The film Black Hawk Down was based on the bestselling book of the same title by Mark Bowden, a former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Bowden was a 1999 National Book Award finalist for Black Hawk Down. The book is well-respected by the U.S. military and the veterans of the battle: it is required reading in the curriculum of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas (Bowden, “The Shooting Script”). The screenplay for the motion picture of Black Hawk Down was written by Ken Nolan with help from Bowden. The book provides more detailed context and accurately describes why the U.S. troops separated from the U.N. and went into Somalia independently: to bring an end to the genocide that General Aidid was causing while providing re-enforcement and protection to Somalis. The motion picture, on the other hand, focuses specifically on the events of October 3, 1993, and the Battle of Mogadishu.