Writer Lauren Hough on Her Cross-Country Road Trip and New Book

Lauren Hough, author of the New York Times bestselling memoir 'Monster of a Land,' reveals how a dog named Woody and a failed attempt to escape Austin led her on a cross-country road trip that became the foundation of her new book. What began as a desperate attempt to avoid writing another book turned into a raw, intimate exploration of modern America—where she discovered that most people aren’t swayed by political headlines, but are simply trying to survive. From van breakdowns in upstate New York to conversations with strangers at gas stations, Hough found that the real story wasn’t in ideology, but in the quiet, shared humanity of people just getting through their days. She recounts how a 1999 speeding ticket in South Carolina still haunts her with a bench warrant, how dog lovers are the only true unifiers in a divided country, and why the most powerful political weapon isn’t rhetoric—it’s entertainment. Her journey, filled with absurdity, vulnerability, and unexpected tenderness, ultimately became a meditation on connection, responsibility, and the myth of the American dream. Hough’s candid reflections on her upbringing in the Children of God cult, her complicated relationship with her father, and her decision to redact explicit passages for him reveal a writer unafraid to expose both her body and her soul.