Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
First edition cover design
AuthorDavid Grann
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectOsage Indian murders
GenreNonfiction
PublisherDoubleday
Publication date
April 18, 2017
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages352 pp. (hardcover)
ISBN978-0-385-53424-6 (Hardcover)
OCLC982488680
Preceded byThe Devil and Sherlock Holmes 
Followed byThe White Darkness 

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI is a 2017 nonfiction book by American journalist David Grann about the Osage murders.[1][2][3][4] Time magazine listed Killers of the Flower Moon as one of its top ten nonfiction books of 2017.[5]

A film adaptation of the same name directed by Martin Scorsese was released in October 2023.[6][7][8]

Flower Moon origin

The Old Farmer's Almanac, which first began publishing the names for the full moons in the 1930s, recorded the name given by American tribes to the full moon in May as the "Flower Moon" because of the flowers blooming across North America, signaling abundance and the coming of Spring after a cold, hard winter.[9] The title was originated in the poem "Wi’-gi-e" by Osage poet Elise Paschen, which was written from the perspective of Mollie Kyle. Paschen was eventually contacted by Grann, and she sent him the poem which would be published in the finished book.[10]

Synopsis

The book investigates a series of murders of wealthy Osage people that took place in Osage County, Oklahoma, in the early 1920s—after big oil deposits were discovered beneath their land.[11][12] After the Osage are awarded headrights in court to the profits made from oil deposits found on their land, the Osage people prepare to receive the wealth to which they are legally entitled from sales of their oil deposits.

The Osage are viewed as the "middle man" and a complex plot is hatched to eliminate the Osage inheritors on a one-by-one basis by any means possible. Officially, the count of the wealthy Osage victims reaches at least 20, but Grann suspects that hundreds more may have been killed because of their ties to oil.[13] The book details the newly formed FBI's investigation of the murders, as well as the eventual trial and conviction of cattleman William King Hale as the mastermind behind the plot.

Reception

The review aggregator website Book Marks indicated that overall Killers of the Flower Moon received rave reviews from literary critics.[14]

Writing for The New York Times, Dave Eggers called the book "riveting"[15] and wrote, "in these last pages, Grann takes what was already a fascinating and disciplined recording of a forgotten chapter in American history, and with the help of contemporary Osage tribe members, he illuminates a sickening conspiracy that goes far deeper than those four years of horror. It will sear your soul."[15]

Sean Woods of Rolling Stone praised Grann's book, noting, "In his masterful new book...Grann chronicles a tale of murder, betrayal, heroism and a nation's struggle to leave its frontier culture behind and enter the modern world... Filled with almost mythic characters from our past – stoic Texas Rangers, corrupt robber barons, private detectives, and murderous desperadoes like the Al Spencer gang – Grann's story amounts to a secret history of the American frontier."[16]

A reviewer of Publishers Weekly stated, "New Yorker staff writer Grann (The Lost City of Z) burnishes his reputation as a brilliant storyteller in this gripping true-crime narrative, which revisits a baffling and frightening—and relatively unknown—spree of murders occurring mostly in Oklahoma during the 1920s."[17]

David Aaronovitch in The Times wrote, "There is a kick-in-the guts half-twist at the end of the book that gives the work its moral heft and reminds the American people of the great cost of their nationhood. It's a twist that owes everything to Grann's diligence and intelligence as a journalist. It could not have been discovered without what he calls his 'research odyssey.'"[18]

Oklahoma House Bill 1775

In 2021, the Republican-controlled Oklahoma Legislature passed Oklahoma House Bill 1775, a bill regulating classroom discussion regarding race and gender. After the bill's passage, a teacher in Dewey, Oklahoma, cancelled their lesson plans involving the book.[19] Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma Matt Pinnell called on the language in the bill to be "clarified so that teachers know what can be taught and not taught".[20] After the release of the film, author David Grann spoke out against the bill's regulations and wrote an op-ed in The New York Times on the bill.[21][22]

