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Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murder and the Birth of the FBI in Books
Nov 24, 2017 (Updated Nov 24, 2017)
Mind-blowing and a disconcerting read
I can say without a doubt, this is one of the best novels I've read this year. It is a disturbing and excellent real-life account of the plight of Native Americans who found themselves the unwitting beneficiaries of a financial boom in the 1920's after oil was discovered under the previously barren and worthless reservation they were moved to.
This fantastic book relates to a story covered in blood, racism and greed. Oil, black gold, made the Plains Osage tribe incredibly wealthy. By the 1890's, the remnants of this great people were in the scrub lands of Northern Oklahoma.
Their life was continually harsh, the soil poor. In the late 1890's, by chance, oil was struck in Osage County, flowing in abundance and in great demand. From 1918 to 1928, $202 million was paid to the tribe which by then numbered around 3000, transforming their lives. 680 barrels were obtained in a day in 1920 from a strike at Burbank, angering the whites and thus began the "Reign of Terror" in which hundreds of the Osage tribe members were subsequently killed in the most horrendous display of corruption.
The book itself begins in 1921 with an Osage woman who had a share of the mineral riches to be found under the Osage land. Mollie like others was subject to a law that treated her tribe as juveniles whose estates had to be administered by white guardians, that is local lawyers and businessmen, appointed by local courts.
Guardianship was unpoliced and few records were kept. Fraud was therefore prevalent and many of the local white community participated in corruption - murder was widespread as a result. Mollie's sister, Anna, was the first noticeable murder in which she was shot and killed, launching a major probe into similar killings in the area. Many other murders were committed over the following years, with poisoning as the most common method of killing. Essentially it was a covert form of genocide.
The locals refused to act, partly due to fear or involvement in this heinous plot, so J. Edgar Hoover, who was the first president of the FBI, became involved in the investigation. He sent a tall Texas Ranger called Tom White to scrutinise an epic series of murders in which even investigators were targets.
What follows is not only history but a riveting detective story and the book demonstrates yet again the enormous cost of American nationhood. It provides some fascinating insight into the early workings of the FBI (not least Hoover's nascent megalomania) for whom this was a celebrated case and a valuable reminder for folk who thought the persecution of American Indians ended in the late 19th century. Author and journalist David Grann does a superb job in collating all of the information with dozens of pages solely highlighting attributions and references - it is thorough and well-researched. Therefore it is hardly surprising that Hollywood has snapped up this book to turn it into a major motion picture - let's hope they don't whitewash history once again.
This fantastic book relates to a story covered in blood, racism and greed. Oil, black gold, made the Plains Osage tribe incredibly wealthy. By the 1890's, the remnants of this great people were in the scrub lands of Northern Oklahoma.
Their life was continually harsh, the soil poor. In the late 1890's, by chance, oil was struck in Osage County, flowing in abundance and in great demand. From 1918 to 1928, $202 million was paid to the tribe which by then numbered around 3000, transforming their lives. 680 barrels were obtained in a day in 1920 from a strike at Burbank, angering the whites and thus began the "Reign of Terror" in which hundreds of the Osage tribe members were subsequently killed in the most horrendous display of corruption.
The book itself begins in 1921 with an Osage woman who had a share of the mineral riches to be found under the Osage land. Mollie like others was subject to a law that treated her tribe as juveniles whose estates had to be administered by white guardians, that is local lawyers and businessmen, appointed by local courts.
Guardianship was unpoliced and few records were kept. Fraud was therefore prevalent and many of the local white community participated in corruption - murder was widespread as a result. Mollie's sister, Anna, was the first noticeable murder in which she was shot and killed, launching a major probe into similar killings in the area. Many other murders were committed over the following years, with poisoning as the most common method of killing. Essentially it was a covert form of genocide.
The locals refused to act, partly due to fear or involvement in this heinous plot, so J. Edgar Hoover, who was the first president of the FBI, became involved in the investigation. He sent a tall Texas Ranger called Tom White to scrutinise an epic series of murders in which even investigators were targets.
