Road Work: Among Tyrants, Heroes, Rogues, and Beasts

by Mark Bowden

Anyone who has read Mark Bowden’s Black Hawk Down or Killing Pablo knows that he is capable of putting us in the heat of a story in a way few writers can. Road Work gathers the best of his award-winning writing, from his breakout stories for the Philadelphia Inquirer to his influential pieces in the Atlantic on the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Whether traveling to Zambia, where a team of antipoachers fights to save the black rhino, to Guantánamo Bay to expose the controversial ways America is fighting its war on terror, or to a small town in Rhode Island to penetrate the largest cocaine ring in history, Bowden takes us down rough roads previously off limits—and gives us another gripping read.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Journalism, True Crime, Politics, Crime, Current Affairs

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Mark Bowden is an American journalist and writer. He is a former national correspondent and longtime contributor to The Atlantic. Bowden is best known for his book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War (1999) about the 1993 U.S. military raid in Mogadishu, which was later adapted into a motion picture of the same name that received two Academy Awards.
Bowden is also known for the books Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (2001), about the efforts to take down Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, and Hue 1968, an account of the Battle of Huế.

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book filled with articles written by Mark Bowden over three decades from his time as a reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer to more modern pieces for other publications. Some of the pieces were not as interesting for me as others, only because they did not fall in my interest sphere, but the writing is very good and you can sense that Bowden really takes pride in his reporting/writing. The article I most liked, was the one about Saddam Hussein and his life as tyrant. I think every non fiction reader will find this book enjoyable as there will be a story in here for anyone's interest. Bowden is truly one of the best writers of his times, and ever since reading Black Hawk Down I have been a huge fan of his writing.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Road Work by Mark Bowden

There are nineteen long form articles in this book published twenty years ago that cover a wide variety of topics from light hearted sports topics to much darker ones like vice squads and war in the Middle East. So of these, there were six articles that really stood out. There are a few spoilers.

1. The first of my favorites was an in depth backstory on Saddam Hussein and it was so revealing. Saddam's narcissism was a trait common to most dictators but he was not that interested in wealth, just fame and adulation. And he was ruthless in the worst way. He liked to mess with people. He was premeditated with his ruthless acts, and rarely did so as an immediate reaction to a situation. If a murder would increase his power he would eventually command it. Even if it meant killing his own son, which of course he did. But perhaps most surprising to me was that Saddam was well read. He even showed reverence to many famous people from history which seemed very quirky. He even idolized scientists and astronomers. This piece was written before the second Gulf War so we don't see the downfall and in some ways makes for a better article.

2. The Great Potato Pick Off Play is about a minor league catcher who orchestrated a trick play for the ages. By throwing a potato into left field! He gets the runner on third to leave the bag and was tagged out by the catcher as he was running down the third base line. The umpire was furious and awarded the run to the other team as retribution. The catcher's manager was furious too and he even fired him. Most everyone else there that day - including most of the players on the other team - thought that the play was a welcome distraction from the boredom of AA ball.

3. The Urban Gorilla - an interesting story from 1984 about Massa, the world's oldest gorilla. He lived most all of his fifty plus years at the Philadelphia Zoo.

4. Fight to the Finish - an emotional story about a man who has severe depression and is determined to commit suicide. Although a very dark topic, this is as a good a short article on depression that you'll read.

5. The Fight Rocky Lost - this piece is about the fight with the Philadelphia Arts Commission about the Rocky statue at the Art Museum and where it would permanently reside. It had been unveiled for the Rocky III premiere and eventually moved to the steps of the Spectrum Arena miles away. So yeah this article was written in 1984. The author and the title turned out to be wrong. In 2006 the Rocky statue was moved back next to the steps at the Art Museum. I even have a picture of myself standing in front of the statue.

6. Cops on the Take - this is the longest chapter in the book at 100 pages or so and is a great piece of investigative journalism. The Philadelphia police force was a dirty organization in 1981 and payoffs were prevalent all the way up to the #2 man in the force. But many of the cops on the take would get what was coming to them when the feds got involved.

4.5 stars. Mark Bowden is a great journalist and writer. Black Hawk Down, Killing Pablo. It's hard to find better non-fiction books than those. Come to think of it I haven't read anything by Bowdenthat isn't four or five stars.

[Terry Cornell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bowden is best known for writing 'Black Hawk Down', but has also written other non-fiction books as well. Most of the articles in this book are from his days working for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Great writer--sometimes the subject matter can be a bit depressing. Each article begins with a paragraph backstory to the piece. I'm afraid Mark Bowden may be one of the last old school journalists left.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy long-form journalism and one of my favorite writers is Bowden. He does admirable research and tries, I think, to understand the nuances and complexities of the situations or events he is covering, and most of the time I think he gets it right, and also he is a pretty good narrative nonfiction writer. I didn't love every piece collected here as much as the other, but most were powerful and interesting. I enjoyed his sports stories, was saddened by the ill children and gorilla pieces. This is the type of journalism I would have aspired to had I chosen that direction.

