Audible book Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible book with Whispersync for Voice. Add the Audible book for a reduced price of $13.70 when you buy the Kindle book.
Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Apple
Android
Windows Phone
Android
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Excellent read!! The most captivating book I've read and it was true! Read details I never knew about and learned exactly what those brave soldiers went through.Stayed awake late many nights because I couldn't put it down
This is a well written story, although sometimes a little too detailed. Several times, the author described women as "pudgy" or unattractive for no apparent reason. The subject of this book is completely devoid of any moral character. At times, that made it difficult for me to read. I almost stopped a couple of times and skipped through some parts because of the redundancy of examples of this man's complete lack of empathy or decency. The lack of remorse demonstrated by the subject and his wife was stunning.
I've seen the movie, read the book and listened to the audiobook. My favorite was the audiobook, by far. Unfortunately, movies almost always include scenes that aren't technically correct. But the audiobook had a secret weapon, namely Joe Morton, the narrator. Morton was the real thing, and this is one of those very rare cases where the narrator is so good and appropriate that it makes a good book into classic high art.
There is a side to this story that we didn't know at the time the book was published. The earlier attacks on our forces had al-Qaeda behind them. They were meticulously planned well in advance. After that experience, the Clinton administration got our forces out of there. This was supported in our media and presidential ratings went up. It's important to understand the conflict in context.
The story itself, not the movie, is technically correct and superb. In it, we can see the sacrifice and bravery of our troops as well as the reality of Mogadishu and fearlessness of the fighters there. The reckless fighting spirit of Mogadishuans was enhanced with khat, a very important drug in their tribal society. Such a place with a culture of hospitality unknown to the West had become a living hell, and it was worse in areas outside that city.
In particular we get the story within the story about the survival of Mike Durant. He was a Chief Warrant Officer 3 at the time, serving in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. This suspenseful account resulted in a partial silver lining when he was released after eleven days in captivity.
Military historians will continue to laud this story for its richness in geopolitics, technical excellence, usefulness for teaching military principles, survival credits, esprit de corps and Joe Morton's performance. I recommend this audiobook without reservation.
It was riveting, and it is a true story. I just about couldn't stop reading it so as to get my other daily things done. It is very well written. This should be required reading for anyone in the U.S. government, about what can go wrong when the U.S. gets involved in places that can't be fixed.
And so ends this excellent book that was clearly written against all odds to tell this horrible story as seen through the eyes of the soldiers. This book will make you angry and sad and will make you cry without a doubt. It is an emotional roller coaster that I couldn't recommend higher. I would strongly encourage you to start by reading the closing epilogue. Bowden explains his amazement that the story had not been appropriately documented and how he was able to meet many combatants at a memorial dedication that opened the doors for him to write this incredible book. I would also strongly encourage you to read the book prior to the movie. While I enjoyed the movie, the written words of the book more accurately record how deadly this attack was and the terror involved. This is not meant as a negative review on the movie, just the power of this book. I must admit, I only vaguely remembered this event. And that is a sad statement that these men could die in the duty of their country without the nation remembering them. The Somalia mission was to provide food for the starving. But in a country dominated by civil war, the top warlord, Adid, quickly steals the food giving the UN Peace force a reason to expand the mission to controlling Adid. On this day, the Rangers and Delta force storm a meeting to capture two top ranking Adid officials when eventually two Black Hawks are shut down. Immediately surrounded by a frenzied crowd, the Rangers and Delta force must fight to save fellow soldiers overcoming fear and injuries to stay alive. It's absolutely amazing more were not killed, as they had to spend the night in this hostile environment. Areas the book covered well not particularly well covered in the movie include some of the following. The difference in Rangers and Delta Force. I was not aware of the power of the Delta Force and how they trained differently. This may have contributed to the problems of the mission. Lack of water and night vision on the mission. Since they thought this was a one-hour mission beginning at 3:00 in the afternoon, no one thought to bring water. What a terrible mistake in this hot environment under extreme physical duress. In addition, the terror of the "Lost Convoy" could not accurately be reflected in the movie. The book describes how the convoy would stop at each crossroad giving the terrorists time to run one block over and be waiting at every crossroad with a hail of bullets. Basically, every street was a reign of bullets and RPG. No wonder they eventually had to head to the base with over 50% casualties. Also, the plight of Mike Durant, the captured pilot was not covered thoroughly enough in the movie in my opinion. As amazing as this story is, the fact the fighting crew had to run out with the armor support eventually moving ahead of them is even more astounding. I strongly recommend this book to learn more about the brave men who fight for their country.
![Black Hawk Down by [Bowden, Mark]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51uPH3wWYQL._SY346_.jpg)
Audible book:
If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, 
