Methland

The Death and Life of an American Small Town

By: Nick Reding

Narrated by: Mark Boyett

Length: 9 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

The dramatic story of the methamphetamine epidemic as it sweeps the American heartland a timely, moving, very human account of one community s attempt to battle its way to a brighter future.

Crystal methamphetamine is widely considered to be the most dangerous drug in the world, and nowhere is that more true than in the small towns of the American heartland. Methland tells the story of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), which, like thousands of other small towns across the country, has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy, and an out-migration of people. As if this weren't enough to deal with, an incredibly cheap, long lasting, and highly addictive drug has rolled into town.

Over a period of four years, journalist Nick Reding brings us into the heart of Oelwein through a cast of intimately drawn characters, including: Clay Hallburg, the town doctor, who fights meth even as he struggles with his own alcoholism; Nathan Lein, the town prosecutor, whose caseload is filled almost exclusively with meth-related crime; and Jeff Rohrick, a meth addict, still trying to kick the habit after 20 years. Tracing the connections between the lives touched by the drug and the global forces that set the stage for the epidemic, Methland offers a vital and unique perspective on a pressing contemporary tragedy.

©2009 Nick Reding (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Mark Boyett’s narration is terrific. He deftly conveys the town’s efforts to deal with the problem and defines various key residents. Particularly strong are his portraits of town doctor Clay Hallburg, who personally observes the growth of the drug and the decline of the town, and prosecutor Nathan Lein, whose caseload is almost entirely meth based." ( AudioFile)

A Story worth reading

This is not new news, but it is a good in-depth look at the world of Meth and its purveyors and users. Most will not be surprised by the part played by big pharma and it's supporters in keeping the drugs flowing. And the portrayal of the poverty and desperation in the mid-West is pretty crushing. But there are also some really inspiring characters who are hanging in there in those small towns keeping them going and trying to take them back from that despair. And it was heartening to meet them.

The narration is not really that bad either, but it really bothers me when people don't bother to find out how things should be pronounced. This guy mis-pronounces "Willamette" about fifty times and since I am from the Pacific Northwest, each of them was likes nails on a blackboard.

Very informative and shocking information

who would've thought, little old Iowa, meth problems...I like how he ties everything together with Mansanto and Cargill, Iowa's biggest industries.

Good listen

What did you love best about Methland?

Narrator was very good. Book was more interesting than first thought it would be.

What did you like best about this story?

The book was full of fact and stories about geniune people. It kept me wanting to find out what happened in their lives.

Have you listened to any of Mark Boyett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time hearing this narrator and he did an excellent job.

Terrifying Yet True

This book is totally frightening because it is true. The examples of decent people gone terribly bad are just shocking. I couldn't stop listening, even when the book bogs down into back history/meth production details. Yes it does bog down, but reading those passages is absolutely critical to understanding the depth and pervasiveness of meth addiction. So many wasted lives and hurt and heartache.

This was really a thought-provoking read.

The Organization is Immoral

This book makes this point over and over - you can't miss it. And another one: Crank has become a permanent part of the American Scene.

This may surprise you, because we have been assured at the highest levels that the meth problem has been solved. This is simply not true, Crank is here to stay, despite strenuous efforts to eradicate it.

I can see the blank looks on your faces "Crank is evil, how could it be a permanent part of America?" Without belaboring the point, I will only repeat the obvious: every large country is both good and evil.

You may still object to my saying "The Organization is immoral." It doesn't take a genius to see why this is so: Morality, as conceived by the Enlightenment, was an absolute morality that applied everywhere - an concept Americans can no longer comprehend. They have reverted to a subjective morality - which always depends on the people involved - on who has the most power. A morality that suits The Organization perfectly - because it always has the most power.

The legal drug companies and the illegal drug companies are in bed together, because they have the same morality and the same objectives - making money any way they can.

Good, but not quite what I was expecting

I was expecting a portrait of an American town impacted by meth, mostly communicated with portraits of individual users. And there is some of this. But there is a lot more of looking at meth through a bigger lens, with discussions of economics and politics etc. While certainly educational, that wasn't my favorite part. In all fairness the book I thought it was going to be would have been a downer since I have learned why exactly meth is such a hard drug to come clean from and our recovering user portraits support this. There are also a lot of portraits of non-users, in law enforcement, politics and other roles within small town America. I think there was more of that than I wanted. I think the author enjoys going off on tangents about individual people. There was one point in the book where this got so obvious that I took a break from listening for a long time. The author was telling the life story of a guy who was brought as a guest to a barbecue of a guy who works as a doctor in the town. The guest was from Central America I think it was and the author was going on about the political environment from which this guy came. It was so off the topic of small town meth I lost interest. I think the editor should have flagged that. Overall it was educational, interesting and well performed, but good rather than great.

An Excellent Read

I really enjoyed this one. It could probably even have been longer but I'm glad it was only as long as it needed to be.

The subject wasn't exactly news to me--who hasn't heard of illegal methamphetamine?--but fleshing out the details and the social and business relationships that support the meth trade--that was an eye-opener. Agribusiness, Columbia, Mexico, drug stores--quite a cast of characters.

And the narrator made it a real pleasure to listen to.

Better then expected!

Usually listening to fantasy, I took a chance while this was on sale. Very happy with this purchase. Some parts were compelling and while I do not live in a meth land soaked area. It is good to get an under standing why I have to provide my license to purchase some over the counter drugs.
Also provides some insight to drug policy and what to expect from the every changing drug war. But I felt some topics were rushed, could have used more details on how conversations went.

EXTREMELY thorough.

What did you like best about Methland? What did you like least?

Great topic. I live in a meth riddled area and have seen the devastation and wanted to know a little more about the prevelance across the nation. This book reads much like a documentary. Nick follows a handful of people closely throughout the book and depicts the rise and fall of their lives. There are parts that are fascinating such as the statistics, illustrations of the chaos that meth causes in families and communities.

However, this is an extremely long winded book. It is riddled with far too many details that are not needed to supplement the story. 11 hours of reading had me in a dizzy and I often wondered off from the mundane details that droned on for what felt like hours.
I actually have not finished this book, I stopped at the 9th hour. I got the idea well after the seventh hour. If you enjoy long books and don't mind large amounts of details, this is not a horrible book. It is informative and well thought out. Just needs to be edited way more than it has been. Colors and layout of land, interviews with every person he meets on the street and their entire life story is not particularly necessary.

Fascinating and scary and realistic.

If you could sum up Methland in three words, what would they be?

Holy moly Mama !

What was one of the most memorable moments of Methland?

How "ordinary" everything seemed to be. I have my head in the sand !

Have you listened to any of Mark Boyett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to any but need to check him out.

If you could give Methland a new subtitle, what would it be?

Get your head out of the sand.

Any additional comments?

It was great !!!!!!!!1