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Summary: An important but mypoic work that must be viewed in context
Review: Mark Bowden's book is destined to be a classic. It is on the reading list of just about every US military school. It is exhaustively researched. Bowden interviewed participants on each side of the battle. And he had a wealth of official documents to draw on. He then weaves a tight story that holds you on the edge of your seat.Unlike the movie, some of the political background and the strategic situation is described, so the reader can follow the events described. However, the book focuses on the gritty and grisly details of the raid gone wrong that resulted in a blood bath for both sides. As good as the book is though, it only describes a small portion of the action that fateful day. For example, the story of the "Lost Platoon" is not mentioned at all. This platoon was part of the rescue force and found itself isolated and assailed in a manner similar to what happened to the Rangers. Therein lies the greatest danger of this book. By focusing on the heroic actions of the small group of Rangers and Delta force, one loses the overall perspective. Many that read this book will draw what I feel to be erroneous conclusions about urban warfare, particularly about the need for heavy armor in urban combat. Read this book, see the movie, but don't stop there. Do more research and learn about the USMC and 10th Mountain Div experience especially Captain Hollis' personal accout in Infantry Magazine which is also posted on the web.
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Summary: Relevant Reading for Today
Review: I write this review for those who don't know much about the military. Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden was an amazing read on so many levels. I say this even though I don't have much knowledge of military culture or it's jargon. The way Bowden reveals the events surrounding Oct 3, 1993 will capture your attention from the very beginning. He will tell you about the men (I mean, MEN) that couragously battled in Somalia, one by one. You will be so proud of the quality and caliber of MEN they call Rangers and D-boys. The book is also, for obvious reasons, action-packed and reads very fast. I am so greatful for this book but even more for every one of the MEN in the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Must read
Review: If you like military history or novels, than this book is a must. I am a big Clancy fan and this book reads like one of his (better) novels. Moreover, the research is incredibly detailed. I can't believe this guy went to Somalia for the book! Those who are expecting a recap of the movie may be mildly disappointed. However, the book is a documentary unlike the movie, and you can't fault the author or the book for it. Mr. Bowden did an excellent job.
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Summary: A tale of things to come
Review: A very interesting book in the sense that it allows the reader to experience a small taste of modern day warfare in a developing country. With most future military conflicts involving U.S. soldiers probably taking place in developing or third world countries, I feel this book is a great asset in overcoming the ignorance people have about war in general, and more specifically about the social and political situations that a large percentage of the world's population struggles to survive in. This glory, and gory account shows the brutality of urban warfare, the reactions of people who have nothing to lose, and most importantly the often forgotten and mis-represented horror and futility of war.
I don't usually give much attention to introductions or afterwords in a book, but the author's description of his research methods, reasons for writing the book in the first place, and general accounting of his experiences is wonderful. If you read this book, read it from cover to cover! My only criticism would be that this book in a peculiar way glosses over modern day warfare. In a battle where essentially less than 20 U.S. soldiers die, in a period of less than 48 hours, I felt giving this story eternal life in the pages of a book may not necessarily have been required. You could go to your local VFW or Elks club, and talk to veterans of america's previous wars who experienced a "black hawk down" scenario several times a week, during WWII, Vietnam, or Korea. The ideals and outcome of this story, have already found life in the pages of many excellent books thousands of times over. But, perhaps it is necessary to repeat the lessons learned so many times throughout human history, in order that we don't repeat them. An interesting quote from the book:
"War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade for the ultimate practitioner". Cormac McCarthy
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Summary: suddenly in the thick of things
Review: This is a terrific account of a US military engagement in the third world. The action starts seemingly with the opening paragraph and it continues throughout the book. It is the story of a battle seen through the eyes of the troops on the ground (with an occassional look from the helicopters). My initial reaction was to appreciate not having to go through a number of chapters methodically setting the stage for the action. Later I found I would have liked a bit more background to better understand how we got to this stage in our Somalian misadventure. I'm one of the many who thought we were still feeding the hungry when I heard about this engagement. The author's brief summation left me wanting a bit more. However, his moment by moment recount of the battle kept me gripping the edge of my seat (and I had seen the movie first). In many combat histories we can tell who isn't going to make it because they're the ones we get little background information on. In this book we get to know all of the soldiers and are emotionally involved with the losses in their ranks. Yet their losses are surprizingly minimal given the overwhelming odds they faced. This is an interesting view of the abilities of well-trained, well-armed brave men facing large numbers of poorly-trained, disorganized enemies. It is a view that Americans will gain reassurance from as our troops may find themselves engaged in battle in the months to come. Hopefully, though, they won't find themselves caught surrounded like they were in Mogadishu. This is a timely book and should be read by all who have even a passing interest in the immediate future activities of our military. It should also be read by those who would like to appreciate the quality of men in our armed services and the sacrifices they recently made. They're ready to make them again.
