Super Short Summary

Methland: The Death and Life of a Small American Town by Nick Reding is a nonfiction book chronicling the meth epidemic in Oelwein, Iowa, and its impact on rural America. The book blends sociology, economics, memoir, and history, detailing how corporate greed, pharmaceutical lobbying, and flawed immigration policies exacerbate the crisis. Reding uses personal stories of locals like Mayor Larry Murphy and prosecutor Nathan Lein to illustrate the human cost of meth addiction, ultimately offering a perspective that holds some hope for resolving the issue. The book includes detailed accounts of violence, addiction, and disfigurement.