The life and death of an american small town, by nick reding, is the story of that something in the town of oelwein, iowa, and elsewhere in america. And, it contains very personal stories about a small number ofindividuals whose lives are connected with and influenced by thosehardships and the struggle against. It is quite a story and is especially so when we listen to residents giving voice to what they have experienced personally or have witnessed in family or friends, and to the confusions. The death and life of an american small town nick reding puts all of the pieces together in an excellent investigative book that exposes the complex and seemingly unstoppable forces behind the epidemic, while also revealing its human cost through individual stories that. Im perpetually caught up in the endless flood of new novels. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read. Once a railroad, meatpacking, and farming hub, oelwein has been battered by the farm crisis and decimated by job losses. The death and life of an american small town, has been. It is the only book im aware of that understands at a fundamental level meth isnt a drug problem, it. The death and life of an american small town nick reding the bestselling book that launched meth back into the nations consciousness. The death and life of an american small town kindle edition by reding, nick. Lying beneath some of the most traveled air routes in the world, they.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The death and life of an american small town from the worlds largest community of readers. While methland is described as being about oeilwein, iowa, the story of that town only takes up perhaps half the book. In the book he reports on methamphetamine production and addiction in. Despite a small number of important exceptions 15, 18, 20. But all in all, methland is a captivating, sobering portrait of an american heartland that has transformed from the idyllic small towns of mellencamp songs to a place with a darkness in the corners and behind the walls. Aug 25, 2010 but all in all, methland is a captivating, sobering portrait of an american heartland that has transformed from the idyllic small towns of mellencamp songs to a place with a darkness in the corners and behind the walls. The death and life of an american small town by nick reding isbn.
Methland tells at least four important stories simultaneously 1how a small iowa town oelwin went from prosperous to an economic basketcase and back, while becoming first infested with local meth labs and then free of their scourge. The death and life of an american small town nick reding concedes that the book might seem less relevant today than even a. Jun 16, 2009 methland tells a story less about crime than about the death of an iconic way of life. Methland by nick reding overdrive rakuten overdrive. Life of an american small town every morning, jeremy logan leaves his house and drives five blocks to work in a blue ford expedition emblazoned with the words oelwein police in the towns green and yellow. A new york times bestsellerwinner of the chicago tribune heartland prize winner of the hillman prize for book. Nick reding the dramatic story of the methamphetamine epidemic of the 1980s as it sweeps the american heartlanda moving, very human account of one communitys attempt to battle its way to a brighter future. The death and life of an american small town caught my eye from the first time i saw it, in hardcover on a bookstore table a year or so ago. New york post methland is a stunning look at a problem that has dire consequences for our country. The death and life of an american small town nick reding puts all of the pieces together in an excellent investigative book that exposes the complex and seemingly unstoppable forces behind the epidemic, while also revealing its human cost through individual stories that will make you hurt.
New york postthe dramatic story of methamphetamine as. The death and life of an american small town by reding, nick isbn. This isnt just a small town issue or an iowa issue. The american meth epidemic holds a certain morbid fascination for methe disturbing photographs of deadeyed addicts, the. Download and chatter books online, epub pdf online audible kindle is an easy way to supply, books for others. Jun 03, 2010 a new york times bestsellerwinner of the chicago tribune heartland prize winner of the hillman prize for book journalismnamed a best book of the year by. Methland makes the case that small town america is perhaps not the moral and hardworking place of the public imagination, but it also argues that bigcity ignorancefueled by the mediatoward small town decay is both dangerous and appalling. And the problems that are detailed in the book not just the use of crystal methamphetamine but the economic, cultural, political and social problems that. The death and life of an american small town nick reding. Methland the death and life of an american small town audio book, methland the death and life of an american small town books online, methland. The death and life of an american small town pdf book author, online pdf book editor methland. The death and life of an american small town nick reding concedes that the book might seem less relevant today than even a few years ago.
Sep 22, 2015 methland the death and life of an american small town audio book, methland the death and life of an american small town books online, methland the death and life of an american small town pdf. Based on redings four years of reporting in the agricultural town of oelwein, iowa, and tracing the connections to the global forces. Methland ebook by nick reding 9781608191567 rakuten kobo. Life in a small midwestern town lingers in the bars and passes weekly through the church sanctuaries. Read methland the death and life of an american small town by nick reding available from rakuten kobo. Methland makes the case that smalltown america is perhaps not the moral and hardworking place of the public imagination, but it also argues that bigcity ignorancefueled by the mediatoward smalltown decay is both dangerous and appalling. Nick reding speaks at emory university school of law on his new book. The death and life of an american small town, published 2010 under isbn 9781608192076 and isbn 1608192075. The death and life of an american small town 9781596916500 by reding, nick and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. 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. The death and life of a small american town by nick reding is one scary book. Methland is the story of the drug as it infiltrates the community of oelwein, iowa. When its methland, reding is at his best, but when hes in that. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them.
The death and life of small downtown america citylab. Methland the death and life of an american small town audio. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading methland. The book isnt bad, or dull, but it suffers from the predictable overage of patronizingly folksy embroidery, and the dont think of an elephant effect whereby every claim that life in a small town isnt narrow or suffocating has the opposite effect on the reader. Feb 23, 2011 nick reding speaks at emory university school of law on his new book. But its rooted in the stores that line main street, and on the green and yellow latticework sprawl of the farms that begin just feet from where the pavement ends. A new york times bestsellerwinner of the chicago tribune heartland prize winner of the hillman prize for book journalismnamed a best book of the year by. The death and life of an american small townget it now. In these states, reding argues, meth has always been less an agent of change. Methland tells a story less about crime than about the death of an iconic way of life. The death and life of an american small town bloomsbury usa june 9, 2009.
The death and life of an american small town gracefully moves from drug addiction to globalization, from big agriculture to big pharmaceutical, always with the goal of better understanding the twentyeight landlocked states of the american flyover zone. Methland the death and life of an american small town. Subscribe to our newsletters to get updates about illinois public medias role in. Life in a small midwestern town lingers in the bars and passes weekly. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The death and life of an american small town is a book by nick reding which documents the drug culture of oelwein, iowa and how it ties into larger issues of rural flight and small town economic decline placed in the historic context of the drug trade, particularly the manufacture and consumption of methamphetamine. Methland tells the heroic story of the small town of oelwein, iowaand, through it, the story of drug abuse in rural america. The death and life of an american small town by nick reding. Methland is the story of the drug as it infiltrates the community of oelwein, iowa pop. Now available in paperback after seven hardcover printings, the new york times bestseller methland. The rest is about the history of meth and more interesting to me how meth went from a biker drug cooked and sold by small time operators to a heavily centralized and industrialized international network run by the socalled. The death and life of an american small town bloomsbury, 2009 americas midland didnt have much to feel good. It posits that at a fundamental level meth isnt a drug problem, it is a symptom of our current societal and economic problems.