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Books similar to ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ by David Grann
Works of revisionist history that, like “Killers of the Flower Moon,” focus on events that have been omitted or sidelined in textbooks.
Published on October 23, 2023
The Deaths of Sybil Bolton: Oil, Greed, and Murder on the Osage Reservation
Dennis McAuliffeNearly 25 years prior to the publication of Grann’s expose, a Washington Post journalist took a personal interest in what became known as the Osage Reign of Terror. The shocking discovery that McAuliffe’s Osage grandmother died of a gunshot, not kidney failure as had been widely believed, fueled his determination to uncover the truth behind a string of violent deaths that plagued the Osage people throughout the 1920s. This must-read companion to “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in which Grann himself wrote the foreword, is both a thorough investigation of a shameful conspiracy and a deeply intimate family memoir.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West
Dee BrownIlluminating and heartbreaking, this revisionist history gives voice to the American Indians who traded, negotiated, and eventually fought to preserve their ways of life in the face of America’s westward expansion. Brown covers the most notable of attacks and abuses of Native Americans by settlers, including the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890.
All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and Life
Winona LaDuke“All Our Relations” breaks down the many environmental injustices committed against various Native communities — injustices that are not, as widely believed, confined to the 19th and 20th centuries, but continue to this day. LaDuke, an acclaimed environmentalist and former vice presidential candidate, strikes a tone that is both optimistic and cautionary in this searing call to action to reclaim and protect Native land.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
S. C. GwynneAt once the history of the entire Comanche tribe and a biography of one of its great leaders, Quanah Parker. Quanah fought against colonization of Comanche territory, but eventually was forced to surrender and see his people to a reservation. Gwynne spares no details when recounting this raw and rugged piece of history and quickly disabuses readers of any idyllic notions they may have about how the West was really won.
The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing
Sonia FaleiroSecrets, grief, family, and tragedy collide in this piercing investigation into the unsolved killings of Padma and Lalli, inseparable cousins found dead in their village’s orchard. Like Grann’s true crime, “The Good Girls” is both devastating and riveting and, thanks to painstaking journalism, uncovers a story that would have otherwise gone largely unheard of. As Faleiro pieces together the events leading up to and following the girls’ deaths, she questions what it means to be poor and female in a country that, above all, values honor and reputation.
Inventing the Savage: The Social Construction of Native American Criminality
Luana RossWhile the unjust treatment of Indigenous people in the 19th century is widely acknowledged today, few realize that this oppression hasn’t ended but instead continues in the form of mass incarceration. Ross provides evidence that Native women face harsher sentences and increased incarceration rates within the criminal justice system in comparison to white women. This is an eye-opening and grim read that, despite its publication 25 years ago, still rings true today.
The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America
Andrés ReséndezMeticulously researched and as enlightening as it is disturbing, “The Other Slavery” exposes a grim aspect of history often swept under the rug — the enslavement of Natives that started with Spanish colonization and continued with Anglo-Europeans’ quest for westward expansion. Reséndez forcefully reshapes our understanding of Native American history by centering the previously unacknowledged impact of centuries of forced labor.
Secrecy and Power
Richard Gid PowersGrann’s true crime mystery covers the role the newly formed FBI played in solving the insidious crimes committed against the Osage people. Powers’ biography of J. Edgar Hoover is essential reading for those who wish to gain an even deeper understanding of the controversial man at the helm of the agency.
The Burning: The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
Tim MadiganDespite being the most catastrophic race riot to take place in American history, the Tulsa race massacre has somehow vanished from the American consciousness. Award-winning journalist Madigan uses vivid storytelling and first-hand accounts to set the record straight on how an enraged white mob, assisted by the police and the KKK, obliterated America’s most prosperous Black community.