Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
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Book Overview:
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann tells the chilling true story of the Osage Indigenous people and their continual displacement as more and more White settlers moved further west and sought to settle there. This led to the Osage people eventually being relocated to northern Oklahoma where the U.S. government approved their land purchase. However, in 1906 a land allotment statute was passed with two important provisions detailing that the land would only be distributed to members of the Osage tribe and any mineral resources such as coal, gas, or oil would be owned by the tribe.
Because oil was on their land, the Osage were due to receive payments from the profits from oil production. This led to the development of the headright system in 1907, where the Osage members on the tribal rolls were given an equal share of the incoming money, known as a headright. Private companies leased the land from the tribe for oil production and pay a percentage of what they made to a trust managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. They would then distribute the payments to those who held a headright.
This arrangement led to the Osage Nation becoming one of the wealthiest communities in the world per capita. Additionally, as news of their good fortune began to spread grifters, rif raf and evildoers flocked to the community to swindle the Osage of their money. While crooked perhaps the worst and most diabolical plan to separate the Osage from their fortune was enacted by a group of people that began to quietly and systematically murder and kill off the Osage indigenous people to obtain ownership of their fortune and headrights.
As the murder plot progressed and the offenders sought to cover their tracks by murdering anyone who threatened to reveal the perpetrators the Osage people cried out for help in solving these horrific crimes and protecting them from further danger. This led to the development of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which was responsible for cracking the case wide open.
Book Review:
This book has solidified that I am a David Grann fan and piqued my interest in learning more about various often forgotten or overlooked historical events. Grann has such a knack for taking these obscure stories and retelling them packed with emotion allowing the reader to really immerse themself in the narrative he weaves. You’re transported to that time and get to witness the horrors experienced by the people.
Grann also does an excellent job of thoroughly researching his books providing rich details and background information about the key players creating a well-rounded and fully fleshed-out story. You can tell from the way he writes that he prioritizes remaining truthful and historically accurate while also creating a narrative that the reader can relate to and learn from. This definitely takes tact and tremendous skill which Grann obviously has.
As for the historical event covered in this novel, it was a challenging piece of history to read and explore. From so many different angles the Osage Indigenous people faced injustices and were taken advantage of. The constant displacement caused them to continually move and relocate to accommodate the needs of the White settlers who continually encroached on their land and way of life.
Then once they received financial growth due to the oil on their land and the monetary rights they received they still didn’t receive respect or have agency or ownership over their fortune. The bigoted and racist actions enacted by the U.S. government to assign “guardianship” over the Osage due to them being deemed “incompetent” and unable to manage their finances are ludicrous. In truth, this led to them being ripped off and taken advantage of by greedy guardians who sought to take their money for themselves and opened the door for further egregious crimes to be enacted against the Osage.
Then there was the evil conspiracy to separate the Osage from their money via murder which many Osage Indigenous people were either shot or poisoned. And to cover these crimes, more men were murdered to prevent these devious deeds from being brought to light.
And how this case led to the birth of the FBI and while they did bring to justice the most notorious who sought to bring the Osage harm how there were so many other cases of suspicious deaths perpetrated by others that slipped through the cracks and were left unsolved.
This was a chilling tale of how power and money corrupt revealing the darker elements of human nature such as bigotry and racism when racist Whites believe they are owed or due something because of their race and ethnicity. And how our government has perpetuated bigoted ideals and practices in the past contributing to oppressing the indigenous people and contributing to systematic racism in our country.
While frustrating and heartbreaking this book is an important conversation starter when it comes to race relations in the U.S. and how we have grown over the years and the work we need to continue doing to improve from where we are today.
I enjoyed this novel and can’t wait to read future works from David Grann. For all those that really enjoy history even the challenging, difficult events you will enjoy this novel.
Make sure to check out My October TBR 2024: 5 Star Predictions to see if I was correct in predicting what my rating would be for this book. Until next time happy reading!!
