Killers of the Flower Moon

Well written and wonderfully researched. I watched the movie first, but this was equally excellent and a great way to learn even more about this terrible era in history. The focus on the conception of the FBI was particularly fascinating to me. I typically don't read nonfiction, but this has inspired me to explore more books of this nature.

Highly recommend.

While this was a frustrating and heartbreaking read for so many reasons. I have extreme respect for Grann's ability to recount this long forgotten historical event sharing the tragic stories of the Osage and the murderous plot enacted to claim their money.

As standard for Grann's work you can tell he researched this topic heavily and with the utmost care. He truly has a knack for finding and bringing forgotten historical events to light.

To read my full review visit my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/killers-of-the-flower-moon-by-david-grann/

Excellently written crime thriller based on true stories that happened in the 1920s which led to a “reign of terror” on the Osage Indians. This book gives a glimpse of what happens to anyone who wasn't supposed to get rich get richer.

As someone who hardly reads true crime or even fiction mystery books, this is not the kind of book you would expect me to read. Killers of the Yellow Moon is also a couple of years old, so I can't say it was even on my radar. But this is the end of a decade and we keep seeing all the “Best of” lists for the past 10 years, and when I saw this book on one of the best non fiction of the decade lists, I did some research and instantly became interested. And obviously getting to know that casting calls have gone out for a movie adaptation by Martin Scorcese starring Leonardo Dicaprio and Robert DeNiro made it the next book on my TBR.

I recently read a history book called How to Hide an Empire and it was revelatory in how much we don't know about the past or even present of our own country. And this book may just be dealing with a small time period of the early 20th century, but it's a matter of shame that it's been forgotten within just a century, despite the people and the descendants who lived through the Reign of Terror still dealing with the ramifications even now. It really is preposterous and obviously the result of prejudice that FBI remains in the public eye as the highly acclaimed national law enforcement agency in the country, but the string of brutal murders, cover ups and rampant systemic corruption that led to the birth of this organization is neither taught as an important part of history, or even remains in anyone's memory. Even I've read quite a bit about Edgar Hoover and how he created and ruled the organization with an iron fist, but this case that he essentially used to publicize the importance of his agency never made it into my readings, probably because it wasn't deemed noteworthy.

The author writes the book like a mystery novel but with a bit of history, giving us the background for how the Osage Nation in Oklahoma came to be and the extraordinary work of their diligent representatives who managed to get them the mineral rights for their lands. Oil brought money and prosperity to the Osage Indians, but much pronounced is the bigotry among the white people and the government who couldn't bear to see people who they felt were inferior living such prosperous lives. And it's fairly obvious that from this prejudice (and we can call it jealousy and greed) came the Reign of Terror that lasted years and ended with scores of murders.

The author details the arrival of Tom White and his team of bureau officers, who took up the mantle of this investigation after many locals failed to do anything, and it was gratifying to see atleast some white people with a fair amount of power willing to do their duty and not discount the lives that were lost or those who were living in constant danger. The conspiracy that they unearth is massive and I think it was sheer persistence on their part, and the resilience of the Osage Indians that ultimately led to bringing the truth to light.

But it was the last part of the book that really stunned me, when the author talks about how he started his research and what he uncovered. With the access of many more documents from decades ago and testimonies from the living descendants of the victims, he pieces together an almost unimaginable tale of conspiracy - where local white businessmen, dangerous outlaws, reputable doctors, corrupt local sheriffs and law enforcement and government officials, and most importantly greedy white people - all formed an informal network of killers, masters of coverups and large scale robbers, leaving numerous families with death and destitution. And the worst part is that while Tom White and his team was able to get convictions for a few murders, many many others were never pursued, and generations of their families have struggled to piece together the truth of what happened to their loved ones - and they are still doing it today.

