Black Hawk Down

By: Mark Bowden

Narrated by: Joe Morton

Ninety-nine elite American soldiers are trapped in the middle of a hostile city. As night falls, they are surrounded by thousands of enemy gunmen: Their wounded are bleeding to death. Their ammunition and supplies are dwindling. This is the story of how they got there -- and how they fought their way out.
This is the story of war.
Black Hawk Down drops you into a crowded marketplace in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia with the U.S. Special Forces -- and puts you in the middle of the most intense firefight American soldiers have fought since the Vietnam War.
Late in the afternoon of Sunday, October 3, 1993, the soldiers of Task Force Ranger were sent on a mission to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and return to base. It was supposed to take them about an hour. Instead, they were pinned down through a long and terrible night in a hostile locked in a desperate struggle to kill or be killed.
When the unit was finally rescued the following morning, eighteen American soldiers were dead and dozens more badly injured. The Somali toll was far worse: more than five hundred killed and over a thousand wounded. Award-winning literary journalist Mark Bowden's dramatic narrative captures this harrowing ordeal through the eyes of the voting men who fought that day. He draws on his extensive interviews of participants from both sides -- as well as classified combat video and radio transcripts -- to bring their stories to life.
Authoritative, gripping, and insightful, Black Hawk Down is a riveting look at the terror and exhilaration of combat, destined to become a classic of war reporting.©1999 Mark Bowden, All Rights Reserved; (P)1999 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

The New York Observer Black Hawk Down ranks as one of the best books ever written about infantry combat.

Good Action

I really enjoyed the book. It had good action and I thought the book did a better job of painting a realistic picture of combat and what our troops go through. It also gave a Somali side of the story more than the movie did and didn't pull any punches.

Incomparable - The Best Modern War Story Available

Mark Bowden's <U>Black Hawk Down</U> is the best story of modern war, as the subtitle calls it, I have ever read. I read the book, watched the movie and have listened to the audible audio several times. The depth and multitude of personal accounts of the battle that day in October 1994 is unbelievable. Bowden was patient and throrough in his research for this book and interviewed dozens of combatants and witnesses from both sides of the fight. His research coalesced into this masterpiece of military history that, in my opinion, should be required reading in highschools throughout the country, especially as we face the very real prospect of war on the ground in a clan dominated country once again with Iraq.

The character development in this book is fleeting but ample enough to get to know many of the Rangers and Delta Force operators that fought, bled and too often died in this battle. The story of the most selfless and heroic Sergeant First Class Randy Shugart and Master Sergeant Gary Gordon coming to the aid of downed pilot Mike Durant is reason enough to listen to this book. This book allows us to honor all of the men who fought in this battle, for their courage and humanity.

I highly recommend this book and suggest that you use the following web resource to supplement your listening: <a href="http://inquirer.philly.com/packages/somalia/">Black Hawk Down: An American War Story-The Original Newspaper Series Online.</a> Mark Bowden is a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where this story first appeared as a serial piece in the newspaper. This website includes maps, videos and the full text of the serialized version of the story.

Listen to this book and understand fully what we may be committing our soldiers to with a new war in the streets of Baghdad on the horizon. Will the citizens of Baghdad embrace our mission to bring freedom to their streets or will they react more like the people of Mogadishu?

I wish this book were available unabridged

With a great book such as this one, I am always left wondering what has been omitted. Please give us the choice to hear the whole thing!!

Never got to see the movie - this was a good sub!

What did you love best about Black Hawk Down?

This book really puts you in the moment - you can almost feel the bullets zinging past you. And Joe Morton's narrative voice matched the book's tone perfectly - like a post-events military briefing - while his characters came in bursts that were believable and shockingly intense.

Any additional comments?

I always wanted to see the movie, but after a decade of never getting around to it I realized it's never going to happen. It's never a problem squeezing in another audiobook though. Before I started listening, I took one last look at a review of the film, which said the action was great, but character development was a little thin. I'd say the same about the book. Still, if you want to know more about what went down or what it's like when our troops go into these hostile environments, this is a riveting listen.

i had just read seal team six

this was an ok book. i think i might have liked it more if i didnt just read seal team six.