- Mass Market Paperback: 392 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; First THUS edition (30 Mar 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140288503
- ISBN-13: 978-0140288506
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 13.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,510,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Journalist Mark Bowden delivers a strikingly detailed account of the 1993 nightmare operation in Mogadishu that left 18 American soldiers dead and many more wounded. This early foreign-policy disaster for the Clinton administration led to the resignation of Secretary of Defence Les Aspin and a total troop withdrawal from Somalia. Bowden does not spend much time considering the context; instead he provides a moment-by-moment chronicle of what happened in the air and on the ground. His gritty narrative tells of how Rangers and elite Delta Force troops embarked on a mission to capture a pair of high-ranking deputies to warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid only to find themselves surrounded in a hostile African city. Their high-tech MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters had been shot down and a number of other miscues left them trapped through the night. Bowden describes Mogadishu as a place of Mad Max-like anarchy-- implying strongly that there was never any peace for the supposed peacekeepers to keep. He makes full use of the defence bureaucracy's extensive paper trail--which includes official reports, investigations and even radio transcripts--to describe the combat with great accuracy, right down to the actual dialogue. He supplements this with hundreds of his own interviews, turning Black Hawk Down into a completely authentic nonfiction novel, a lively page-turner that will make readers feel like they're standing beside the embattled troops. This will quickly be realised as a modern military classic. --John J. Miller, Amazon.com
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
From acclaimed director Ridley Scott and renowned producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a riveting motion picture scripted by Ken Nolan as depicted in this bestselling audiobook by author Mark Bowden. Based on actual events, "Black Hawk Down" is the heroic account of a group of elite U.S. soldiers sent into Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 as part of a U.N. peacekeeping operation. Their mission: to capture several top lieutenants of the Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid, as part of a strategy to quell the civil war and famine that is ravaging the country. Young Rangers and veteran Delta Force soldiers fight side by side against overwhelming odds. For eighteen harrowing hours, they remain trapped and wounded in the most hostile district of Mogadishu until a rescue convoy can be mounted to retrieve them. Outnumbered and surrounded, tensions flare, friends are lost, alliances are formed, and soldiers learn the true nature of war and heroism.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Well known via the excellent Ridley Scott film of the same name, journalist Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down gets the reader inside the story of a team of American Rangers and Delta Force, who are sent on a mission to kidnap local warlord/clan leader Mohammed Farrah Aidid. This October 1993 mission in Mogadishu, Somalia, resulted in the most intense firefight U.S. troops had experienced since the Vietnam war. Bowden recounts this story primarily from the U.S. point of view.
This book is visceral and graphically bloody, as books about war should be but it is neither sensational nor indulgent in "gun-porn" i.e. lavish descriptions of weapons, bullets and sadistic descriptions of injuries.
Where Ridley Scott's otherwise superb film falters is that when Africans are killed, the scene is filmed with all the adrenalised panache of a top dollar Hollywood action film, the faceless hordes having no more personality than the Orcs of Lord of the Rings; when a U.S. soldier is shot, we get cliched slow motion, sweeping strings musical accompaniment, close ups of pain and anguish. Bowden's book is not so simplistic. Though Mark Bowden does interview a few Somalis, their perspective on events is drastically marginalised. More clearly, this savage act of aggression (on both sides) occurred in the midst of a city of more than one million people and no doubt there were a vast number of civilian deaths. In fairness, Bowden does briefly mention that women and children are indiscriminately killed by panicking U.S. soldiers but this is a minor concern when compared against the space given to the terrible pain of the American soldier's wives and girlfriends back home, not knowing if their loved ones were okay.
What comes across most emphatically is the incredible disorganisation of this U.S. operation, where contingency planning seemed to be non-existent; if Plan A didn't work, there appeared to be no Plan B or C. The chaos of a confused chain of command, soldiers discipline breaking down, confused, frenzied, almost hysterical actions of the soldier in the city, the seeming impotence of the generals commanding the troops to effect the results, all resonate strongly throughout this book. Likewise, there are moments of heroic bravery, selflessness and compassion that the American soldiers displayed.
Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down is superbly well researched, taking his account of the battle from multiple sources, predominantly the soldier on the street. Consequently, this book reads as narrative fiction as opposed to history (though its factual authenticity is not in doubt). As a story of modern war, Black Hawk Down has a lot to show us about how the most fearsome military machine on the planet almost cracked against a third world militia.
This book is visceral and graphically bloody, as books about war should be but it is neither sensational nor indulgent in "gun-porn" i.e. lavish descriptions of weapons, bullets and sadistic descriptions of injuries.