[Valzebub · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bowden's work is always enjoyable. Since these are from 80s, some of them do feel quite dated but it also makes them a nice glimpse into his development as an author, reporter and investigator. I wish there were updates on what happened to the people involved in quite a few of these stories.

A nice book you can pull some stories from to read and enjoy.

[Robert P. Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great selection of stories. Among the absolute best: the first article on Saddam Hussein and the article on Mike Schmidt. But all of the articles are worth reading and shows how powerful a story a good writer can tell.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting premise and many facts given that were as yet unknown to me. The author's style is peculiarly haunting and certainly original. I was a little bogged down in the middle and so it is helpful to read the chapters out of order.

[Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book. The author looks at a wide range of subjects, many of which I found extremely interesting and well written. I did, however, skip most of the baseball section as it didn't really interesting me. It's definitely worth a read.

[sha · Rating 3 out of 5]

made me wanna be a journalist

[Mark Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall very interesting. Somewhat outdated now and sometime goes into too much tedious detail, but gives insights I haven't read elsewhere.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. I think it’s a good book, I’m just not good with war stories. Am going to move on to another Bowden book on a very different topic.

[GT · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything by Mark Bowden that was anything less than engrossing, entertaining, interesting, and well written. This collection of previously published material was no exception. My personal favorite was the longer piece "Cops On The Take', but I thoroughly enjoyed every story. I had not known that Bowden wrote stories on sports. There were several here including his telling of a minor league baseball game and the substitution of a potato for a ball.

Equally captivating were tales of US pilots over Afghanistan, Saddam Hussein from his days in power, the fight between the powers-that-be in Philadelphia on if and where the Rocky statue might be displayed, Black Rhino poachers, Norman Mailer and Al Sharpton. And more...

Easy 4 Stars.

★ = Horrid waste of time
★★ = May be enjoyable to some, but not me
★★★ = I am glad I read it
★★★★ = Very enjoyable and something I'd recommend
★★★★★ = A rare find, simply incredible

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Bowden's nonfiction for a while. This collection assembles a fair collection of his early writing with prefaces by the author, himself. Not only is the collection quite varied and interesting in itself, but I also appreciate the combined insight into how Bowden has refined his writing process over the years. The commentary on the articles also provides a rare insight into the formative experiences of his career, which have shaped his philosophy. It is rare for a nonfiction writer to put himself too much into his body of work, though after reading this, I feel I know the man a little better.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alright selection of essays/articles from the author of Black Hawk Down. A tad too many about political matters in America and sports but that is up to personal taste and not quality of writing. They all pulled me in and the author definitely has the ability to describe people so that you feel you have met them. I may just have to get around to reading Black Hawk Down which has been lingering on my to-be-read pile for ages.

[Barbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of essays was a mixed bag for me. I liked how each essay was given the context of its original publication, but some of the essays were a bit heavy-handed for a liberal-minded reader. Bowden has a very clear political perspective, and I almost did not get past the first few (more partisan-ish) essays. I was glad that I made it past those essays because there are definitely a few gems.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mark Bowden's books. But I had no idea that he started out as a journalist! So this book was a compilation of done of his early articles, all done in Bowden's unique no-nonsense style. Loved about 65% of them and tolerated the rest. His range is amazing and it astounds me that his interest seems to jump that same range with enthusiasm and detailed, visceral reporting.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of short stories done by Mark Bowden when he wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer. It covers a variety of subjects from Saddam Hussein to terminally ill children taking a trip to Disney World. Well written and even the ones I thought I wouldn’t like, cow breeding, were interesting.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles by the author of "Black Hawk Down", he's a Philly guy who wrote for the Inquirer. Engaging writer, though on a variety of topics. Everything from the extinction of the Black Rhino, children's leukemia, sports columns, etc.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are better than other, but this is a great collection of his work. It gives a better understanding of what a normal (non-book) piece is like when Bowden only cranks out 10,000 words instead of 400 pages.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of stories by a former Philadelphia Enquirer reporter. The epic battle between Sylvester Stallone and The Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art over keeping the famous Rocky statue at the museum entrance is worth the price alone.

[Bax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spotty.

Some good stuff, but for me the collection was fatally undermined by his war cheerleading, in particular his apologia for the torture of prisoners by the US.

Disappointing, in light of his even-handed presentation of events in Black Hawk Down.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this style of journalism, and with the exception of Harper's and Vanity Fair, rarely encounter it. However, I personally had trouble getting through some of the sports pieces, for the same reason I enjoyed his others--lots and LOTS of detail. So, four stars from me rather than five.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came for the war reporting, I stayed for the rest. Many of these pieces were actually sports pieces which is not usually my thing. But Bowden has a knack for finding a compelling narrative to tie it all together, and I ended up enjoying those as well.

[D. L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some great stories and some okay stories...

[Jake Lewin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb collection of writings from newspapers, The Atlantic and elsewhere. Great.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't read all the sports pieces as those really don't interest me, but all of the other articles were great.

[Carrie]

essays

[Worth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a collection of Bowden's articles from his journalistic career. Basically tiring self-cheerleading. I didn't finish it.

[Lynelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent. A masterpiece of masterpieces.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

boring