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Summary: Better the Second Time
Review: After reading "Black Hawk Down" the first time, I was not overly impressed -- there was little context, little development of character or storyline, etc. Then I realized that I was used to reading "big texts" on war, such as Keegan's analysis of World War I. Dolt that I am, I was comparing apples and oranges. On a second read, I appreciated "Black Hawk Down" for what it is, an edge-of-your seat page-turner. Mark Bowden brings the characters to life within the framework of a brief event, and I saw a much more human side to the story. Sure, there's a lot of repetitive mowing down of Somalis, but that's what our men were forced to do by circumstance. The story of "Black Hawk Down" may seem trite in the abstract -- the good boys on the front line are let down by politicians back home -- but that's essentially what happened. If anyone needs confirmation of the mess that represents our current African policy, read this book. You could also read it if you are inspired by tales of true life heroism beyond your imaginings.
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Summary: Excellent!
Review: Highly recommended read! Readable, informative, sobering, and exciting. Matt
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Summary: Perspective from a former Ranger
Review: Blackhawk Down is the first readable war story of my generation. I've followed the development of Mark Bowden's book since his first publication of the story in the Philadelphia newspaper. A few years prior to the battle of Mogadishu, I was myself a member of the 3rd Ranger Battalion. At the age of 19, I was a sent to invade Panama as a member of this unit and was fortunate to know several of the men in this book. As a former Ranger, I will tell you that Bowden left nothing out about how these elite units fight, survive, and think. Every moment of the book is the real, gut-wrenching, dirt filled, in your face brutal truth of what it's like to be of this generation and in combat. He accurately and vividly describes the failures of the US administration, the intelligence community, and the soldiers themselves. Bowden also recreates the success brought about in these units through preparation, tough training, discipline, and dedication to your fellow soldiers. Folks, if you ever wanted to know why your tax money goes to fund military training, then read this book. If you ever doubted the military and thought its harsh, disciplined lifestyle was unnecessarily brutal and unkind, then read this book. If you've ever thought about joining the military just for the college money, thinking that you'll never have to fight, then read this book. This one will slap you in the face with the reality of today's elite military units.
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Summary: The Story of Somalia 1993
Review: I strongly recommend that anyone interested in strategy, military tactics as well as military history pick up this book. The author, Mark Bowden does a great job of not glorifying war, just making you feel and dwell on the gravity of what happened. The book leaves you with so much to think about. Many times while I was reading it, I just had to put it down and think about what I had just read because I was so blown away. Although obviously written from the American perspective, it clearly shows how complicated things can get in such a situation and how quickly things can escalate out of control. I feel more than anything that this book accomplishes what it set out to do, tell a story that needed to be told as truthfully as it could be, (the book was written based on many interviews conducted by the author with the soldiers involved and some Somalis.) It tells the story showing and at times attempting to explain what went wrong, all the while giving some insight into the politics of the situation, many times leaving me in disbelief.
The only glorifying it does is it shows that when people are thrust into an impossible situation, how they come together, (or at least try) and do what must be done to survive. The loyalty they display in not leaving anyone behind and attempting to rescue those fallen is highly commendable. Having said this I feel that I need to add in that Black Hawk Down is hardly complete, but it is a good attempt at telling this story and we owe that to all the people who were there and those who lost their lives.
-Kosta M.
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Summary: More fulilling than the movie!
Review: Black Hawk Down is a magnificent work depicting the Battle of Mogadishu. Many war books/films loose their focus in an attempt to properly develop characters or to give the scope of the bigger conflict.
The major criticism of the movie was that it was nothing but war and no underlying story. In the book Bowden's skill as a writer provides a story and excellent character development.
This a great book for anyone interested in special ops or the Battle of Mogadishu. It is also a great read for anyone who is not a big reader because it is so exciting the text pulls the reader through the book
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