Having seen Scorsese’s wonderful latest movie (Killers of the Flower Moon), I was tempted to get the book it was based on – written by David Grann.

I finished the book in 3 days, couldn’t put it down. It’s a factual account of brutal events I had never heard of and that gives us a totally different perspective on the mythical cowboys and westerns fabricated by Hollywood.

It tells the story of the Osage tribe of indigenous people forced to relocate from Kansas to a new reservation in Oklahoma (with a rocky and arid terrain) at the end of the 19th century. It turned out the soil was rich in oil, which turned the tribe into one to the richest nations on earth.

Of course, it didn’t take long for the ambitious “whites” to do everything they could to rob those people – considered second-class citizens, or even animals – of their wealth, starting a ”reign of terror“: Corruption, murders, and all kinds of fraudulent schemes took place, with the complicity of the highest authorities of the land.

The book, of course, offers a lot more details and also tells the reader about the creation of the FBI, which is also a great story.

The best thing is that now I found a new favorite writer: I have just started reading David Grann’s latest book: The WAGER.

Let’s us know if you have read the book (or seen the movie) and what you think about it.

Jorge Sette