what the soldiers of TF Ranger felt like during what was for most of them, their first taste of combat. It is a very accurate portrayal of young men at war which, is why I gave it three stars. However, I was looking for a little more than that from this book. I was hoping for an accurate military history of the firefight of Oct. 3rd and 4th which, it is not. 99% of this book is about the pinned down SOF which, was really only half the battle. The other half was the rescue attempt by the QRF and UN allies which, is totally ignored in this book. The Malaysian soldier who died was no less brave than any American soldier who died. In fact, he should be eulogized more, because he died trying to save the soldiers of another country whom he had no obligation to. I realize the soldiers who fought in Mogadishu consider this book to be their "monument," but that shouldn't blind us to the inescapable truth of what really happened that day. Although the veterans claim that they were up against "thousands of Somalis," this statement has to be qualified. In a Congressional Review, US Army officers have said that there were only 300 trained SNA soldiers in that part of the city. The rest of the Somalis were an untrained and undisciplined mob of men, women and children. This mob was largely unarmed and had to wait for one of their own to get killed, so they could then pick up the weapon and fire wildly in the direction of US soldiers. Their lack of accuracy can be imagined, as the low death toll of US soldiers attests to. If the Somalis had been in any way tactically competent, they would have caused many more casualties then they did. Let's face it, the US Army wasn't exactly up against the quality of the Waffen SS here. Obviously, the firefight was not as one sided as it has been claimed. Although the Spec Ops were a little outnumbered in men, that was made up for in air power. TF 160 and QRF gun-ships simply hosed down all moving targets in the city. If it wasn't American, it was dead. The majority of the killing was done by the gun-ships. This book tries to make Oct. 3rd sound like it wasn't a total US defeat by using the "Vietnam yard-stick of victory" which, is the body count. Playing the numbers game does not make this a victory. The truth is that a few hundred pathetic Somalis managed to shoot down five helicopters from our best aviation unit, kill 19 soldiers from our best combat units and wound almost a hundred more. In 15 hours, the Somalis rendered TF Ranger and the QRF "combat ineffective." Immediate replacements for TF 160, Delta, Rangers and 10th Mtn. were brought in-country to make up for the loss. This battle was a tactical and strategic defeat for America, as we had to depart from Somalia with our tail between our legs just like we did in a similar situation in Beirut ten years before. I got the impression that the author was trying to turn this humiliating defeat into an American Dunkirk, when in fact, it as more of an American Isandlwana. And of course, whenever the US Army fails, it starts throwing medals around like they were going out of style. Napoleon was right about baubles. My critique of this book was meant in no way to take anything away from the individual soldiers who saw action that day. You guys are the real thing. Although, I wasn't in Mogadishu myself on October 3rd, I did spend a few months on QRF in that hellhole and so have an inkling of what it was like. Overall, a good book...but the truth of Oct 3rd has still yet to be written.
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