Killers of the Flower Moon – David Grann

Summary

In the 1920s, the Osage Nation in North-East Oklahoma was among the richest people in the United States, thanks to the oil found on their land. But its members were dying under mysterious circumstances. During this Reign of Terror, Mollie Burkhart’s family was targeted, and she lost her sisters and mother. Who was behind these crimes?

Quote

“To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind.”

Interesting Facts

• David Grann first learned of the Osage murders from John Fox, an FBI historian in Washington DC. He decided to visit the Osage Museum in Oklahoma to learn more about the case, thinking he would write an article about it.¹
• It took the author 5 years to write the book. While doing research, he met with a lot of Osages, and most of them had relatives who had suspiciously died during that time. They would give him a picture of the deceased, and David Grann would put them on a wall in his office. At the end of writing the book, the wall was covered with photographs.¹
• David Grann’s mother, Phyllis, was the CEO of a major publishing company, Penguin Putnam. She used to tell him: “Whatever you do, don’t become a writer”, as writers usually had difficult lives.¹
• Martin Scorsese made a movie out of Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone andJesse Plemons. The director and the actors consulted David Grann to be as authentic as possible. The production also involved Osage members, as consultants, but also as actors.²
• If you’d like to know more about David Grann’s book, check out his website.

¹ Source: Roger Ebert
² Source: Voices of Oklahoma