What follows is not only history but a riveting detective story and the book demonstrates yet again the enormous cost of American nationhood. It provides some fascinating insight into the early workings of the FBI (not least Hoover's nascent megalomania) for whom this was a celebrated case and a valuable reminder for folk who thought the persecution of American Indians ended in the late 19th century. Author and journalist David Grann does a superb job in collating all of the information with dozens of pages solely highlighting attributions and references - it is thorough and well-researched. Therefore it is hardly surprising that Hollywood has snapped up this book to turn it into a major motion picture - let's hope they don't whitewash history once again.
Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta
Book
Adventure writer Richard Grant takes on "the most American place on Earth" the enigmatic, beautiful,...
Merissa (14106 KP) rated The Shadow in Books
Dec 17, 2018
The Shadow is the second book in The Original's Trilogy, and although I haven't read book 1, this in no way impaired my enjoyment of this book. Trina is a witch that has always had trouble with her powers, and now she is literally disappearing. There is a quick synopsis given as part of the story as to what happened in book 1, and the consequences to Trina because of that. Duncan is sent to her by the Vampire Council to kill or kidnap her, depending on what happens to Lilith. Instead, Duncan decides to go with his instincts, and tries to help Trina in every way he can, even before he realises she is his mate. These two both have things in their past that make them act the way they do, so it's all part of the story as to how they work past that, and save the world from Armageddon.
This is an intricate paranormal read, with witches, daemons, Watchers, and even minions! And, no, they're not yellow wearing denim dungarees! Instead, you get an intriguing story where not everything is as black and white as you would assume. The story concludes nicely in this book, whilst providing a satisfactory preview into the next. It is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow.
Although I haven't read book one, I would actually recommend it before reading this one, simply because I feel that you would get a greater appreciation for the characters and their world. Still, saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and definitely recommend it.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is an intricate paranormal read, with witches, daemons, Watchers, and even minions! And, no, they're not yellow wearing denim dungarees! Instead, you get an intriguing story where not everything is as black and white as you would assume. The story concludes nicely in this book, whilst providing a satisfactory preview into the next. It is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow.
Although I haven't read book one, I would actually recommend it before reading this one, simply because I feel that you would get a greater appreciation for the characters and their world. Still, saying that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and definitely recommend it.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
ClareR (6256 KP) rated A Thousand Moons in Books
Apr 10, 2020
A Thousand Moons is set after the American Civil War in 1870’s Tennessee. This book follows on from Days Without End, and whilst I haven’t read it (yet! It’s on my bookshelf!), it didn’t affect my enjoyment at all.
Winona is a Lakota orphan who has been adopted by former soldiers Thomas McNulty and John Cole. She lives on their farm with them and Lige Magan, and two ex-slaves, Rosalee and Tennyson. Racism is still rife: Native Americans are seen as little more than animals, and black people are still hanged in the streets without trial for minor infractions.
Despite this, Winona has an admirer who wants to marry her: a white man. He’s persistent, and she doesn’t seem sure as to whether she really wants to marry him. And then something terrible happens. Winona is brought home: she is battered, raped and she doesn’t remember what happened or who did it.
This is such an emotional book. Winona’s reaction after her attack, coupled with the fact that she will never have any protection under the law, is heartbreaking.
Things that happen to other characters just seems to show starkly the injustices in the USA at this time. But it is all told in the most beautiful way. The writing really is exquisite: the descriptions of Winona’s inner thoughts, the descriptions of the landscape, and the way that life is shown, all really drew me in to this story. I loved reading it every day on The Pigeonhole. I will certainly be getting the first book in this series down off the shelf to read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book, and to Sebastian Barry for joining in.
Winona is a Lakota orphan who has been adopted by former soldiers Thomas McNulty and John Cole. She lives on their farm with them and Lige Magan, and two ex-slaves, Rosalee and Tennyson. Racism is still rife: Native Americans are seen as little more than animals, and black people are still hanged in the streets without trial for minor infractions.
