Black Hawk Down (Mark Bowden)

Happy New Year everyone! With the start of the new year come new goals, new ambitions to strive for and renewed motivation to attain them. I’m no stranger to this. While reflecting on my 2017 year I couldn’t help but kick myself a little for not having been better about my reading goal. But, I’m accepting that I am human after all and there’s no better time to start than right now. So with that said, let me welcome you back onto my blog and thank you so much as always for taking the time to read this!

Black Hawk Down is about the mission that was supposed to take place on October 3rd of 1993. Mohammed Farrah Aidid, the leader of a terrorist group in Somalia, attempted to take over the country by controlling all it’s food. This resulted in the starvation of the Somalian people and the United Nations sending in workers to aid with delivering food. However, when UN workers were being killed under Aidid orders, Delta Forces and Army Rangers were sent to kidnap Aidid. The mission took a terrible turn when 2 Black Hawk Helicopters were shot down and these US soldiers were left surrounded by Somalian militias.

At the recommendation of a friend of mine, I began reading this back in May. Mark Bowden wrote this book with such overwhelming detail that it’s no surprise this was made into a movie. While I have not yet seen the movie, I almost feel like I don’t have to. The diction Bowden used provided a vivid picture in my head at all times. I wouldn’t say this is the kind of book that I would have chosen to read on my own but I’m very glad that I did. Without a doubt, the amount of emotion I felt through this book was my absolute favorite part about reading it. This isn’t the kind of book you can just pick up and read for a few minutes and then simply put down. No, this book demanded attention, it sucked you in and kept you on edge. You know when you’re in the theatre and the music keeps building and getting louder and louder and suddenly it stops? You’re left with the ringing in your ears and the pounding of your heart in your chest because you know something is about to happen. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is exactly how this book made me feel at times. Bowden is literally telling a war story. Bullets scraping past you and men you considered family being shot right in front of you. I felt the adrenaline through his words and there was raw emotion ranging from anger, to fear to confusion to flat out hopelessness. With the little free time I had, reading this book was like starting a movie and pausing it every time it hit the climax. So I quickly learned this wasn’t the type of book I could set aside 10 minutes for, no, I needed hours to be able to sit and press play. Aside from my laziness and busy schedule, I think that’s a huge factor in what contributed to me not getting a lot of reading done. I carried this book with me to Mexico and I read it on the plane and on the beach. For awhile, this book went everywhere with me because I was eager to finish it but I also became very mindful to give it the focus that it required so when I was home I made sure to have at least an hour to dive in.

I’ll share with you the part of the book that stood out to me the most,

“Laughter was a balm. It held panic at bay and it seemed to come easily. In these extreme circumstances it became unbearably funny just to act normal. If they could still laugh, they were alright” (169).

This quote was said during a time that these men were literally just feet away from an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade launcher) explosion. In the face of death, they had a moment of laughter. Reading those lines left me in awe at the bravery of these men and how unimaginable it must’ve been to experience what they did. I often remind myself that if they could still laugh in a situation like that, and know they were alright, then I can handle whatever situation I might be finding myself struggling with, and I hope these words strike you as well.

Thank you so much for reading, hope to post again very soon.