It's always both fascinating and painful to read such historical accounts and see parallels in our current times, because it just shows that despite a lot of progress we have made, we haven't really in many other matters. Rachel Maddow's recent book Blowout talks about the huge tentacles of the Oil industry in Oklahoma and how long it took for ordinary people to be able to fight back, and what they lost in the meantime. And it's just testimony that the resource curse is alive and well, the unscrupulous and ruthless nature of people clamoring for oil money hasn't changed; it just probably has evolved from murders to more sophisticated business operations. Another thing that was brutal to read about was how some of the killers who were convicted of the Osage murders got paroled very soon, and even got pardons from the governors - just showcasing how less (or no) value this country places on the lives of nonwhite people - eerily similar to the president's pardons of war criminals a few days ago.

No thanks to the establishment of this country, it's through sheer will and resilience and deep rooted love of their history that has managed to sustain the existence of the Osage Nation, and it was an honor to get to know about some of the people that the author had an opportunity to meet. This book is the story of the terror through which they lived and survived, and some law enforcement officers who took their duty seriously. If you like reading historical accounts of true crime, you just can't miss this book. It's brilliantly written and thoroughly researched, bringing a vital part of forgotten history back into the consciousness. The only heartbreak is that so much of it is still unknown and the families may never know the truth.

dnf at 30%

just couldn't stay focused!

Recommended by Brian Matty

So frustrating knowing that better Justice would've been served if it was the other way around. A great investigative work!

I feel like I have to re-read this one, i didn't get all the story with the first reading. But I liked it. 

Great read

this is such a tragic, awful part of history. i just found the way the book was written to be a little dry and hard to follow

Even in a post-2016 world, where we see new disgusting lows almost daily, the horrors documented in this book are appalling. Monstrous in scale, in cruelty, in shamelessness and just pure evil. Also some good, in the form of one helluva decent FBI agent, Tom White: his story—before, during, and after the Osage assignment—is one of nobility and honor. Not quite enough to balance out the monsters, but enough to leave me feeling some gratitude.

Grann shows tremendous respect toward the Osage. His research is exhaustive, and he is careful to remain within the boundaries of fact (with clearly identified moments of conjecture). This rigor sometimes makes for repetition or dryness, but it’s absolutely the right and responsible thing to do: the book is more trustworthy that way, its impact more powerful.

Wow! This book, is a sad, but true story of a horrific series of murders on the Osage tribe living in modern day Oklahoma! This story is one of many where people went so far as killing people just to get money and benefits! A sad and dark story that will leave the reader stunned!

This is a book about exposing a hidden chapter of history rather than building a single narrative. The focus is on research and analysis and showing the facts of this mass murder.

It's definitely not dry but it does mean the emotional weight of this book comes from learning what happened, not from a specific characters journey.

Extremely well researched, with broad analysis of the events of the Osage murders that provides horrifying breadth to the tragedy that occurred. David Grann also avoids sermonising, letting the facts and the history speak for itself. By the end every reader reaches their own conclusion about the psychology of a country with this kind of darkness in its history.

Glad I'm in Australia where this kind of racist cruelty never happened.

 non fiction exploring the horrifying exploitation and murders of members from the Osage tribe in early 20th century Oklahoma by white Americans .
An eye opening book on a series of horrifying historical events that targeted Native Americans, it's thoroughly researched and written though some parts interested me less and felt dry to read. It's a good complement of information for anyone who saw the Martin Scorsese movie. The audiobook is well narrated, I would totally recommend in addition to a digital/physical copy that has illustrations of the different individuals involved in these events. 

I'll definitely check out the author's other books. 

OK, so I had to laugh. This is totally an aside, but I read several reviews and a lot of people complained that this book didn't have enough action and that it wasn't about the FBI. Yeah, it's a fuckin' non-fiction book. Do you think the author should've thrown in a car chase shootout or something? And it says “birth of the FBI,” which was touched upon. It isn't a Blue Lives Matter history of the FBI shooting bad guys. Sheesh.

Anyhow, I really loved this book. I wasn't too into the idea of watching a dramatized version, but the movie's existence did put this story on my radar. I'm glad I read it. In the US, we tend to stray away from stories that make us look unfavorable. It's hard to convince the world that everyone who isn't a WASP is a savage when those are the ones doing the most heinous shit imaginable. Rather than some shitty allegory about race, the author gives an actual account of capitalism at its worst. Native Americans are told to leave their land, their new land contains oil, the ones that get rich start disappearing. So fucked up. This is the sort of thing that needs to be taught in school.

