Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

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Summary: Gripping account of Somalia
Review: As spellbinding as "The Triumph and the Glory", as painstakingly researched as any John Keegan military history volume, and as up to date as today's headlines, "Blackhawk Down" is simply the best account of modern combat since Crusade:The Untold Story of the Persian Gulf War. It is just magnificent!

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Summary: The Genuine Article
Review: I was privileged to serve with many of the soldiers portrayed in this book. The privates are now sergeants and were, one might say, my mentors. This book fleshes out the portrait of battle so laconically described by those who were there. From one who heard it from the horse's mouth, this book is the real thing.

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Summary: Good book. Makes you think.
Review: A very good book. The bravery of the QRF, Rangers and "D-boys" is incredible. Human weaknesses are also shown. The book makes you question the political rationale for their being there. Is it worth sending American troops to a place like that, for those reasons? Your answer may change after reading this book. Bowden does a great job of describing the human emotions and pain of the battle. However, it might have been better to focus on a fewer number of individuals, and give more details of what it was like for that person. This book had so many stories going on that it was virtually impossible to keep them straight. Get this book and read it. You will not be sorry.

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Summary: "Listening in anger, helplesness and disbelieve"
Review: As one of a few specially trained soldiers from Norway that was assigned to a special team from C.I.D. protecting the U.S. Commanding General in Somalia at the time of the Battle of the Mog. I was on duty that night at the U.S. Embassy and heard first hand the radio coms. from the battle. Mr. Bowden hits it head on, I can virtualy taste the dust and smell the "fume" of that city on every page I turned in this book.

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Summary: Great Book. Read it.
Review: The most compelling thing about this book is that Bowden tells the stories of the men who were there on both sides, so the book reads like a novel rather than a collection of facts. Gripping Reading.

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Summary: Gave my recollection a 3D quality
Review: Great book. All I remember from the news media back then was how Amercian soldiers encircled their falling comrades until rescue could be affected. This account gives names and faces to those who fought and died there. It shows what combat is all about. How even among the best, mistakes can be made and how despite these failings they fight on. I'd like to thank Mark Bowden for risking his life to get this story told; to honor the men there and to share their story with America. The only "flaw" is that you will probaly have to read the book twice to fully understand the combat sequences as a whole, but this is due mainly to the confusion of combat itself then with the writing.

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Summary: Best book I've read in a while....
Review: Must have for any military buff. Bowden tells a riveting story, but also allows you to make you own judgements about what happended.

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Summary: Gripping, fascinating and detailed account of the battle
Review: Bowden combines a strong narrative style with the remarkable and dreadful facts. This creates an account of the incident which overall is as gripping as any fiction. While reading the account, the reader cannot but imagine the individuals involved on the ground as fully-grown, grizzy, modern day warriors. But after finishing the book, the reader will gaze at the pictures, matching some of the faces to those in the account who died or were badly injured. It hits the reader then: they were just boys.

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Summary: A harrowing account of combat
Review: Only "The Triumph and the Glory" can rival "Blackhawk Down" for emotional impact and intensity. This brilliant account of our misguided peacekeeping mission in Mogadishu, Somalia is must-reading for anyone who is concerned about the developing role of our military as global peacekeepers.

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Summary: Truly becomes all-consuming!
Review: As an avid reader of military history, I was taken aback by this incredibly riviting book. This single book kept me reading through two days of travel through a number of airports. I really could not put it down. I found myself feeling for and praying for those soldiers.