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.

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

Illuminates an Understated Problem

Reding puts the reader in the center of small-town America, showing you how and why methamphetamine has become a staple of rural life.

The people you meet are varied-- rich/poor, addicted, sober, empathetic, bitter-- and witnessing all of their reactions to the issue really adds depth to the narrative.

Whether you're unfamiliar with the Meth phenomenon or are looking to compare notes, couldn't recommend this book more.

amazingly insightful look into small town america

I grew up in a small town and found this such a fascinating look at what's becoming of small town america.

Great book.

I Never Knew

Nick Redding did a fantastic job detailing a disturbing part of American culture. By doing so, he has also exposed, in detail, a fundemental failing of our political system, a system which could put a stop to this deadly problem (or at least limit the problem) but has, instead, turned it;s back on the immense suffering of so many in order to line the pockets of so few. Nick Redding should be applauded and our government should be ashamed.

It opened my eyes

This book really opened my eyes to the problem of meth use in the US.

Beautifully written, but insubstantial

I listened to this book in just a few days, much more quickly than I would an audiobook of comperable length. This is because the story is engrossing from the start, abetted by Reding's skillful writing.

In the end, though, the writing is all I took from the book. It's a beautifully-rendered portrait of a small town in Iowa, and to a lesser degree, the entire American Midwest.

Reding attempts to view the methamphetamine problem in America as a metaphor, and in this he is unsuccessful. However, I would recommend the book for the beautiful writing and for the loving depiction of a part of America that is rapidly disappearing.

Another book about the Worst! Drug! Ever!

Nick Reding's style is fine and readable, and the narration is fine. The book was interesting but frankly didn't really bring that much insight to the table. Okay, meth is bad, we all know that. And drug addiction is horrible, drug cartels are evil and dangerous, and poverty tends to breed despair and thus drug use. These are all well-known facts and true of every addictive drug and every drug "epidemic." But color me skeptical when I'm told that this generation's drug is yet another incarnation of the WORST DRUG EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND!

Reding goes into the history of meth and traces the rise of meth as a small town drug that is symbolic of the woes of Middle America by tying it to one town in particular: Oelwein, Iowa. He takes a sample of individual real-life characters -- the optimistic but beleaguered mayor, the pragmatic and cynical prosecutor, the alcoholic doctor, and of course, various dealers and addicts -- to personalize the effects of meth on this town. The stories are interesting but nothing we haven't heard before. Likewise, the rise of the Mexican Mafia is just a reprise of the Colombian cocaine cartels in the 80s. Once again, ham-handed legislation tainted by lobbyist influence managed only to strengthen the hold that organized crime has on the trade.

The connection to globalization and poverty is there, but I think it's a weaker part of Reding's narrative, particularly when he veers into agribusiness consolidation. This represents a whole host of problems afflicting the American heartland, and meth is just one piece of it, more a side effect than a root cause.

It seemed like there was quite a bit of filler to pad it out to a full-length book. The Oelwein sections themselves were only part of the book.

This isn't a bad book or even a particularly flawed one, and certainly it increases understanding of the specifics of the drug methamphetamine. But I didn't find it to be ground-breaking, nor wholly convincing in its thesis.