Methland

1050 Words3 Pages

Methland by Nick Reding
Connecting Sociology to situations that arise in everyday life has become easier and easier as i have progressed through Intro to Sociology this semester. When choosing what book I was going to analyze for my report, I chose Methland by Nick Reding. It details the quote “death and life of an american small town” through the perspective of those involved in the epidemic of the production of methamphetamine’s in the rural town of Oelwein Iowa. Despite the odds of a poor, small, and rural town in Middle America, Oelwein climbed to the top of the economic ladder with a multi million dollar drug franchise spread throughout the 1990’s. The midwest suffered greatly in the 1980’s with the downfall of the agricultural business in the United States. Soon drug dealers started flocking to these seemingly desolate towns in rural America to safely distribute their product. With the loss of jobs due to the farming downfall, many residents of Oelwein were seeking work and pay in anyway they could find. This is what started the official meth epidemic. Reding spent 4 years in his hometown of Oelwein Iowa to gain insight on the production and consumption of methamphetamine’s in this small town and also shines a spotlight on the problems of meth in this country today. But ironically, the comparison in this story of how the production and consumption of meth seemed to be driving this small town further into extinction, it also brought it back to life. Despite the destruction methamphetamines caused in Oelwein Iowa, the epidemic also brought the town back to life in a way that is irreversible. The highlight of the division of social class and who is able to climb up the social ladder is themed throughout the entire novel.
To be...

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...ose who are at the top, do not look down, and those at the bottom, cannot help but look up. The clashing views in Redings novel Methland about those who defy all odds and make it to the top, and those who are still stuck at the bottom persist as the growing meth epidemic continues in a way that captures both sides and perspectives. Reding’s detailed effort in shining a spotlight of the ongoing rise and fall of small town Oelwein Iowa allows the reader to grasp a better understanding and how destructive this drug can be both for the individual user and also the communities in which they live. There will always be some sort of division in those who are able to achieve ultimate power and those who are simply trying to make their way, but Methland is open to the interpretation to the reader to decide what opportunities in life are ultimately worth taking advantage of.

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