Black Hawk Down

Written by:
Mark Bowden
Narrated by:
Joe Morton

Abridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
50
Narrator
12
Release Date
March 1999
Duration
4 hours 34 minutes
Summary
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.
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Reviews
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Richard S.

This book had me in the fight every moment was a moment with those brave men the movie can kiss a ball sack compared to the book I was there in spirit than I was there as a Marine in Iraq 2004 their mistakes became our new sop's how much water chow and ammo we were gonna need on every mission was now a big f#$%g deal!!! As it should be! I as a Marine squad leader would never make the mistake of running out of water or chow or ammo because the blue print was already there I read it Black Hawk Down dont f@#$g make those mistakes "get it on the Humvees and let's freaking go"

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Baize M.

Terrible story. Good book.

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Drew B.

Great read

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William S

I enjoyed this unabridged book even more than the movie. I was happy to know the movie was true to the storyline.

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nab6215

I listened to the abridgement of the book. It was well done and went along pretty much as the movie did. It made me wish a full copy of the book had been available . . . . and that's a good thing.

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Anonymous

This is a detail oriented book, therefore, the abridged version is inadequate. It's not such a long book. Insist on the full version.

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Anonymous

A great listen! Well done - made the miles fly by as I sat in traffic!

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Roger Baisden

I didn't really expect that a book completely based on a single combat action experience (ie I shot at this, then ran over here and a bullet whizzed by me) could hold my attention for hours, but the author did an amazing job at keeping me interested and on the edge of my seat..

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Daniel Wainwright

Very good book. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Amazing how a battle situation can turn in a matter of moments and how a few minor human mistakes and/or events can have such a huge impact.

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