Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann Review – Unmasking a Dark Chapter in American History
Killers of the Flower Moon written by David Grann provides a chilling as well as brutal account of Osage Native American tribe’s murder spree in 1920s Oklahoma. The story revolves around the newfound wealth of Osage due to oil discoveries on their land and attracting the outlaws who are looking for grabbing their luck. Grann has combined all the historical details, testimonies and the narrative tensions very skillfully to tell the story of greed, injustice and corruption.
The book starts with the description of Osage’s life after being moved to Indian territory. Despite lasting poverty, the oil discovery threw them into immense wealth thus making them the richest per capita in the whole world. However, this wealth has attracted the criminals who resorted to marrying into the tribe and poisoning the Osage in order to claim their fortunes. Terror rules with more than 20 Osage victims falling prey to very well thought murders yet the local authorities gave no importance to this unrest. Gran has very skillfully portrayed the personal stories of the victims as well as their families with the main focus on Mollie Burkhart who is looking for justice after losing all the members of her family. The author has described the dreadful details of the murders and made emphasis on the disrespect that has been shown towards the victims.
The narrative then shifts to an undercover FBI agent named Thomas White who has been sent to investigate the crimes. The author has unleashed the roots of corruption within the Oklahoma’s local officials which challenges White in collecting all the evidences. However, FBI intensifies the investigation with the help of additional agents and resources for cracking the case. The book shows the difficulties faced by the agents to solve this mystery.
Killers of the Flower Moon is a chilling story of greed and though some of the mysteries remain unsolved, the book provides a fascinating account of how Osage Murders has shaped the present-day FBI. All in all, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is an impressive work of investigative narrative nonfiction. Through the powerful storytelling, the author has exposed a series of brutal murders within Osage Native American community during the 1920s. This book captivates its readers with its staggering narrative while putting some light on the tragic era in American history that must not be forgotten.
