Last week I finished David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but when I do, I've found the books I've read to be fantastic.
Killers of the Flower Moon is no exception.
It's a powerful story, one I knew nothing of.
The book deals with a lot of history, dark history of our country. The Osage Native American Tribe were moved to land in Oklahoma, land no one else wanted. And because of a provision in the treaty, the tribe were granted rights to all minerals found on and under the land. This was both a blessing and a curse for those tribe members. What the land yielded was oil. It made tribe members rich--very rich. And because of this, they were preyed upon by those who banished them to the land in the first place.
The crimes that were perpetrated on the Osage tribe were brutal, despicable, and cowardly. The story centers around one family that suffered because others wanted their money. It also ushered in a new way to seek justice. When local and state agencies could not solve the murders, the federal government stepped up and did what others failed to do.
When I finished the book, I felt I'd gained a glimpse into a world I never knew, a world where people persecuted others, took advantage, and killed using greed as an excuse. I wish it never happened. I wish it didn't continue today. I suppose it's not just a story of what happened to a tribe of people in America during the beginning of the twentieth century, but a story of how we've treat each other. Hopefully, we can learn from their story. And I hope what I've learned form their story stays with me for a long, long time.
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