Methland

June 6, 2009

Methlandmethland
The Death and Life of an American Small Town

By Nick Reding

Bloomsbury USA / Macmillan
www.bloomsburyusa.com
June 2009
$25.00 Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-59691-650-0
Contemporary American issues / Midwest small towns and rural communities / book focuses on the town of Oelwein, Iowa

The dramatic story of Methamphetamine as it comes to the American Heartland — a timely, moving, very human account of one community’s attempt to confront the epidemic and see their way to a brighter future.

“It’s estimated that more than 26 million people worldwide are addicted to crystal meth-widely considered to be the most dangerous drug on earth. Nick Reding…spent four years in Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), documenting the town’s meth-influenced decline. Through scrupulous reporting and fierce moral engagement, he conveys the tragedy of the meth epidemic on both a micro- and macroscopic level.”
-Village Voice

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MBA Bookseller Information

For more information about this book, please contact your Macmillan sales rep.  Order from Macmillan or your preferred wholesaler.

If you would like to inquire about publicity and events for author Nick Reding, who lives in St. Louis, please contact Carrie Majer, Bloomsbury USA Publicist, carrie.majer@bloomsburyusa.com, 646.307.5067.

MBA Booksellers: earn up to $100 in rebates for promoting this book!  See the marketing information and rebate form below.

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About the Book

“Oelwein’s story has implications for other rural areas, especially in the Midwest, West, and South, where Reding’s tale should be vital cautionary reading.”
- Mike Tribby, Booklist

“Nick Reding’s journey into Methland uncovers small Iowa towns overrun with crankheads clawing their way to recovery.”
- Hot Type, Vanity Fair

An important report on an extremely dangerous drug and the consequences of addiction.”
- Kirkus Reviews

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 is the story of the drug as it infiltrates the community of Oelwein, Iowa (pop. 6,159), a once-thriving farming and railroad community. Tracing the connections between the lives touched by meth and the global forces that have set the stage for the epidemic, Methland offers a vital and unique perspective on a pressing contemporary tragedy.

Oelwein, Iowa is like thousand of other small towns across the county. It has been left in the dust by the consolidation of the agricultural industry, a depressed local economy and an out-migration of people. If this wasn’t enough to deal with, an incredibly cheap, long-lasting, and highly addictive drug has come to town, touching virtually everyone’s lives. Journalist Nick Reding reported this story over a period of four years, and he brings us into the heart of the town through an ensemble 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 case load is filled almost exclusively with meth-related crime, and Jeff Rohrick, who is still trying to kick a meth habit after four years.

Methland is a portrait of a community under siege, of the lives the drug has devastated, and of the heroes who continue to fight the war. It will appeal to readers of David Sheff’s bestselling Beautiful Boy, and serve as inspiration for those who believe in the power of everyday people to change their world for the better.reding-bytakayanagimoto1

About the Author

 Nick Reding is the author of The Last Cowboys at the End of the World, and his writing has appeared in Outside, Food and Wine, and Harper’s.  He lives in St. Louis, where he was born and to which he returned in the course of writing this book.

Midwest Connections Marketing Plans

  • $100 in REBATES from MBA for display photos, ads, features in your newsletters, e-newsletters, and on your store website, and using this book with your book clubs and reading groups – print out the REBATE FORM above and follow instructions.
  • Contact the publisher to inquire about events and/or phoners with the author.
  • Banners and Midwest Connections page for the book on the MBA website.
  • Flyer/sign PDF file and other materials provided by the publisher.
  • Reading copies of Methland available from Bloomsbury USA and MBA – contact the MBA office if you need a book.
  • Print ad you can run in your local paper – earn a rebate from MBA for your ad!
  • Midwest Connections stickers, shelf-talkers, signs, bookmarks for in-store displays – earn a display rebate, too.

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