Where Ridley Scott's otherwise superb film falters is that when Africans are killed, the scene is filmed with all the adrenalised panache of a top dollar Hollywood action film, the faceless hordes having no more personality than the Orcs of Lord of the Rings; when a U.S. soldier is shot, we get cliched slow motion, sweeping strings musical accompaniment, close ups of pain and anguish. Bowden's book is not so simplistic. Though Mark Bowden does interview a few Somalis, their perspective on events is drastically marginalised. More clearly, this savage act of aggression (on both sides) occurred in the midst of a city of more than one million people and no doubt there were a vast number of civilian deaths. In fairness, Bowden does briefly mention that women and children are indiscriminately killed by panicking U.S. soldiers but this is a minor concern when compared against the space given to the terrible pain of the American soldier's wives and girlfriends back home, not knowing if their loved ones were okay.
What comes across most emphatically is the incredible disorganisation of this U.S. operation, where contingency planning seemed to be non-existent; if Plan A didn't work, there appeared to be no Plan B or C. The chaos of a confused chain of command, soldiers discipline breaking down, confused, frenzied, almost hysterical actions of the soldier in the city, the seeming impotence of the generals commanding the troops to effect the results, all resonate strongly throughout this book. Likewise, there are moments of heroic bravery, selflessness and compassion that the American soldiers displayed.
Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down is superbly well researched, taking his account of the battle from multiple sources, predominantly the soldier on the street. Consequently, this book reads as narrative fiction as opposed to history (though its factual authenticity is not in doubt). As a story of modern war, Black Hawk Down has a lot to show us about how the most fearsome military machine on the planet almost cracked against a third world militia.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is without question a great book and tells an eye-opening account of what happens when the peacekeeping role becomes something completly different. The action and combat incidents are told with pace and really keep you interested and it is a good comparison if you've read a few British special forces books; you'll find yourself laughing at times at the way the yank soldiers do things differently (and their gung-ho attitudes).
The main gripe I have with the book is the way it is written. Although by writing the account as if it were appearing on screen keeps things moving, it can be confusing getting to know which unit he is talking about from time to time when quickly jumping around from different perspectives. But it is definitely worth sticking with at the beggining.
The other major flaw is that it is written in American English and the grammar can be a bit annoying.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If it were not true it would be unbelievable. A story of true heroism and bravery of the people on the ground and the gross incompetence of their leaders. "Lions lead by Donkeys" fits this event. I could not put this book down.
It also gives you an insight into the minds and feelings of those on the receiving end. What desperation drove the Somalis to behave and sacrifice as they did.
I tried putting myself in the position of those on both sides of the event to try to understand what they were going through and work out how I may have reacted. Abject fear both ways.
This is on my very short list of books to read a second time.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting perspective on modern warfare
First of all, this book seems to be very accurate. At the end of the book Mark Bowden explains how he pieced the dialogue together, and what criteria he used to verify facts. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Orlando M. Shorter
Superb, unbelievable!
I saw the film some years ago and thought the action was perhaps 'amped up' a bit for Hollywood. I was wrong - the book conveys even more action and drama than you could imagine! Read more
Published 8 months ago by James Smith
Fascinating read - which has suprisng relevance to present day world...
Thoroughly enjoyed this book which gives a real "behind the scenes" insight into what was to become something of a game changer,for the u.s. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr Q
Will be considered a classic of American literature
On October 4, 1993, America was rocked by the news that American Special Forces were ambushed in the Somali city of Mogadishu. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2004 by Kurt A. Johnson
Will be considered a classic of American literature
On October 4, 1993, America was rocked by the news that American Special Forces were ambushed in the Somali city of Mogadishu. Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2004 by Kurt A. Johnson
black hawk down
i originally started reading black hawk down book beliving the critics of the u.s army saying that the entire operation that day was a shambles however i could not be more wrong in... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2004 by "spec_ops_lloyd666"
Harrowing tale of "The Day of the Rangers" in Somalia
On October 3, 1993, less than a year after President Clinton began his first term as President of the United States and almost eight years before Sept. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2004 by Alex Diaz-Granados
A gripping account of special forces in a recent conflict
This is a gripping account of the US forces in Somalia, and their attempt to capture a local warlord which went horribly wrong. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2001 by Flash
The printed word puts you right there in the heat of battle
Wow - what a read. Well researched from eye witness interviews, this is an excellent read, clearly for those interested in special forces and military documentaries, but also for... Read more
Published on 15 May 2001 by Mr. A. P. Johnson
A most read for Special Forces fan's
Anyone who loves Spec Ops units will love this book it gives a great insight,into Delta Force the US Militarys most elite fighting force. Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2001
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