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Summary: Gripping, powerful...what war is really like!
Review: If Private Ryan was a means to visually simulate war, here is the real thing in words.Black Hawk Down takes you inside the US mission to Somalia. It shows you the courage of the US military and how 18 and 19 year olds are putting it on the line for our way of life. This book will grab you from page 1 and Bowden deserves a Pulitzer for this book. Buy it, borrow it but most of all READ IT!
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Summary: The closest most people will come to a real firefight
Review: Tells the soldier's stories without getting in their way while keeping you anchored in the flow of the battle. Best battle book I have seen in a long time. A most read for anyone advocating the use of American troops in peacekeeping and especially peacemaking operations. Dennis Lowrey LTC, US Army retired
Rating: 
Summary: A Cracking Good Read
Review: This is a cracking good read that scoops you right up in the choppers with the Rangers and Delta commandoes and drops you right in the heart of Mogadishu where everything is scarce except crazy-ass Somalis with AK-47s and RPGs. You can almost hear the bullets popping past your head. You can't help but admire our guys but at the same time feel a sympathy for Somalis shooting back at a force of foreigners shooting up their town.
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Summary: Anyone who says this book is "boring" hasn't read it
Review: This is the best book I have read in a long time. I never read over 300 pages of text so fast. A very good book and definately worth the money
Rating:
Summary: An excellent piece of journalistic work!
Review: Fantastically researched and well writen. Blackhawk Down puts the reader directly into the heat of the battle. Mr. Bowden presented a story of a great military power who has yet to adapt itself in the new world of urban warfare and how elite U.S. troops are place in needless danger by the politicians without military experience and unclear political mandates.
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Summary: It was not worth my money
Review: It was borin
Rating:
Summary: A fine, fine, book but only part of the story
Review: This book is one amazing piece of the larger Somalia debacle.Anyone who reads this book should also take the time to get the rest of the story to place it all in context. Thankfully, Mr. Bowden includes a bibliography. Be sure to read The Road to Hell by Michael Maren to get the picture from the angle of the humanitarian failure. But this is the only book you need from the military perspective.
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Summary: Brave Men, Under Dire Circumstances
Review: Without a doubt, this ranks as one of the best historical accounts of a battle I'm sure civilian America would rather forget. But to the combatants, I'm sure it's something that they never will. My hat's off to Mr. Bowden. For he finally proves to me that there ARE reporters out there that are willing to record what we have to say, and report it dilligently. As a former Spec Op soldier having never served in Solmalia, Mr. Bowden gives you the feeling of actually being there, which is very important. You're given a firsthand account of the confusion of battle, the gallantry done under fire, and the quickness of sudden death. And to my Ranger brothers and Delta Operators who fought there, and died--you'll never be forgotten by this ex-LRS man. You all did your mission well.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding...eye opening!
Review: I originally had one intent for reading this book. To gain some insight about what happened to a young man I had graduated high school with. He was Delta operator Daniel Busch. I remember vividly the friendly proclamations between he and I. Proclamations about who was joining the more elite fighting force. He was joining the Army to chase his dream of becoming a Ranger. I was joining the Marine Corps to prove something to myself and everyone I knew. Dan surpassed his goal of becoming a Ranger. He became one of the elite Delta Force operators. I am very proud of him and wish his family the best. As for the review of the book...it was simply one of the most thought provoking pieces of literature that I have ever read. I may be biased, but you deserve to read this. The detail achieved by interviewing everyone involved and then interlacing their stories is unbelievable. I felt I was a member of the unit on several occasions. A feeling which I hope never becomes reality. To every member of the Armed Forces of America, I salute you!Gunnery SergeantDaniel FandrichUnited States Marine Corps
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Summary: This is a must for anyone interested in military history.
Review: The book was thoroughly riveting and worth the time that I spent waiting for it's publishing. The information contained within the book was more than sufficient for readers of any level to develop a great sense of the mission and the problems that ultimately occured. In most military history accounts that I have read the writing appears to be distant and very analytical, not so in Black Hawk Down. I enjoyed this book, and the information it contained, very much.
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