Black Hawk Down; A Story of Modern War
Peter Tobia (Author photograph) New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1999. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. 24 cm. [14], 386, illus., maps, sources, index. Mark Robert Bowden (born July 17, 1951) is an American journalist and writer. He is a national correspondent for The Atlantic. He is best known for his book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War (1999) about the 1993 U.S. military raid in Mogadishu, Somalia. It was adapted as a motion picture of the same name that received two Academy Awards. He is also known for Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (2001) about the efforts to take Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord. From 1979 to 2003, Bowden was a staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. In that role he researched and wrote Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo, both of which appeared as lengthy serials in the newspaper before being published as books. He published two books prior to these, Doctor Dealer and Bringing the Heat, both of which were based on reporting he originally did for the newspaper. He has since published nine other books. Bowden is a contributing writer for The Atlantic, and has contributed to Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Men's Journal, Sports Illustrated, Air Mail, Business Insider, and Rolling Stone. A nonfiction work about a U.S. military raid in Somalia that left 18 American soldiers dead and altered the parameters for American military action anywhere in the world since. This book was the basis for the movie of the same title. A nonfiction work about a military raid in Somalia that left 18 American soldiers dead and altered the parameters for American military action anywhere in the world since. This book was the basis for the movie of the same title. Ninety-nine elite American soldiers are trapped in the middle of a hostile city. As night falls, they are surreounded 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. Award-winning literary journalist Mark Bowden's dramatic narrative captures this harrowing ordeal through the eyes of the young 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. A Black Hawk pilot is shot down and besieged by an angry mob, then saved by Somalis who plan to ransom him to the local warlord. A medic desperately tries to keep his grievously wounded friend alive long enough to be evacuated--only to have him bleed to death in his arms. Authoritative, gripping, and insightful, Black Hawk Down is a riveting look at the terror an exhilaration of combat, destined to become a classic of war reporting. This is a compelling tale of noble endeavor gone awry, written with such clarity and insight that the reader quivers as if trapped in the desperate, close-quarters firefight Bowden's gifted narrative brings to life. This is a compelling tale of noble endeavor gone awry, written with such clarity and insight that the reader quivers as if trapped in the desperate, close-qurters firefight Bowden's gifted narrative brings to life. Derived from a Kirkus review: Journalist Bowden originally wrote this as a serialized account in the Philadelphia Inquirer; he has now crafted the pieces into a searing look at one specific incident during the US military action in Somalia. This is the story of a military action on October 3, 1993, when elite US Rangers and a Delta task force swooped down on a Mogadishu neighborhood to capture two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord. The action was to be a quick surgical strike into a crowded market district that was known to be very unfriendly. Rather than a quick success, the attack decayed into mayhem as the Somali crowd—which Bowden depicts vividly as a mixture of armed mercenaries working for warlords and a general populace that runs confusedly toward gunfire rather than away from it—downs the high-tech helicopter with a simple grenade, and the American forces become pinned down in the city. Bowden captures the intensity of the situation with a brisk writing style reflecting the quick pace of action. Although he was not present in Somalia during the fighting, his account is well balanced with firsthand sources that cover the spectrum, from members of the Ranger forces stationed in Mogadishu to Somali citizens. As the Somali night unfolded, more than 500 civilians were killed, more than 1,000 injured, and 18 US soldiers died. Bowden covers these deaths with detail and passion. As reportage, this account offers a look at modern war in the tradition of the great war correspondents. Gripping, passionate, and impossible to put down. Condition: Very good / Very good.
Keywords: Mogadishu, Somalia, Africa, Delta Force, Helicopters, Prisoners, 10th Mountain Division, United Nations, U.S. Army Rangers, Mohammed Aideed, Mike Durant, Mike Eversmann, William Garrison, John Stebbins, Task Force Ranger
ISBN: 0871137380
[Book #82932]
Price: $60.00