Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Review by Jane Lloyd.
David Grann’s rich narrative non-fiction set in Oklahoma in the 1920s, Killers of the Flower Moon is a well-researched and riveting read. An epic story of unimaginable betrayals, of the sinister and systematic murder of Osage Indians and the birth of the FBI.
Grann’s narrative style brings to life the Osage women, men and their children who become the targets and victims in this period known as the “reign of terror”.
For Mollie Burkhart the betrayal was profound. Killers of the Flower Moon is also a story about the settlement of the American West: oil, money, greed, malice, lawlessness, racism and state sanctioned miscarriages of justice. In the 1920s the Osage Indians were said to be the wealthiest people per capita in the world, but subject to guardians and dying under ominous circumstances. How could that be? Grann’s interviews with living Osage Indians reveals how the killings continue to resonate in their lives.
Time magazine voted Killers of the Flower Moon one of the top 10 non-fictions in 2017. It’s of no surprise that Martin Scorsese has made a movie adapted from David Grann’s book. The cinema release date is later in October 2023. Scorsese described the story of his epic film of more than three hours as a “sober look at who we are as a culture”. No doubt a great movie but please read the book!
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