If I had to make a few complaints, I'd start by saying that because of the subject matter, the writing did feel a little clinical at times. Obviously, it'd be fiction to spruce up the story, but the writing could've been punched up a bit. Another thing that sort of got me was that the story of the creation of the FBI made Hoover sound a little too sympathetic. I feel like there were more politics at play than J Edgar actually caring much about Native Americans. Maybe that's a story for another time and another place.

This book is extremely well written and a great audio book to listen to. Each part shows a different piece of the history of the Osage murders. Some parts were a bit confusing to keep up with to tie together and I found myself having to go back to relisten to them. Overall, would recommend!

Took an interest in this one after I saw the movie version was nominated for an Oscar!

A really interesting read into the Osage - a tribe of Native Americans that became rich off oil that was under their land, but with this money came white Americans who did their best to take their money off of them (either by really racist laws or worse, poisoning and murder).

This book was absolutely amazing and rich with history.

Taught me more about the harm towards Native Americans specifically the Osage than history class in school ever taught me.

What a sad story and what gross behavior of white people.

Grann clearly put a lot of research and care into the telling of this story. It is thorough, it is biting, and it is real. It was extremely difficult and sad to read, but an incredibly important story to tell. I appreciated how much Grann stressed that, although it centers around a conspiracy of a few men, it was a deeply structural situation that created the Reign of Terror of the Osage. 

Read this after watching the movie. Very gutting, extremely well researched.

This is the first ever true crime Investigative journalism book I ever read and I had wasn't disappointed. I thought the book was going to be slow and dry but it wasn't.

I couldn't just put it down. And the book just shook me to the core. Never have ever gotten this angry reading a book. God the injustice the osages faced. I am happy that they are making a movie and giving this part of American history the focus it deserves.

ok so yeah I saw the movie and then was like “oh I should finally read the book” and then I read the book. Here we are. Obviously having seen the movie already I had my eye on what may have been changed or left out, and like. I get that for the movie it's a better arc if it's Hale's conspiracy but I was most intrigued by the last section where Grann is like "yeah Hale was behind a lot of these but also other white people were out here doing their own independent murders of Osage people". Like. The scope of it!! Augh!

A very compelling piece of history.

4.5/5

Decided to read this after seeing Scorsese's recent adaptation. While i found the film itself to be a dull, repetitive slog, the story of the Osage Reign of Terror was fascinating and shocking and i felt the need to gain a more complete picture of what happened. This turned out to be a stellar read, with the most illuminating and sobering details being the laws and institutions that not only ignored but actively facilitated a conspiracy of murders with a scope that far exceeds the film's focus on one particularly notable villain. Here we see not only the corrupting effects of individual greed, but the all-consuming barbarism of settler colonialism as a whole.

This book initially appeared as a faint, yet persistent blip on my literary radar, coinciding precisely with the revelation of Martin Scorsese's latest cinematic endeavor. As time advanced, that modest blip steadily swelled into a resplendent beacon of anticipation. Now, on the precipice of the film's release, I have concluded this mesmerizing narrative with profound satisfaction, grateful that the movie inspired me to delve into this intricate, exhilarating, and profoundly poignant tale.

Throughout the narrative, the subtle undercurrents of race and ethnicity, which ebb and flow with the story's myriad twists and turns, serve as the sturdy spine of this enthralling tale. The characters are introduced with extraordinary attention to detail, surpassing the depth of characterization found in many works of fiction, and the thorough research dedicated to the various aspects of the crimes is palpable.

However, it is with a tinge of regret that I must acknowledge a somewhat hurried pace in the book's third segment, coincidentally the part with which I felt the deepest connection. Nevertheless, taken as a whole, Killers of the Flower Moon is an engrossing blend of true crime and history, a literary confluence that unfolds like a riveting mystery, interwoven with a tapestry of tragic events that have the capacity to cast a shadow of sorrow upon the reader's heart.