“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” Mark Twain.

I have to admit, when I purchased “Killers of the Flower Moon,” I did not know who the Osage were; at the time, I probably thought it was the name of a town. What attracted my attention was the tagline stating the book was about the birth of the FBI. I bought it during an RV trip in the Texas Panhandle while visiting Palo Duro Canyon State Park’s gift shop.

My husband and I enjoy reading outdoors when RVing and look for books that enlighten us about the people and regions we visit. This one was beyond what we expected. My husband read it first. I noticed he was more engaged than usual, but I asked him not to spoil it for me.

When my turn came, I could not put the book down, except when I could not go on reading because of consternation. Not only did I learn about the Osage people, but I was forced to process the tragedy I was reading about. I am not giving you any spoilers, but author David Grann transports readers to dramatic scenes and dialogues.

Martin Scorsese is releasing his film version of the book on October 20, 2023. I cannot wait to see it, but I am also skeptical, for several non-fiction books adapted to film have disappointed me. We had a similar experience as Martin Scorsese. The FBI part caught my attention, but the Osage’s story retained it.

In an interview for Variety, Scorsese said, “After a certain point, I realized I was making a movie about all the white guys. I was taking the approach from the outside in, which concerned me.” Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth overhauled the entire script, changing the film’s perspective. The new script for “Flower Moon” centers on Ernest (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his marriage to an Osage woman, Mollie (Lily Gladstone). Gladstone said in an interview with Vulture that the film “is not a white-savior story. It’s the Osage saying, ‘Do something. Here’s money. Come help us.”

And that is all I am going to say about the book. The film “Killers of the Flower Moon” opens in theaters nationwide on October 20 from Apple and Paramount. I recommend the book, for I don’t know if the film will do it justice. Reviews have been good so far.

I noticed Barnes & Noble by the McAllen Convention Center had several copies.

You can also purchase the book through Amazon with this link: Killers of the Flower Moon #ad #commissionable.

The lovely featured Image for this story is from Vogue’s “Lily Gladstone on the Real Story Behind Killers of the Flower Moon and Working with Marty, Leo, and Bob by Radhika Set. May 25, 2023.

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