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, longlasting, 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 twenty 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.

Nick Reding is the author of The Last Cowboys at the End of the World, and his writing has appeared in Outside, Food and Wine, and Harper’s. Born in St. Louis, he decided to move back to his hometown in the course of reporting this book.

Prologue: Home	p. 1
2005
Kant's Lament	p. 21
The Most American Drug	p. 40
The Inland Empire	p. 58
Family	p. 73
The Do Drop Inn	p. 90
2006
Mirror Imaging	p. 107
The Cop Shop	p. 120
Waterloo	p. 137
The Inland Empire, Part Two	p. 150
Las Flores	p. 167
2007
Algona	p. 183
El Paso	p. 192
Disconnected States	p. 206
Kant's Redemption	p. 215
Independence	p. 228
Epilogue: Home Again	p. 236
Acknowledgments	p. 247
A Note on Sources	p. 251
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Methland The Death and Life of an American Small Town

9781596916500

1596916508

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