Methland is the story of the causes and effects of the methamphetamine "epidemic" in the town of Oelwein, Iowa. To be clear, this story isnt a history of meth, nor is it a telling of meth's presence in the US as a whole. What the book is, however, is a phenomenal, multi-layered case study on one particular drug and its interplay with families, legal institutions, drug lords, teachers, and the author.

Reding manages many 'characters' well in the story. While he presents and develops many of the key stakeholders in the town, I believe his most impressive writing comes in his ability to 1) present the town as an evolving entity 2) relay his experiences without making the book an autobiography. The reader


Also, being involved with interviewing and ethnography myself, we frequently debate the ethics of presenting the lives of individuals for public consumption. The Afterward in the paperback version includes a narrative of Reding's return to Oelwein to face critiques of the book. Reding states that, "what [they] asked, in effect, was 'Why did you do this to us?'" Reding stands in front of many angry members of the town, defending his work against many that feel emotionally betrayed, many that didnt read the book, and many that simply point out incorrect facts (which he admits was justified). For those involved closely with personal life stories as subject matter, being questioned by your interviewees and accused of miscontruing their stories is a recurrent nightmare, and Reding's retelling of his community roast is as close as I would ever care to come.