Methland
The Death and Life of an American Small Town
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Methland
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Narrated by:
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Mark Boyett
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By:
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Nick Reding
About this listen
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.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Editorial reviews
There is something about Mark Boyett’s voice that made him the narrator of choice for two nonfiction audiobooks published in close succession: The Good Soldiers by David Finkel and Methland by Nick Reding. The common factors of these books are authors who worked at the sites of their stories for protracted periods of time and developed personal relationships with the people caught in the terrible circumstances their stories depict, and the important issues for America the books represent. The Good Soldiers is a deeply moving, tragic, and heroic story of American soldiers fighting in Iraq. Methland is an American tragedy of engulfing, systemic, and tragic dimensions. Set in Oelwein, Iowa, Methland documents the destructive effects of methamphetamine on this small town, and, by extension, all of rural America and the rest of the country.
Boyett is an actor relatively new to audiobooks. His talents and skills are exceptional, and his voice has unique and impressive signature qualities. Boyett’s narrative voice ranges from a baritone of dramatic tonal solidity to the mid-to-high registries where he is expansive in more nuanced ways. Boyett has exceptional timing. And what is perhaps his strongest talent is the way he creates and shapes the book’s timing with his frequent and fluent shifts in intonation, stress, phrasings, emphases, and pitch — all the vocal gifts in the narrator’s quiver. In short, Boyett’s voice is actively expressive in quite an impressive way, and what is behind the voice is the narrator’s highly disciplined and methodical approach. Boyett does what the great narrators do: he greatly enhances and enriches the book’s contents.
Methland is a book of extreme contrasts. In its largest sense it is investigative journalism, objective reportage of the history and growth and destructive effects of methamphetamine. It is upfront and personal in its depictions of the people involved in the drama, and in many places it is down-home and personal. For instance, we become closely acquainted with the life stories of two upstanding and impressive young men central to the story: Nathan Lein, assistant prosecutor for Fayette County, and Clay Hallberg, the town’s doctor.
And then there is Roland Jarvis. “On a cold winter night in 2001, Roland Jarvis looked out the window of his mother’s house and saw that the Oelwein police had hung live human heads in the trees of the yard… Then the heads, satisfied that Jarvis was in fact cooking meth in the basement, conveyed the message to a black helicopter hovering over the house.” This hallucination has horrific, dreadful consequences, and Reding’s depictions of Jarvis living with these consequences are shocking, startling, and moving. The something about Boyett’s voice is his meticulously timed and constructed narration, his expressive fluency, and his ability to shift with ease within the existential extremes of normality and abnormality in nonfiction. — David Chasey
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Methland
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- LillyO
- 07-27-10
Informative without judgement...
I really really liked this this guy tackled this topic. I learned so much all the while feeling as if he truly cared about his subjects. Perhaps because he was telling a story so close to where he grew up? Informative yet reverent!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-20-21
very interesting book
a very interesting book I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in this subject. being from Iowa I could relate to the small town life.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Eric
- 09-01-10
Great book
A great read and a good book. I thought it dragged on a tiny bit at the end but it wasn't bad. I really learned a lot from this book and found it interesting for the vast majority of the time. A must listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Beyond Books
- 07-29-10
Fascinating Story
Nick Reding obviously put a lot of hard work and research into writing this book. The characters are real and they are unforgettable. Also, lots of great background on the impact of business, agriculture, the economy, immigration, politics and big pharma on America's struggle with this easily attainable, highly-addictive drug. Definitely worth a listen - keep an open mind. Not everything is as you think and understanding the complexities is the first step to reaching a solution.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Cindy
- 12-17-13
Interesting read, then falls off
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Yes, but only to be read on a larger scale than just meth.
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
Sorta falls off without much closure.
Have you listened to any of Mark Boyett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No.
Was Methland worth the listening time?
50% of the book was very good. The other 50% was about big industry ruining middle America, and not even about meth. It's worth listening to but, I would not rush to listen to it.
Any additional comments?
If you are looking for an in depth study of meth use in America, this is not for you. However this is a very good study about the decline of middle class Americans in the Mid-west.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joseph Hicks
- 06-30-12
Remarkable a courageous labor of love/ scholarship
Where does Methland rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Best so far
What was one of the most memorable moments of Methland?
His fascinating description of the local woman who built up a small meth empire
Also his run-in with the meth addict in the bar
What about Mark Boyett’s performance did you like?
Very good voice shifts from sweet to gruff and ability to take on different voices for different characters. Very believable voices. Even the southern accent wasn't bad. Mr Boyett is truly easy to listen to and wonderfully talented. Hope to hear more from him.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When Mr. Reding brought his own history into the mix.
Any additional comments?
All concerned citizens and especially government and industry people need to have a seminar from Mr Reding. Hope his message will reach other countries in the world in danger of this meth cancer.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- A. SPRING
- 03-11-13
Meth
Would you consider the audio edition of Methland to be better than the print version?
I have not read the printed version so I can not compare the two.
Who was your favorite character and why?
This is a non-fiction book.
Any additional comments?
This book is a very interesting non-fiction account of Meth on a small town in America. It also shows surprising connections between big business and the meth epidemic.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Greg
- 05-05-11
Interesting Story - Can't feel sorry for them
Not sure the author wants you to feel sorry for those in the book but there is an attempt to portray those affected by meth as victims. I am a compassionate person but ultimately human beings make choices and there are consequinces for those choices. The real vicitims are those trying to make an honest liviing amonst the meth problem and suffer as their small towns die in support of the drug buisness.
I was particularly interested in the part where govenement regulation actually promoted the meth industry. This book is well written and the narration is pretty good. I recommend it as a good overview to the entire meth problem.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Virginia Kerr
- 08-12-10
Excellent book.
This account of the meth epidemic in rural America is well-written and provocative. The author does not simply focus on meth and its ravages. He places the epidemic in the larger context of globalization, immigration policy, the power of the drug lobby, and changes in American agriculture that have decimated family farms and rural communities. For anyone who grew up in the midwest and who has seen the gradual decline of small towns and the increase in rural poverty, this will be a compelling read. For students of politics and economic history, the book is a must-read because of the breadth of the analysis and the prediction that what is true in Olwein, Iowa today may be true of Scarsdale, NY in a matter of years.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- maambeau
- 08-05-10
Riveting!
I could not stop talking about this book. It is one of the best listens I have found. The author combines personal stories and hard facts in a way that keeps the book from being dry or weepy. Wonderful!
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