Black Hawk Down (book)
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| Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War | |
|---|---|
 First-edition cover |
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| Author | Mark Bowden |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | War Historical non-fiction |
| Publisher | Signet Books |
| Publication date | February 10, 1999 |
| Media type | Hardcover Trade paperback |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 9780871137388 |
Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War is a 1999 book by Mark Bowden that chronicles the United States Army Rangers, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Delta Force, Navy SEALs, and the UN forces attempt to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in Mogadishu and the intense battle that resulted between U.S. forces and local militia and citizens. One of the key events is the downing of a UH-60 Black Hawk and the subsequent rescue attempt of its crew, from which the book derives its title.
The raid quickly became the most intensive close combat Americans had engaged in since the Vietnam War. The events of the raid were later renamed the Battle of Mogadishu by international media, as opposed to the operation's name of Gothic Serpent.
Bowden is not a historian, but a journalist, and, as such, writes his account of the battle as a narrative, rather like a fiction novel. Though organized like a novel, the book is drawn from actual events. Bowden's sources included extensive research, interviews with participants from both sides of the conflict, footage recorded by observation aircraft, and recordings of radio traffic.
The book is based on a series of articles written by Bowden for The Philadelphia Inquirer. A film adaptation directed by Ridley Scott was released in 2001.
[edit] References
- Bowden, Mark (March 1999). Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War. Atlantic Monthly Press. Berkeley, California (USA). ISBN 0-87113-738-0