Hominy Public Schools has taught the book as part of its AP English courses, despite HB 1775.[23]

Film adaptation

The book was adapted into a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow and Jesse Plemons on a budget of over $200 million.[24][25][26][27] It was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures in October 2023. The film is available for streaming on Apple TV+.[7][28]

Though the role of Tom White, the lead FBI agent, was written for DiCaprio, DiCaprio pushed to have his role changed to Ernest Burkhart, the nephew of Hale, who was played by De Niro.[29] As a result, Plemons was cast as Tom White to replace DiCaprio.[29]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Grann, David (May 18, 2017). "The Rare Archival Photos Behind 'Killers of the Flower Moon'". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Eggers, Dave (28 April 2017). "Solving a Reign of Terror Against Native Americans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann". Kirkus Reviews. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Howorth, Claire (November 21, 2017). "The Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2017". TIME. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ World, Michael Smith Tulsa. "What we know so far about the 'Killers of the Flower Moon' movie set in Oklahoma". Tulsa World. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  7. 1 2 Clayton Davis (July 26, 2022). "Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' to Release in 2023". Variety. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  8. ↑ Lang, Brett (2023-03-27). "Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' With Leonardo DiCaprio Gets October Release Date". Variety. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
  9. ↑ ABC News article, "What is a 'Flower Moon'?"by Haley Yamada, May 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ Hijazi, Jennifer (February 5, 2018). "This Osage writer remembers one of the first victims of infamous 'reign of terror'". PBS. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI by David Grann". NPR. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. ↑ "Killers Of The Flower Moon: The Osage Murders And The Birth Of The FBI by David Grann". Penguin/Random House. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  13. ↑ Whaley, Monte (13 July 2017). ""Killers of the Flower Moon": Murdering the Osage for ill-gotten gains". The Denver Post. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  14. ↑ "Book Marks reviews of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann". Book Marks. Archived from the original on 2021-04-28. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  15. 1 2 Eggers, Dave (2017-04-28). "February's Book Club Pick: 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' by David Grann (Published 2017)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  16. ↑ Woods, Sean (April 17, 2017). "'Killers of the Flower Moon': Inside David Grann's New True-Crime Epic". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 March 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  18. ↑ Aaronovitch, David (19 May 2023). "Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann". The Times. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  19. ↑ Martinez-Keel, Nuria (October 16, 2023). "Can 'Killers of the Flower Moon' be taught in Oklahoma classrooms? Teachers not sure under law". The Oklahoman. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Herrera, Allison (June 20, 2023). "Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell: HB 1775 needs to be 'clarified' as spotlight shines on state's history". KOSU. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ Pompeo, Joe (October 20, 2023). "David Grann on Killers of the Flower Moon Getting Swept Up in the Culture Wars: 'You Can't Obliterate History'". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  22. ↑ Grann, David; Gray, Jim (October 20, 2023). "The True Story Behind 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Is Being Erased From Oklahoma Classrooms". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  23. ↑ Wallis, Beth; Herrara, Allison (30 November 2023). "'This is their story': Why a teacher in Osage County wants to teach Killers of the Flower Moon". KGOU. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  24. ↑ Masters, Kim (29 May 2020). "Behind Scorsese's 'Killers' Apple Deal: $200M+ Budget, "Low-Risk" for Paramount". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  25. ↑ Reimann, Tom (7 August 2020). "Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon New Filming Details Revealed". Collider. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  26. ↑ Kit, Borys (17 February 2021). "Jesse Plemons to Star in Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  27. ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 3, 2021). "Brendan Fraser Boards Martin Scorsese's 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' & Legendary Comedy 'Brothers'". Deadline. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  28. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 27, 2020). "Apple Partners With Paramount on Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's 'Killers of the Flower Moon'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  29. 1 2 Sharf, Zack (2021-02-18). "Jesse Plemons Takes Over DiCaprio's Original Role in Scorsese's 'Flower Moon' After Script Changes". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
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