Already a classic of war reporting and now reissued as a Grove Press paperback, Black Hawk Down is Mark BowdenÕs brilliant account of the longest sustained firefight involving American troops since the Vietnam War. On October 3, 1993, about a hundred elite U.S. soldiers were dropped by helicopter into the teeming market in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia. Their mission was to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take an hour. Instead, they found themselves pinned down through a long and terrible night fighting against thousands of heavily armed Somalis. The following morning, eighteen Americans were dead and more than seventy had been badly wounded.
Drawing on interviews from both sides, army records, audiotapes, and videos (some of the material is still classified), BowdenÕs minute-by-minute narrative is one of the most exciting accounts of modern combat ever writtenÑa riveting story that captures the heroism, courage, and brutality of battle.
-
Sexual Content - 0/5
0/5
-
Violence - 4/5
4/5
-
Language - 2/5
2/5
-
Drugs and Alcohol - 2/5
2/5
Summary
Overall Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden 1999 346 pages The book details the story of the battle of Mogadishu in Somalia. Mr. Bowden is a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquier and orginally wrote about the battle as a series of reports for 10 newspapers around the U.S. Mr. Bowden also helped write the screenplay for the movie. I liked both equally. An inspiring story that really allows you to \"get into the battle\". It's amazing that more Americans weren't killed but it's also a testiment to the fighting spirit of our soldiers. Scary to see the blunders that were made, seemingly because of over confidence and an adminsitration that did as little as possible to support out troops. Worth the read even if you've seen the movie.
Violence Nothing outside of some disturbing violence that happens because of the intensity of this battle.
Language Nothing over the top.
Sexual
Drug & Alcohol Just some description of the drugs used by the Somalians.