From the Bookshelf of On The Same Page …

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

David Grann

Start date: January 1, 2024

Finish date: March 31, 2024

Discussion: 2024 Nonfiction Challenges

Why we're reading this: Poll winner for the nonfiction quarterly read for 1Q24.
[close] Poll winner for the nonfiction quarterly read for 1Q24.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 10 topics — 124 comments total

2024 Nonfiction Challenges

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* 1Q25 Nonfiction Group Read Nominations
By Jennifer , Moderator · 5 posts · 12 views

last updated Dec 01, 2024 05:03PM

2024 Non Fiction Reader Challenge
By Bill , Moderator · 70 posts · 69 views

last updated Dec 29, 2024 03:12AM

What Members Thought

Oct 17, 2019 Lorna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: native-americans, law, history, non-fiction, oklahoma, bound-together, pinnacle-book-club, federal-bureau-of-investigation, fifty-books-of-the-west, 50-books-of-the-west

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann was a riveting book about the plight of the Osage people as they were driven from their homeland in Kansas in the late 1800's to the new territory of Oklahoma by the early twentieth century. Interestingly, the author points out that Oklahoma means "red people" in the Choctaw language.

After the discovery of oil on reservation of the Osage people and the assignation of "head rights" to the Osage people, there wa Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann was a riveting book about the plight of the Osage people as they were driven from their homeland in Kansas in the late 1800's to the new territory of Oklahoma by the early twentieth century. Interestingly, the author points out that Oklahoma means "red people" in the Choctaw language.

After the discovery of oil on reservation of the Osage people and the assignation of "head rights" to the Osage people, there was a pattern of untimely and suspicious deaths of many of the Osage and affecting an inordinately large number of families. Ultimately there was a local sheriff that began to take an active interest in some of these deaths determining that it was related to the theft and misdirection of the "head rights" to the oil. It was at this time the new young director of the newly founded Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover sent former Texas Ranger and FBI special agent, Tom White, to Oklahoma to begin an intensive investigation into the ultimate question of how many of the suspicious deaths of the Osage people were actually murder. What follows is a gripping account of a true crime story taken from the pages of history. It should be noted that there are many historical photographs included throughout the book which adds to one's understanding and experience of this very tragic time in American history.

"Today our hearts are divided between two worlds. We are strong and courageous, learning to walk in these two worlds, hanging on to the threads of our culture and traditions as we live in a predominantly non-Indian society. Our history, our culture, our heart, and our home will always be stretching our legs across the plains, singing songs in the early morning light, and placing our feet down with the ever beating heart of the drum. We walk in two worlds."

"By the early twentieth century, Bigheart and other Osage knew that they could no longer avoid what the government official called the 'great storm' gathering. The U.S. Government planned to break up Indian Territory and make it a part of a new state called Oklahoma."

The historian Burns once wrote, To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been possible to salvage has been saved and is dearer to our hearts because it survived. What is gone is treasured because it was what we once were. We gather our past and present into the depths of our being and face tomorrow. We are still Osage. We live and we reach old age for our forefathers." ...more

64 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2018 Kelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-copy, pbs-now-read-this

Rough reading in regards to how the Osage were treated and how their killers were not brought to justice. Hard to believe how depraved and indifferent people were and frankly probably still are towards other human beings. I applaud the author for his research and tireless efforts to bring light to this pitiful part of history. I'm glad I read this, but it left a sick feeling in my soul. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2020 Steph rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

The story of the Osage murders is heinous and it's sad that we Americans don't learn about such important parts of our history. I'm thankful to have been introduced to the Osage nation, but the author's dry writing leaves something to be desired ...more

Like · see review

Feb 25, 2018 Joan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, history, now-read-this-bookclub, true-crime, native-american-indigenous

Killers of the Flower Moon is an important story about a sad time in American history. True crime is not my usual genre, but I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written and engaging.

Like · see review