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  • Black Hawk Down

  • Written by: Mark Bowden
  • Narrated by: Alan Sklar
  • Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (72 ratings)

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Black Hawk Down

Written by: Mark Bowden
Narrated by: Alan Sklar
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Publisher's 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 firelight American soldiers have fought since the Vietnam war.

Late in the afternoon of Sunday, October 3, 1993, the soldiers of Task Form 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, locked in a desperate struggle to kill or be killed.

When the unit was finally rescued the following morning, 18 American soldiers were dead and dozens more badly injured. The Somali toll was far worse; more than five hundred felled and over a thousand wounded. 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.

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 (P)2012 Simon and Schuster
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What the critics say

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

What listeners say about Black Hawk Down

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Moving and well read

Reading this book on the 30th anniversary of this battle it's easy to see why the book and the soldiers who took part are so highly acclaimed. The narration is superb. A classic that I would quickly recommend.

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Powerful

I read a lot of military fiction and nonfiction. This is one of the best accounts of a battle, I've ever encountered. Excellent and I highly recommend anyone to listen to this.
Kudos to Mark Bowden.

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Amazing

Absolutely amazing, best audio book I have listened to. This is a must listen to book !!

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I love this book!

Sklar makes you feel the battle in his voice.
Mimicking radio calls, changing his tone to differ the chatter from soldiers during battle scenes. the book, I admit I've loved since I first read it at age 15. This narration takes the cake. thanks ! 👍

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superb saga

a tragic story that defies any summary. riveting and real; beyond imagination of any war

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Awesome narration and a gripping story

I couldn’t stop listening to this. I’m in a bit of a daze processing the powerful story and outstanding narration.

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