Methland

Reding’s book on the methamphetamine epidemic in small-town Ohio is distressing but essential. He is exceptional in showing rather than telling how meth is in so many ways the Great American Drug. It makes you work even more maniacally, for one. And the hollowing out of Middle America makes the drug’s proactive nature even more attractive in these forgotten towns and cities. It is painful that the meth scourge might have eased but, as is so often the case, other destructive substances have quickly replaced it. 

This book examines the meth epidemic in rural towns of middle America. It is an amazing piece of investigative journalism that focuses on the seemly ordinary residents of Oelwein, Iowa, and exposes the reasons behind the epidemic. It details everything from production to distribution and includes stories from users, cooks, dealers, law enforcement, social workers, and family. It is an eye-opening account of what can happen when jobs go away and factories close up and leave town for good. I have family members from a small town, and this book is never far from my thoughts.