Reviews for Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

The average rating for Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-04-06 00:00:00 Jacques Bezuidenhout The book describes, from the ground up, a US attack on the part of Mogadishu controlled by Somali military commander Mohamed Aidid, after Aidid had attacked a UN peacekeeping force. They had intended to grab some of his lieutenants (it is unclear to me if they intended to grab Aidid) himself, an attempt to de-fang a local warlord who had been a thorn in the side re the attempt to establish a government in Somalia. Image from BBC There was a lack of appreciation for the theater conditions and many men were injured or killed. The descriptions match in print what the film Private Ryan showed on-screen re the bloodiness and horror of actual combat. Scattered throughout the book are tidbits that add up to form a vivid image. Bowden describes not only the perspective of the American combatants, but of some of the Somali participants as well. He informs us that the Italians were providing information to the locals re the American movements He also lets us know something of the complexity of the problem in Somalia, not a simple situation in which a freedom loving people is being subjugated by an evil warlord, but one in which there are many warring factions, each as nasty as the others. Most people do not want the kind of peace America envisaged. This has obvious lessons for the Balkans, where ethnic hatred has been a participation sport for centuries,and many other areas in which ancient tensions bubble beneath the surface. The book details how the Americans were unprepared for some of the enemy tactics, like using Rocket-propelled-grenades (RPG's) to attack helicopters, a trick the Afghanistan fighters taught them. The battle descriptions show how the locals try to take advantage of American sensibilities by hiding behind women and children hoping the Yanks would not shoot them. And it also shows how some devout Moslems were offended by the barbarism of their countrymen. It would have helped to have a map of Somalia, of Mogadishu, particularly a street map to provide some bearings. Versions later than the one I read have maps, so that is not a live concern. It would also have helped to have section headings to help one keep track of the various groups Bowden follows, as his descriptions darted from group to group. There are lessons here re the politics of "small engagements," that seem to speak volumes to contemporary warfare, and to the physical tactics as well. Things are not so simple This book made the Times top ten list. The Ridley Scott-directed film that was made of this book is magnificent. Published - February 10, 1999 Review posted - April 7, 2017

Review # 2 was written on 2011-08-03 00:00:00 Anthony Kiedis Impressive. Another example of where the film is not even close to how good the book is, this narrative is gripping and very powerful. I had an Army friend who was there in Mogadishu at the time and said that the book was good journalism whereas the film was ridiculous. From my perspective, the Captain Steele from the book was Colonel Steele, commander of the 101st Airborne Rakkasans between 2004 and 2006, while I was in Iraq. Professional tough guy, former University of Georgia bulldog under Vince Dooley. This is, of course, a journalistic novel by Mark Bowden about the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. Gritty, intense and yet, I think, objective, Bowden’s prose is vibrant and descriptive. Bowden avoids sensationalism while still capturing the ugliness of an operation gone very wrong and the human costs associated on both sides.