Methland

    "Methland: The Life and Death of an American Small Town" is a story about the effects of Methamphetamine on everyone, and everything it comes in contact with. Nick Reding doesn't simply illustrate the effects of Meth on Oelwein, Iowa; he sets out to examine its effects on its users, their communities, and our nation's small communities. Reding starts with an explainaintion of what brought the issue of meth to his notice, then expands to an explanation of both his concern and the disregaurd it was treated with by his peers. Reding goes on to tell specific stories of interviews with users and cooks; and then offers a grisly story of one Ronald Jarvis who suffered horribly at his own hands when his lab exploded.

Reding speaking at Emory University

    Although I haven't read the rest of his book -though that will change within the next three hours- Reding seems to be genuinely concerned for the conditions of our rural towns and communities. He even offers a story involving a small town he would frequent where he found the drug to be prevalent  While I don't yet know his full motivation, I will say this article has done much to sway me -with little knowledge of the whole story- to believe his actions are quite laudable.
    Redin's work relates to Winter's Bone almost blatantly. Reding's entire book is centered around the same type of community as Winter's Bone and talks -almost directly- about the real life equivalent to some of the books characters. I think that if anything, Reding's book can lend support the reality to the Winter's Bone's story, and thus make the book understandably less, "fictional." Rather Reding himself or his story lends credibility to my analyses, will remain to be seen closer to its completion.


Reding, Nick. Methland The Life and Death of an American Small Town. Bloomsbury, 2009 Print

"Nick Reding Image" Emory.edu Course Spotlight 28 Feb 2011. Web http://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/images/issues/2011/02/methland-2-WEB.jpg