Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Narrative
Review: Mr. Bowden's account of the Battle of the Black Sea, or the Day of the Rangers, is one of the best researched and gripping narratives of any battle. He has done a great historic service to those who will want to learn about this struggle for generations. He has used exhaustive interviews with both American and Somali participants as well as his own research to create a blow-by-blow account of a routine mission gone terribly wrong. Largely absent are the political decisions leading up to American involvement in Somalia, but do not buy the book looking at it through that lens -- Mr. Bowden has left that interpretation to others. His few conclusions and interpretations are entirely appropriate, based in fact, which seems logical coming from a man who was closer to the battle and its participants than any historian ever will be. What we have is a human story, graphically told, emotions laid bare -- an account that will grip readers and students of history forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Wannabe
Review: Mark Bowden's non-fiction book Black Hawk Down is at best mediocre and should have been better researched before publication. Shoddy journalism, coupled with one Delta operator's huge ego and one-sided opinions, make for interesting reading, but it does a disservice to the outstanding performance of our SOF warriors and their Somali opposition. It is on paper now- thus, it must be true. And, of course, several soldiers received their 15 minutes of fame and are naturally supportive of the book. Just another wannabe making a dime off the real deal.
Rating:
Summary: American Tragedy
Review: The book in question describes, in most intimate detail, the battle that took place between US forces and Somali citizens in Mogadishu, Somalia on October 3, 1993 and ended with 18 American and over 500 Somalis killed in action and over a thousand from both sides wounded. The author narrates the events leading to the showdown, the firefight itself and the aftermath with amazing accuracy, great attention to detail; further, the book is superbly written -- I could not put it down. Mr. Bowden puts his readers into the firefight with his vivid descriptions of the battles that took place. The book captures the heroism, tragedy and brutality of battle impeccably -- it is one of the very finest examples of contemporary military journalism -- an absolute must for anyone interested in foreign affairs and/or military history.
Rating:
Summary: Timely reminder of heroes in small places
Review: Somalia was a thankless assignment. And, given the Clinton predispositon towards the military, and institution he "loathed", Americans might not expect much from a small albeit dedicated group of fighters in this African cell of poverty and turmoil.Bowden does a fantastic job of showing the personal side of heroism, of depicting modern warriors who go unrespected or unnoticed in their own countries. Taking a small, "botched" military operation, underresourced and quickly planned, Bowden adeptly portrays the people who live and die to help make sure that we continue to live and die in freedom. These men illustrate valor and commitment, to one another and in the name of an unappreciative government. Mostly without the seemingly everpresent CNN live world coverage, a small number of men accomplished a lot with a little. The September 11 events make us grateful that we have soldier warriors like these men.
Rating:
Summary: A Foreshadowing of Things to Come!
Review: Mark Bowden's book is a well-written and very informative account of US Special Forces involvement in "America's New War" (before most of the country realized we were already fighting it)!
This a good story that tries to bring in first-hand accounts from all sides of the battle. This is a strong buy!
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and graphic account
Review: For starters this book is graphic and pulls no punches, which I think it a good thing. It also acknowledges the Somali point of view, which makes it all the more disturbing. I was in the process of reading it when the Sept. 11th attacks occurred and it really put things into perspective as to what the modern soldier faces in combat and what we ask our men and women in the arm forces to do in harms way. No one can walk away from this book and not have a greater respect for America's armed forces and a better understanding of the role the USA plays in the world. Whether you agree or disagree with America's involvement in world politics, this book accurately portrays the reality and enemies our soldiers face in modern combat. You will never again take military involvement lightly or treat it as a the news item of the evening. These soldiers were a victims of a bad situation and ultimately a politically motivated military action instead of a military operation. Lastly, Bowden makes a critical observation on page 410 - 412 about the countries we are trying to assist and whether we have an obligation to do so. This engagement was a wake up call for the US and forces us to revisit how we deal with these types of situations in the future. Gog Bless America and thank you to all our men and women in uniform.
Rating:
Summary: A Preview of 21st Century Battles?
Review: Every American with even the slightest interest in
military matters should read this book. Period.
Superbly written, truly nightmarish, heart-breakingly
realistic.
Folks, Mogadishu was exactly how NOT to do it. Let's hope
that enough of the right people have read this account
as we hunt down the dispicable Duh-Sama cult and the rest
of their nameless ilk. Nearly perfect in its depiction of the minute-to-minute
details of this horror-show our men found themselves
trapped in for most of a day. The only criticism I have
about Mr. Bowden's reconstruction: 1. Should have had more maps, and all should have compass
bearings, indications of distance.
2. Every chapter and episode ought to have started with an
hour/minute of action, to better keep track of the progress
of events.
3. An alphabetical list of all the combatants likewise would
have been convenient and helpful in reducing some of the confusion.
4. Mr. Bowden seemed to shy away from criticizing Clinton and
those other officials who were, in one respect or another,
responsible for this slaughter. His afterword should have
dwelled on this aspect of the story more than it did. Otherwise, one of the finest books I have read in several years.
A tribute to the brave Americans who fought and bled and would
have otherwise been so unfairly forgotten.
Rating: 
Summary: Black Hawk Down
Review: I read this book last spring, but I intend to read it again after the attack on the WTC. The events in this book could easily happen during a campaign in Afghanistan. With the help of Mr. Bowden, I felt that I was the streets fighting with our soldiers. Those who read this book now can understand what a dirty, but necessary, job our troops are facing.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading before Afghanistan....
Review: I first read this book when it first came out several years ago. Exceptionally well written; gripping; page-turner. A true must read (even if you don't think much of military history). This book reads more like a Tom Clancy novel than a non-fiction account of an "incident" in a far off land. I plan on re-reading this book over the weekend (yes, it reads that fast!) because it has a lot of parallels for what we are about to get into with Afghanistan. Some underlying themes: 1) Don't underestimate the 'locals' just because they are dirt poor - they are usually well armed and tough fighters, 2)Don't underestimate the hatred the third-world general population feels twoard the U.S., 3)Be patient and give your intelligence gathering operations time to work, 4)If ground troops are involved, be prepared for casualties.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book, Highly Recommended
Review: This book is very, very good. I bought it on a recommendation from someone I know via the Internet. Not only did this book easily live up to its billing, it far surpassed anything I could have expected. It took me a few days to gobble this thing up, much to my wife's dismay. The story, as we all know, is about the CNN-reported fire fight in Mogadishu, Somalia. The one where several dead men of the US military were dragged through the streets. That's all I remembered about the incident from 1993. When I piced up this book, I learned much, much more. Bowden spared no expense in writing this book. If I didn't know any better, I would have guessed that not only was here there, but he had 5-6 clones of himself running around the Mog taking notes. He interviewed Delta Force team members and Rangers as well as Somalians and even wives of some of the guys lost in battle to piece his story together. When he finished, the story was an exquisite puzzle of what happened that day, or rather, days. This is a great perspective on what happened and it also explores what went wrong and why the foreign policies of the US sometimes don't take everything into account when action is being made. A great dichotomy of roles is exhibited where the UN feeds people and then the US forces, in an effort to take down a certain clan, angers a large majority of the people there who see the US trying to crush an entity that has been with the people for generations and generations. It's a futile policy conversely executed by a thoroughly copetent bunch of men who actually did the fighting. And it is told through the eyes and words of a very good writer. Highly recommended.
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