Iced: Crystal Meth—The Biography of North America's Deadliest New Plague.

Robin Chamberlain is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University.

Iced: Crystal Meth—The Biography of North America’s Deadliest New Plague is investigative journalist Jerry Langton’s gripping account of an increasingly dire social problem. Iced is both well-researched and a fascinating read. Langton interviews not only users and addicts, but also police officers, health care providers, and the families of users. Iced delivers some shocking facts: crystal meth has an addiction rate of over 90 percent, its intravenous use is associated with rising rates of HIV and hepatitis infections, and long-term use can lead to psychosis, often manifesting in violent and/or criminal behaviour. Throughout, the author often compares crystal meth to crack cocaine, usually arguing that the effects of the former are more devastating.

While most of the book is written in a highly readable way, a narrative rather than an exposition, Langton supplements this with sidebars related to what he is discussing. The topics covered by these sidebars include the effects of taking crystal meth during pregnancy, signs of crystal meth abuse, and stories about crystal meth convictions taken from various news sources. Another way in which Langton combines readability with the provision of information is by going back and forth between personal stories and interviews, and exposition about the history and science of crystal meth. Thus, the reader is exposed to the stories of actual addicts, but also learns about the wider social and medical effects and context of crystal meth. In his concluding chapter, Langton discusses arguments for and against the legalization of crystal meth (and other drugs).

The only gripe I have about this book is that, in his effort to argue that crystal meth is a major problem, Langton downplays the dangers of heroin, cocaine, and crack. This does not seem necessary, as he makes clear that methamphetamine use is a deadly plague, and seems dangerous in suggesting that other drugs are not still serious problems. Otherwise, this is an excellent and highly readable book.