Author David Grann will give a public presentation as part of OCU’s Martha Jean Lemon Lecture Series.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” swept the literary world upon its publication in 2017 as a shocking, dramatic true story of murder and injustice against a Native American tribe in northeastern Oklahoma. In the 1920s, Osage Nation citizens became some of the wealthiest people in the world after oil reserves were discovered in the territory on which they were forcefully relocated years before. Subsequent brutal killings followed, which became known as the “Reign of Terror,” as Osage citizens were murdered to obtain control of their wealth.

In his lecture, Grann will illuminate how the struggle for Native American rights extends from the first contact with whites to the present day with Standing Rock. Grann highlights the saga of the Osage and documents how one of the most sinister crimes in American history connects to Native Americans’ current fight to control their land and resources.

“Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” spent more than 30 weeks on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and ranked #1 on Amazon’s Single Best Books of the Year. The film adaptation is now in production with Martin Scorcese as director and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.