bookforthought's review

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informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0


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omair's review

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dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

WARNING TO THOSE READING THIS BECAUSE OF THE FILM ADAPTATION:
After all of the hype and excitement I had for the film adaptation, I knew I had to read the source material as soon as possible. I had thought I would take to the book far more than the film, which I did thoroughly like, because I went into the film expecting more police procedural and less story of love
and betrayal
.

Yet as I read this book, I found myself agreeing more and more with the decisions the film made. This is not a slight against the book, but further praise for the film. The purposes of the film and the book are not one and the same, and so it is vital to anyone that, like me, is coming to read because/after the film to understand before they begin.

REVIEW THE BOOK INDEPENDENT OF THE FILM (which is what I intend to do)

Killers is as informative of a book as I could've imagined considering the personal story the primary focus is on. The book is overflowing with descriptors that will make you feel sorrow and anger, leave you wondering what humanity is and why it is missing. While only covering a handful of incidences, the cold factual presentation will leave you reeling, as if sensing how small a fraction the sample is compared to the population. All totaled, the official death count may
only be a couple dozen
but Grann will easily convince you that there were hundreds more victims during the Reign of Terror, and he may well be right.

If you can make it through the pain and sadness, there is a beautiful story here of a people's survival. The heart to endure and rally is as much a light as the era is an inky darkness. The book may focus on Thomas White, his team of agents, and their investigation that finally tore down the veil behind which the atrocities hid, but the real heroes are the Osage people.

For as strong as the book is in its cold, clearly well-researched, tone, I also found this to be a slight undoing. The voice can feel rather impersonal at times, leaving the reader as a student of history rather than immersed in the moment. This is why I agree with the decisions made for the film adaptation. Maybe I would feel differently not having known the details from the film first, I can never know for sure. But the progression of the book, and some of the detours along the way, played loose with risking a reader to set the book down only to never return and finish.

Ultimately, I will recommend this read to anyone with an interest in the Reign of Terror, interest in the era, an interest in the realities of White American Exceptionalism, or a morbid curiosity of a casual genocide. Sticking through some of the uneven pacing is well worth it for the resulting reverence of the Osage, and Mollie in particular, all carrying inside of them something no man could ever kill.

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dhelwagen's review against another edition

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dark informative sad medium-paced

5.0

First nonfiction book that I’ve read in a while and what a good choice to get  back into the genre. Absolutely heartbreaking story that really makes you think about the history of the US and the dark sides of expansion. The writing and research are well thought out and organized but don’t feel like you’re reading a textbook. You come to know the characters as if they are still alive and grieve for/with them as they pass. Would recommend for anyone trying to get back in to nonfiction or, really, anyone wanting to read a good book. 

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kylasmv15's review

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adventurous dark informative mysterious fast-paced

5.0


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lindseylosers's review

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad fast-paced

5.0


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hanhantap's review

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challenging informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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tiffyd's review

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0


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buck_e36's review

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dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

Everyone should read this book. We cannot forget this horrific period of history. David Grann tells the forgotten story of the Osage Reign of Terror in concise yet emotional and descriptive prose, conveying the utmost respect for the real people whose lives and deaths he is retelling. 

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itsheyfay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0


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travisppe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

3.25


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