Mark Bowden Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Biographies & Memoirs

Publication Order of Anthologies

Mark Bowden is an American author of nonfiction books best known for his novel Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, a book that details the United States military raid in Somalia. The book was adapted into a movie of the same title and subsequently received two academy awards. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Mark Bowden graduated from Loyola University Maryland. While in college he read Tom Wolfe’s book titled The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test which inspired him to pursue a career in journalism.

Bowden is also known for his bestselling title Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw, a book about authority efforts to take down the notorious Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. The author has won, nominated, and been a finalist in “countless” awards, and notable ones include Overseas Press Club Cornelius Ryan Award, National Book Award, Science Writing Award, and Los Angeles Times Book Award.

Black Hawk Down

When you hear the title Black Hawk Down what comes in mind? The military-themed movie about United States soldiers raiding the Mogadishu the capital of Somalia only for them to suffer defeat for the first time in history at the hands of Somali rebels. For most millennials and those born towards the end of the 20th century, Black Hawk Down, American Soldiers, Chuck Norris, Rambo movies to mention a few are the type films that made our childhood. If you’ve already watched the movie version of this book, even then it’s highly recommended you give this novel a try, and you will surprise by the power of written words. You might ask why but here is the answer- Mark Bowden captures each detail and moment of troop engagement and gives the reader a taste of the action both on ground and air with great vividness. The author’s narrations give you a first-hand experience of the soldiers battle with the extremists; he sends you right amid the chaos to witness every single bit of the action.

If Black Hawk Down was a fiction war book, it would be the first in the ranks of that genre. The story is crafted with such intensity and beautifully captures every minute action from one of the longest modern day military engagements.

When American elite soldiers were dropped by military chopper into the Bakara Market in the heart of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on 3rd October 1993 for what they thought was a simple in and out mission, they had no slightest idea that they would be engaged in one of the most deadly and longest close combat battles since the Vietnam War.

Their mission was simple, to kidnap two lieutenants of the Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the self-proclaimed president from a building in Bakara Market. After a careful reconnaissance and planning the mission was assigned to a group of soldiers consisting of the United States Army Rangers, Special Forces and Air Force and Delta men and helicopters were from the first Battalion Special Operations Regiment. However, the dynamics of this mission changed right from the start as the unpredictability and fluidity of the battlefield took over and trashed the best of the laid operational plans. This caused a mission that was thought as a walk in the park go horribly with two Black Hawks choppers shot down, and the ground troops pinned down by a heavily armed resistance from militiamen loyal to Mohamed Farah.

A mission that was thought to be over in just a couple of hours turned into turned into bloody battle right amid an urban market teeming with thousands of unarmed civilians and armed Somali militias. The trapped group had to be rescued by a relief convoy comprised of officers from 10th Mountain Division and Task Force 2-14 Infantry accompanied by Pakistani and Malaysian United Nations forces. When the bloody battle was over the casualties were over 2000 in total with the American forces losing 18 soldiers more than 70 badly injured and one of the Black Hawk pilot abducted by the militiamen. During the rescue operation, one of the Malaysian and Pakistani soldiers died in the process.

The fallout from this initially thought to be a simple mission was far reaching because this incident forced the United States government to withdraw its troops from Somalia. The book by Mark Bowden is as a result of investigating and studying mountains of investigation snapshots, official reports and transcripts of communications between the soldiers and conducting countless interviews with those who participated in this bloody battle (from both sides). This adds a level of detailing to the story and gives the book authenticity.

Black Hawk Down is a realistic tale of the modern day infantry battle told with such vigor and brutal, shocking truth. The story also gives the reader insights into both local and international politic that revolve around the events which resulted in the battle at Bakara Market and how a peacekeeping mission in Somalia resulted in an armed conflict.

Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World’s Greatest Outlaw

In this book, Mark Bowden brings to light the ultimate path of destruction, terror, and death brought about at the hands of one of the world’s known drug ring leader Pablo Escobar. Pablo negotiated his deals with bullets and blood.

Pablo was raised in a middle-class family, and for him, that life wasn’t enough. In pursuit of attention, he wasn’t getting both at home and school, Pablo sought his vacation in the streets of Columbia. During the days, the Columbian streets where characterized by stealing cars and robbing banks. Pablo soon graduated into the protection ranks, and people paid him not to have their vehicles stolen. This was just but the beginning, and it prepared him for the gangster he was.

As Escobar graduated into the life of crime, he discovered the wealth behind cocaine. He soon built an empire of white powder, and this catapulted him to becoming one of the richest and most feared men in the world. But his rise on the ranks came at a price, and much blood was spilled in the process. Blinded by his ambition, Pablo thought of nothing ordering the deaths of countless politicians, police officers, and judges. But in the end, all this would come back to haunt him just like the famous saying what goes around comes back around.

Killing Pablo is a detailed account of how one of the worlds known drugs Kingpin Empire was brought down to ashes. It’s an account of how a man who built an empire on white powder reined terror in the streets of Columbia. Though three decades have passed since the kingpin death, Colombia carries a large scar across its nation. For some, the nightmare might be over, but for others, it’ll last a lifetime.