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)

Interesting Perspective, Although A Bit Biased

This is a very interesting perspective on the "Meth Epidemic"-- giving a fuller picture than is typically found in the mass media. However, the author definitely has a bias and an opinion about this phenomena, and I am not sure I buy it 100%.

Compelling & terrifying

For someone who was "familiar with the drug scene" meth is and was a truly scary drug. What this substance does to people and communities is terrible but this book goes FAR beyond the obvious. The effects of government policy and blatant corporate irresponsibility do damage individuals and the author does an excellent job of making connections. I could not stop listening to this (much to the annoyance of my family). Don't miss this one!

Enjoyable Ramble

I enjoyed listening to this tale. Last year I actually took a train to some of the towns mentioned in this story (towns so rural my gps listed 15 of the top 25 points of interest as cemetaries). The narration was perfect, and I estimate that 85% of the writing was perfect, too. But approximately 15% of it digressed pointlessly, and that's why I only give this 4 out of 5 stars. Still, the tale was entertaining and sometimes educational.

Methland, USA

Solid reporting, good storytelling, wide lens to this narrative. It's really a contemporary history of Middle American working class: blue collar without a reason to get dressed for work. Excellent on the larger forces in play, why the American myth is psychological rather than sociological, meaning, whatever happens, we see only personal responsibility.

Breaking Good

Methland should be read as a companion piece to Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism - the micro results of the macro trends that have decimated once thriving agricultural and manufacturing towns in the midwest. As Reding tells the story, meth is a symptom of a larger economic and social story rather than a cause.

True, meth addiction and the meth economy feeds the beast of social decline and dysfunction, but the roots of meth's rise as the working class drug of choice, and the states inability to deal with either the producers or the addicts is structural. Reding's reporting strategy is personal and visual. We meet the people on all sides of the meth epidemic as full drawn and realized personalities. Anyone who reads Methland will have a hard time thinking about crystal addiction, manufacture or distribution as one only of personal failure.

methland

My hats off to Nick Reding. Very well researched book. It's about time somebody wrote the truth about a drug that has took the USA like a plague! Any more its not who's on this horrible drug,but who is'nt.Meth is destroying lives and family's daily! Sure wish their were more real people like Nick out their! Great job, keep up the good work,hope to see more of your writings in the future. This novel really hit's HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Riveting and enlightening

I had a good friend who had a very bad reaction to methamphetamine diet pills prescribed for her by her doctor in the late 60s and everyone thought she had a nervous breakdown, while she kept telling us it was the diet pills. It wasn't until she found a newspaper article some years later about meth that anyone thought she might have been on to something. At any rate, she was never the same person, and this book brings that change in brain chemistry to the forefront.

I remember a lot of facts from the 60s and 70s of the government's involvement in regulating meth but listening to this book really put it all together for me! Every "Ah-hah!" moment led to another and I couldn't leave the book alone until it was finished.

I think this book should be required reading because not only does it make a good case about the possible role of meth in everyday lives, but it also opens our eyes to the extent of the hold of addictive substances.

Loved the beginning but it got bogged

I found the first few chapters of this book fascinating but then it seemed to get bogged, or rather distracted and almost off topic, I struggled to get through it towards the end. Still interesting but I would have preferred more investigation of the actual addicts rather than some of the very ordinary commentary.

Interesting facts, boring storyline

Interesting facts, boring storyline. I had high hopes for loving this book but it 85% of it was just soo boring

baker

Feels lazy at times and over-reaching. It tries too hard. Meth is bad. Meth is here to stay, but books have a responsibility to tell stories in engaging ways-- at least a book of this type.