Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant - Sobering - Vivid
Review: This is simply a brilliant study of the downing of two American Blackhawk Helicopters in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 and the fight between the American rescuing forces and the Somalian militia.Bowden did a stunning job of gathering personal stories from both sides, rebuilding the fight on a minute by minute basis and writing it with a vividness worthy of a best selling novel. It is a very sobering and very realistic reminder of how dangerous war can be, how easy it is to become overconfident with disastrous results, and how different standards and experiences can be in other countries. Anyone who would like to better understand the modern world and the role of violence in our times would learn by reading this book. Every serious citizen of American survival should read it.
Rating: 
Summary: one hell of a read...
Review: A mind blowing account of international intervention gone horribly wrong. My heart goes out all those who died on those streets and the families that lost them. I had to force myself to wade through the arrogance and the frequent hoo-ra!centric world view of the narrator to fully experience this truly sad and graphic story of modern war. The blaise way in which US soldiers shoot other human beings with little evidence of remorse or relfection is something I struggled with as I read. But I would be hard pressed to find another novel that is as edgy and aggressive, that at times I had to remind myself that I was not reading fiction. I never knew that bullets could do so much different damage to the human body. Oceans to blood...oceans of tears.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it--with reservations
Review: There's quite a bit to admire about Mr. Bowden's work--his attention to details, his willingness to Get It Right, the pacing of the book. All of these things make reading this book a not unenjoyable process except for one nagging thing: IT'S A WAR! People are dying and suffering. The Sammies--might I add that this is not a bit dehumanizing--the Rangers, the Rangers' families. They're all in the middle of life and death struggles and no one seems to want to stop it. These are, in fact, what our men are trained to do in fact. They want to bring the long arm of the U.S. military down on whoever gets in their way because they've been conditioned to want this. Despite what we know about Third World diplomacy and the futility of dealing with conditions like Mogadishu, Bosnia, etc. our response is to blow everything to bits, most of the time. "We're just soldiers and just doing out jobs," seems to be the rationalization that propels men into battle and which they throw over their conduct while in battle and yes, thank God so many have done this, but when is it going to stop? The answer, I know, is never. But the fact that the movie rights for this book have been optioned by a man who's reponsible for the most successful military agit-prop ever ("Top Gun") bothers me even more. People will make war with or without "Top Gun" but must they look forward to it? While in the middle of battle must they feel as if they've stepped into a movie? Because their real lives feel like movies are they more inclined to continue wars and thus keep the movie going indefinitely? I hope we never find out.
Rating:
Summary: The Saving Private Ryan of Books
Review: This book is one of the most graphic and intense military reads of all time. No other book I've read has captured the intensity of combat like this one. From start to finish, the reader actually feels like they are in the the thick of things. A five star great read.
Rating:
Summary: Story of Modern Warfare
Review: This book is truely amazing. It tells of how the elite soldiers of the US fought against an entire army of Somali soldiers. Even though the US soldiers were greatly outnumbered, most of then survived. The book also shows you the sacrifices of the soldiers, and horrors of modern weapons. If you ever wanted to know anything about what kind of missions Delta Force, and Task Force Ranger goes through, this is the book to read. A Great Book!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent narrative, just a few editorial problems
Review: I found this book to be a gripping account of the Battle of Mogadishu. The story is well written, with character development and an honest attempt to show both the American and the Somali perspectives of the battle. I have not read much about modern warfare, and this was an amzing peek inside the dynamics of the modern military, the ethos of soldiering, and the competition between special forces and regualr units. Plus, it was a both an exhillarating account of modern battle and a heart breaking story of tradgedy. My only criticism is of the editing. There are many soldier's stories to follow, and mush of their character development took place early. So I often found myself flipping to the index to reference where I had read about this soldier or that one, etc. The index, however was incomplete and innacurate. Some of the page listings did not reference the topic at all, others were mis- numbered, etc. As far the book goes, though, it was great and I highly reccomend it!
Rating:
Summary: Never Forgotten!
Review: All Highschool and College students must read this book. The sacrafices made will NEVER be Forgotten. Being a Firefighter/Paramedic I especially admired the dedication and heroism of all the combat medics and how they continuously cared for their fallen brothers during the thickest of battle. YOU ALL ROCK!
Rating:
Summary: Mogadishu massacre.
Review: Mr. Bowden has done a fantastic job of re-creating the October 1993 firefight between mostly U.S. forces and militia loyal to warlord Mohamed Aidid which left almost 2 dozen Americans and hundreds of Somolians dead. He does not focus on the political aspects of this nightmare any more than needed, this is most truly a war story. Mr. Bowden explains how he was able to interview so many combatants and provides copious amounts of notes to back things up. Mr. Bowden went so far as to visit Mogadishu to interview Somolian combatants (who tried to sell him the helmets of downed American aviators) which must have been a story in itself. Equipment, tactics, personel and weapons are described in depth. There are parts of this book that I imagine the government would not have made public if it were up to them. The description of the fight in downtown will have you ducking as Somoli gunmen fire AK-47s and RPG rockets from crowds, alleyways, windows and rooftops, helicoters swoop in guns blasting, shellcases falling like rain as one by one American soldiers are hit. I really wish some of the decision makers that have deployed American forces to other hot spots around the world would read this. It's a great book, but it's so sad.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Tribute to the Soldiers who fought in Mogadishu!
Review: This book presented an incredible way to look at modern war. A story of soldiers in a forgotten war was one of the best books i have ever read. It was a beutiful tribute to those soldiers who fought and gave their lives in a battle no one remembers including myself before i read this book. It was a detailed account of battle which read like fiction you'll never put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Important Reading
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Black Hawk Down. The book's subject matter has been overlooked for years by the American public. Given a hanful of American citizens, few can even point out on a map where the Battle of Mogadishu took place. The bottom line is this--seventeen Americans died for all of us in a foriegn African city. The least that we could possibly do is read this amazing account of the bravery and fortitude that our young people displayed in the longest sustained firefight since the Vietnam war. Mark Bowden captures the pain, frustration, and terror that went throught the minds of our soldiers. He also discusses the exeptional professionalism and self-sacrifice that are the among the finest traditions of the U.S. Military. This book should be required reading for anyone thinking about joining the military, and all American citizens who want to hear the truth of modern day warfare.
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