Mark Bowden - Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

Pros: Well written account of bravery above and beyond the call of duty.

Cons: Only the dead have seen the end of war. Plato

The Bottom Line: Although Washington wouldn't commit, leaving Task Force Ranger to accomplish its mission with insufficient resources, the men acquitted themselves with valor and reflect honor on themselves and their country.

Review: When the first bullet goes by your head, politics and all that other &^%$ goes right out the window.

Irene, crackled over the radio headset. &^%$* Irene, relayed CWO Mike Durant to the crew and passengers of...

Pros: Amazing Detail

Cons: Shaky Conclusion

Review: "Whoever does not have the stomach for this fight, let him depart. Give him money to speed his departure since we wish not to die in that mans company. Whoever lives past today and comes home safely will raise himself every year this day, show...

Pros: A very well written well researched book

Cons: American solders killed and dragged through the streets

Review: This book is well written and thoroughly researched on the battle of Mogadshu Somalia, October 3&4 1993. Mr Bowen is a reporter, he interviewed many of the Rangers and some of the Delta Force operators (this has to be impossible because Delta Forces...

Pros: Well researched and written

Cons: None

The Bottom Line: Ask anyone in uniform what FUBAR means

Review: I was about eighteen when I met my first Ranger. My unit had gone down to Fort Lewis Washington to conduct training with the US Army. It was something that we looked forward to with mixed feelings. On the one hand we would have ample time to visit...

Pros: Simply riveting, excellent account of a strange battle.

Cons: Depressing, wears you down.

The Bottom Line: Compelling and intense, descriptive and factual. Shows the brutality of war.

Review: I received "Black Hawk Down" as a Christmas gift. Frankly, all I could remember about the 1993 battle in Mogadishu, Somalia, it was a peace keeping, UN mission gone awry. I truly had forgotten about this battle. However, through the magic reporting...

Pros: Gripping detailed account of real warfare that you can taste.

Cons: Very detailed; not an easy read unless you're into the subject matter.

Review: Mark Bowden's gripping account of a little-publicized raid by some of America's best-trained fighting men in Somalia in 1993 is compelling and disturbing. It manages in objective journalistic style to both make you admire raw individual and...

Pros: Very true-to-life, easy to identify with the solders and their situation, a real story.

Cons: It was somewhat difficult to keep up with who was where.

The Bottom Line: This book is for people into Tom Clancy-style military books, only this story is the real thing, and it hammers that home with a nailgun.

Review: I picked up this book before leaving on a trip to read on the plane. I wasn't sure if I would like the book, but it came highly recommended from a friend, so I thought I'd give it a try. I don't read very often, but I've enjoyed all of Tom Clancy's...

Pros: Well Written

Cons: No Movie Yet

Review: Mark Bowden helped bring back what happened in Somalia October 3-4,1993. It all tells the story of Task Force Ranger dealing with Army Rangers,Army Delta,SEALS,10th Mountain Division,and a combat unit from the Airforce.

The only reason I...

Pros: Fast paced, thought provoking

Cons: May evoke strong emotions in the reader

Review: "Blackhawk Down" is an account of "Bloody Sunday", a battle between Americans and Somalis that occurred on Sunday, October 3, 1993. Eighteen Americans and over 500 Somalis died. This blurb on the bookjacket understates the impact of the book:...

Pros: excellent investigative journalism

Cons: sometimes, more information than we need to know

Review: I could, if I tried, probably think of a handful of books that I?ve read that have moved this old goat to go misty. Certainly, history is not a genre, that emotes the frustration and tears I felt after reading Mark Bowden?s ?Black Hawk Down: A Story...