Rating: 
Summary: Great account of modern war.
Review: I was interested in the contrast in conditions of combat I noted in reading the gripping new WWII novel, "The Triumph and the Glory", and the equally riveting "Blackhawk Down." How times have changed for soldiers, nothing is as simple as it once was. But before I make a ten minute speech, just buy both these fine books and you'll see what I mean.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for infantrymen past ,present,and future
Review: As a Marine grunt this book gives an excellent insight into high intencity ,low conflict situations our elite forces are dealing with.It also gives a great description of a small battle that can happen anywhere at anytime.The SpecOps community andMarine Corps have been dealing with this situation for over forty years .It's about time a modern version has come about to show the fear ,bravery ,and over all fog of war which dominates todays battlefield.This is a must read for anyone in the infantry or combat arms field.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Excellent story that was very difficult to put down. Throught the story, I always had the "I am there" feeling. Bowden also stuck to his guns by telling us what he promised: about the batle and not spending a lot of time discussing politics. The only complaint (albeit small) is that the book needed a few more maps and a cast of characters. I put the book down for a few days and then had trouble remembering who and where evryone was.On D-Day, I would also like to give thanks to all the veterans who have made it possible for ALL of us to live in the greatest country in the world. Thanks guys (and gals).
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Summary: Somali as it really was
Review: I spent 10 months in Somalia, arriving after this incident. Bowden has truely captured the essence of the Somali people, politics, country, and the mission. One of the best battle narratives I have read.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling account of an incredible battle - a must read
Review: Reading this book over the Memorial Day weekend added weight and meaning to this very powerful account of Americans dying for their country. I could not put this book down. All through the book I kept asking myself the question "why"? Its disturbing to think that so many lives were lost in a mission of such little importance. I have been troubled by the account on many levels but the book itself has the earmarks of being a classic - every American should read it.
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Summary: Hard Hitting, A Story America needs to hear!!
Review: From the beginning, this new found information was hard hitting, I could not put the book down. A must read for the military and recommended for politicians every where. God Bless you Rangers, thanks for your sacrifice. " Freedom has a flavor that the protected shall never know".
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Summary: The true story of what happened in Magadishu, Somalia
Review: I served as an infantry platoon leader and company commander in Viet Nam in 1968 and 1969. I have read many books about that war and war generally but I have never read a better telling of the story of men in war. This book is on a par with "We Soldiers Once and Young" for its unvarnished depiction of one of the watershed events in our recent military, political history. The author takes no sides, he is largely apolitical in his view and reconstructs that terrible day and night from first hand accounts. This book, in my view not the author's, shines a spotlight on the bankruptcy of the Clinton Regimes Foreign Policy. It should be read with the current conflict firmly in mind.
Rating:
Summary: As confusing as a bloody battle, but GREAT reporting
Review: As a reporter, Bowden has really hit this one out of the park. He takes a relatively forgotten and overlooked incident in a backwater African country and turns it into the poster child for the horrors of war. I have never read a more compelling account of what flying bullets will do to the human body. Bowden succeeds in spades in plunging the reader into the dusty, blood-drenched streets of the Somalian capital. However, Bowden introduces so many characters in so many different timelines, that it becomes nearly impossible to follow all the different threads of the story. If he had concentrated on only five or six major figures, it would have made it easier to follow the tragic tale. Nonetheless, this is an important book about the horrors of war and one I won't forget so quickly.
Rating:
Summary: A Great book in the tradition of Blind Man's Bluff.
Review: It's about time that true heroism found its way into the book stores. Bowden does for commandoes what Blind Man's Bluff does for submariners. He shows that there is real gut-wrenching heroism behind the headlines and that these stories should and must be told. Both these books are a window into worlds that most people would never otherwise experience. Here is proof that tales of risk and valor are worth telling. Read them both.!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The forgotten battle comes to life!
Review: Bowden brings us into the battle zone and onto the streets of Mog. I can almost feel the lead smacking into the wall behind me and can almost hear the hearts of the Rangers pounding as 99 U.S. Soldiers take on an entire city. I first learned of Blackhawk Down by reading excerpts in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. I found the excerpts to be vivid and engaging. I couldn't wait for the book to be available. When it was, I wasn't disappointed. In fact, it was better than I had imagined.
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