Rating: 
Summary: Riveting, disturbing but overhyped
Review: I picked up Black Hawk Down at the airport and didn't put it down until I arrived home 5 hours later. The account of the doomed operation was riveting in it's humanity. Knowing how the story ended, in the deaths of 19 American servicemen, made it like reading an accident report: I couldn't help but see all the places where individual decisions lead to group suffering. The graphic depiction of wounds was hard to get through, but made it more realistic. Unfortunatly, many readers look at the subtitle: "A story of modern war" and try to hold this work up as"THE story of modern war." In my opinion, this is not proof that we'll always need to put soldiers into face-to-face combat, or that urban combat is the 'wave of the future.' It's another story in a long line of military history where a mighty power has gotten in over it's head. It's a must-read for those American's who told the polsters during Kovoso to "send in the ground troops."
Rating: 
Summary: Emotional and Gripping
Review: Bowden's Black Hawk Down is superbly written. It is exciting, terrifying, and wonderfully engaging. Every word that Bowden put on the page contributes to my understanding of what it was like in 'Mog' back in '93. I've really enjoyed the different perspectives from which Bowden writes. He intertwines what a Ranger does, then tells you about a D-boy seeing it, and how a little-birds sees the same thing from above. The most interesting perspective is the few segments written through the eyes of the Somalis--some citizens and some armed militiamen--suddenly, I was forced to think about how things appeared to them. This book is a must read for anyone interested in modern war, history, or unconventional warfare. For anyone else, it is an adventurous look at the predictament of being an American at the turn of the century.
Rating:
Summary: A disaster.........waiting to happen !!!
Review: A book too difficult to put down. The QRF/RANGERS/DELTA FORCE are to be lauded for their bravery, as a disaster was just "around the corner". As many VIETNAM VETS will agree, American soldiers are too often over confident in their skills/expertise, while lacking respect for their "enemy". That's evident in BLACK HAWK DOWN. A must book to read for military personnel. After finishing the book, I mailed it to my son, a RANGER LT.
Rating:
Summary: Heart stopping. This is not John Wayne......it's REAL
Review: An excellent book! I couldn't put it down. I felt as if I were in the streets of MOG (all the while thanking God I wasn't)! This is a real depiction of conflict, not the hollywood hype. The men in the battle were at once brave, heroic & scared. The battle and it's events are illustrated in painstaking, if not sometimes overwhelming, detail. I have a newfound respect for the men of our armed services. How bravely they answer the call to duty. How, without question, they go to battle to defend our freedom. It is our responsibility to ensure that our troops are never put in harms way at the whim of politics. And to ensure that when they are called to risk their lives, our support should be for nothing less than OVERWHELMING force.
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Summary: Nonfiction and a nail-biting page-turner to boot!
Review: Simply stated, Blackhawk Down is leaps and bounds better than any fictional accounts of warfare that I have read, including Tom Clancy's myriad of novels. The book opens up with excitement and never lets go. Whereas many non-fictional accounts stumble through the boring prelude, reason for the mission, etc., Blackhawk Down goes straight to the action and gives historical anecdotes where needed to give a broader meaning to the story as it unfolds. Quite simply the most enjoyable book on modern warfare that I have ever read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: gripping
Review: excellent account of modern fighting capabilities and limitation
Rating:
Summary: Insightful commentary on policing the Third World
Review: BLACKHAWK DOWN is best account of simple courage under fire that I've experienced since reading the Second World War novel 'The Triumph and the Glory' last spring. But the storyline in war novels like Triumph can be created and crafted, what is amazing is that Mark Bowden has gathered an immense amount of facts and sorted through the chaos of that terrible time in Mogadishu and written a spellbinding book that should win every award there is. He has done a terrific job exploring the perils of trying to police Third World countries with our young men. Somalia was a classic no-win situation and Bowden's book makes me very glad we're not there anymore.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT BOOK!
Review: This book is well worth your time and money! Very good research! Has a fast-moving story which covers all the perspectives of the battle. Caution: contains realistic language.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: A well written account of the actual battle without the sensationalism most books on war have.
Rating:
Summary: Realism, personified. You can hear the bullet's wizzing by!
Review: Realistic portrayal of what happens to even the best trained soldiers when politics, poor equipment selection and a breakdown in communications occurs. It also show's the skill gap between the highly individualistic Delta special force units and other less specialised US army units.
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