Despite this, Winona has an admirer who wants to marry her: a white man. He’s persistent, and she doesn’t seem sure as to whether she really wants to marry him. And then something terrible happens. Winona is brought home: she is battered, raped and she doesn’t remember what happened or who did it.
This is such an emotional book. Winona’s reaction after her attack, coupled with the fact that she will never have any protection under the law, is heartbreaking.
Things that happen to other characters just seems to show starkly the injustices in the USA at this time. But it is all told in the most beautiful way. The writing really is exquisite: the descriptions of Winona’s inner thoughts, the descriptions of the landscape, and the way that life is shown, all really drew me in to this story. I loved reading it every day on The Pigeonhole. I will certainly be getting the first book in this series down off the shelf to read.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book, and to Sebastian Barry for joining in.
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head...: My Autobiography
Book
In an era before big money arrived, Ian Redford, the son of a Perthshire farmer, was stigmatised as...
QR Scanner - QR Code Reader and QR Code Creator
Utilities and Productivity
App
Meet the new QR Code Scanner application: a powerful QR Code reader, which allows you to access...
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Air Born (The Guardian book 3) in Books
Apr 5, 2022
60 of 230
Kindle
Air Born ( The Guardian book 3)
By Rayanne Haines
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quinn Taleisin hates secrets, and shadows, and subterfuge. Which is why she still can’t believe she agreed to become a member of the Guardians, an elite force of immortals tasked with keeping the balance between good and evil in the world.
Sounds great, except, to be a guardian you must agree to live in secrecy. Quinn is a wind elemental. Being caged in by secrecy is worse than death for someone like her. She can’t imagine a worse fate—until she’s asked to work with Lachon Findel, the man she holds responsible for her mother’s death and her father’s insanity.
Lachon is the oldest living elemental in the world. Known as Lachon the Law, he’s an earth element; a man who sees the world in black and white, right and wrong. So maybe once, briefly, a hundred years ago she thought he was a good guy. She knew better now. No way would she fall for his savior of the world shtick.
When the dangers of the past catch up with them, Quinn realizes the only way either of them will make it out alive is if she can put the ghosts of the past behind her and finally trust the flesh and blood man in front of her.
You know when a book just catches you by surprise and get to your emotions you know it’s a good book. So this one I was coasting through thinking it maybe wasn’t the best in the series but it was ok then BAM! By the end I’m full invested and my emotions are haywire. I have loved Quinn since book 1 and I love her even more now. Definitely recommend this series.
Kindle
Air Born ( The Guardian book 3)
By Rayanne Haines
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Quinn Taleisin hates secrets, and shadows, and subterfuge. Which is why she still can’t believe she agreed to become a member of the Guardians, an elite force of immortals tasked with keeping the balance between good and evil in the world.
Sounds great, except, to be a guardian you must agree to live in secrecy. Quinn is a wind elemental. Being caged in by secrecy is worse than death for someone like her. She can’t imagine a worse fate—until she’s asked to work with Lachon Findel, the man she holds responsible for her mother’s death and her father’s insanity.
Lachon is the oldest living elemental in the world. Known as Lachon the Law, he’s an earth element; a man who sees the world in black and white, right and wrong. So maybe once, briefly, a hundred years ago she thought he was a good guy. She knew better now. No way would she fall for his savior of the world shtick.
When the dangers of the past catch up with them, Quinn realizes the only way either of them will make it out alive is if she can put the ghosts of the past behind her and finally trust the flesh and blood man in front of her.
You know when a book just catches you by surprise and get to your emotions you know it’s a good book. So this one I was coasting through thinking it maybe wasn’t the best in the series but it was ok then BAM! By the end I’m full invested and my emotions are haywire. I have loved Quinn since book 1 and I love her even more now. Definitely recommend this series.
The Intel Trinity: How Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove Built the World's Most Important Company
Book
Based on unprecedented access to the corporation's archives, The Intel Trinity is the first full...
Marseille
Book
The reality of Marseille, with its secret life and scarred beauty, has little in common with its...