In Episode 8 Gen and Jette discuss Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, our 2018 July/August book club selection. This non-fiction book investigates a series of murders of Osage people in Osage County, Oklahoma during the 1920s. The time period came to be known as the “Reign of Terror.” The estimated death toll is in the hundreds. At the time, the Osage people were some of the richest per capita in the country, with individuals earning royalties from headrights to their oil-rich land. The murderers were after these headrights. Grann traces the murder investigations as carried out by the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation and examines the lasting legacy this “Reign of Terror” had on the Osage community.
This was an eye-opening book that examined a period of history that neither of us knew about. It sparked an important discussion about which histories get told and the violent colonial legacies of the US and Canada.
Show Notes
The title “Killers of the Flower Moon” is a twist on what the Osage call the prairie’s full “flower-killing moon” in May, when taller, aggressive plants snuff out tinier blooming flowers.
Charlie Hunnam was the star of The Lost City of Z.
Bagged milk will always be weird.
This was out first episode back after the holidays and we were a little rusty. Apologies for any weird sounds. The wind was howling like crazy and apparently changed Jette’s voice at one point.
